Another Record Year For The Fair As Attendance Soars

After 125 years, the Yakima Valley still loves its fair.

A record crowd on Sunday helped lift attendance for the 2017 Central Washington State Fair to 326,273 (up from 312,191), fair officials reported in a Monday news release.

On Sunday, 51,416 people came through the gates, added to the 58,850 people who attended the fair on the final Saturday, making this the best attended fair in recent history.

Despite the record numbers, Saturday’s attendance was still short of the record final Saturday attendance of 59,551 set last year.

Fair officials attributed this year’s attendance to the entertainment lineup.

“It really was a great fair,” fair president and general manager Greg Stewart said of the 2017 fair. “And when you have such good weather, a strong entertainment lineup, and good promotions it adds up to a really great event.”

The weather was exceptional, with many agreeing that this year's was the best in the past 10 years. I think the awesome discounts and ticket promotions made this year's 125th celebration the most affordable fair in many years.

“Our promotions really helped out with keeping our admission prices down,” Stewart added. “People really appreciated that and our attendance numbers showed some nice gains.”

Stewart said fair managers and staffers are already making plans for next year’s event, which will be Sept. 21-30, 2018.

Hey, Mr. Stewart, there's this band named Greta Van Fleet, you should totally check them out.