Fair Dates & Attendance
Upcoming Fair Dates
Historically, the Fair ended on the Sunday one week before Labor Day and the earliest Fair dates were August 13-23. In 1994, the Iowa State Fair Board, in an effort to avoid earlier school start dates, moved the dates of the Fair up one week. The Fair now ends on the Sunday two weeks prior to Labor Day. Based on calendar shifts, the earliest Fair dates are August 7-17 and the latest are August 13-23.
| YEAR | FAIR DATES |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Aug 13-23 |
| 2027 | Aug 12-22 |
| 2028 | Aug 10-20 |
Daily Attendance
The State Fair is Iowa’s largest event, annually attracting visitors from all over the Midwest, as well as the rest of the U.S. and many foreign countries. Following the Fair, daily attendance estimates are set aside and an actual count of tickets including daily sales, advance sales, exhibitors, concessionaires, campers, children, credentials, half price, etc. is made to determine the final total attendance.
| FAIR DAY | 2024 | 2025 | RECORD DAILY ATTENDANCE (YEAR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | 90,822 | 95,671 | 101,262 (2008) |
| Day 2 | 109,854 | 104,191 | 115,703 (2001) |
| Day 3 | 128,732* | 118,454 | 128,732 (2024) |
| Day 4 | 115,048** | 113,001 | 115,048 (2024) |
| Day 5 | 92,920 | 97,273 | 105,522 (2017) |
| Day 6 | 105,384*** | 102,080 | 105,384 (2024) |
| Day 7 | 99,281 | 105,787 | 109,323 (2019) |
| Day 8 | 102,510 | 106,925 | 107,449 (2015) |
| Day 9 | 111,591 | 108,966 | 112,891 (2019) |
| Day 10 | 126,142 | 118,093 | 128,298 (2022) |
| Day 11 | 100,398 | 89,680 | 119,754 (2012) |
| Total | 1,182,682**** | 1,160,121 | 1,182,682 (2024) |
* Saturday, August 10, 2024: broke the all-time single-day attendance record (previously set second Saturday of the 2022 Fair with 128,298 attendees) and the first Saturday attendance record, previously set in 1991 with 127,227 attendees
**Sunday, August 11, 2024: broke the first Sunday attendance record, previously set in 2023 with 114,937 attendees
***Tuesday, August 13, 2024: broke the Tuesday attendance record, previously set in 2019 with 102,953 attendees
****The total 2024 attendance broke the overall attendance record, previously set in 2019 in 1,170,375 attendees.