MONROE — Spectacular weather, popular performers and a demolition derby helped make the Evergreen State Fair the best-attended in recent memory, Snohomish County officials said.
The 2014 fair, which ended Sept. 1, drew at least 341,000 people, fair manager Hal Gausman said. That’s not a final tally; it’s expected to climb slightly once number-crunchers have reconciled all the ticket data.
“The classic thing with fairs is that they’re so weather-dependent,” Gausman said.
In that respect, mostly clear skies helped this year. Clouds and showers did dampen a the first two days of the Labor Day weekend.
The 12-day fair has enjoyed steadily increasing attendance since 2011, when the county started using an electronic ticketing system which keeps better track of sales. The county tallied 327,974 fair visitors in 2011, 338,978 in 2012 and 340,768 in 2013.
This year set a single-day record of 46,273 people passing through the gates Aug. 31, the final Sunday of the fair. That surpassed the previous record of 44,968 from 2013.
The final Sunday was the date of the fair’s most popular event, a demolition derby that drew about 5,000 spectators, Gausman said.
Another big draw during the fair was the Newsboys, a Christian rock band from Australia, which attracted well over 3,000 people. Nearly as many people went to see comedian Bill Cosby.
This year’s fair placed an emphasis on locally grown food.
In 2011, the official attendance figures for the fair nose-dived by more than half after the county first started using the electronic ticketing system. Among other problems, the old system didn’t adjust for a single person making multiple entries, which inflated attendance figures.
Beyond more reliable head counts, the electronic ticketing system has provided a trove of data about who’s attending the fair.
“The biggest thing it’s allowed us to do is to do more directed marketing and see what’s important to the fairgoers,” Gausman said.
Useful breakdowns include people’s hometowns, ages and specific events they attended once inside.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, nhaglund@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @NWhaglund.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
