Courtesy Syracuse.com
Just over 90,000 people passed through the gates of the New York State Fair Thursday, surpassing an attendance record that had stood more than a decade.
Fair officials said that $3 Thursday helped draw 23,589 more people to the state fair than the same day last year. The previous attendance record for the second Thursday of the fair, set in 2003, was 81,369 people. Crowds Thursday were strong early on and followed by a rush of people mid-afternoon, fair officials said. Nearly 25,000 people packed Chevy Court for Flo Rida in the evening.
Nearly 90,000 more people have come to the fair so far this year compared to 2015. If the fair had ended Thursday the total attendance of 648,762 people would make it the largest fair since 1978.
NYS Fair Attendance
| Day | 2015 | 2016 | Change | Percent change | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | 62,136 | 68,292 | 6,156 | 9.9% | 74,385 (2000) |
| Friday | 81,020 | 75,970 | -5,050 | -6.2% | 92,782 (2001) |
| Saturday | 88,177 | 105,501 | 17,324 | 19.6% | 115,324 (2010) |
| Sunday | 77,147 | 84,868 | 7,721 | 10.0% | 105,894 (2002) |
| Monday | 68,827 | 82,082 | 13,255 | 19.3% | 85,711 (2011) |
| Tuesday | 58,029 | 78,548 | 20,519 | 35.4% | 102,098 (1972) |
| Wednesday | 57,576 | 63,465 | 5,889 | 10.2% | 112,774 (1972) |
| Thursday | 66,447 | 90,036 | 23,589 | 35.5% | 81,369 (2003) |
| Friday | 71,345 | 103,117 (2002) | |||
| Saturday | 93,576 | 120,617 (2014) | |||
| Sunday | 101,695 | 119,726 (1985) | |||
| Labor Day | 82,172 | 122,870 (2014) | |||
| Totals | 825,975 | 1,011,248 (2001) |
Source: New York State Fair
