Wonderful weather and a great grandstand lineup were large contributors to a successful 2017 Du Quoin State Fair. State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon is proud to announce that preliminary estimates indicate that attendance at the 2017 fair increased by 3.5-percent as compared to 2016.
“Each year, the Du Quoin State Fair strives to bring in new and unique entertainment for all ages to enjoy, while also making it affordable. When planning the 2017 Fair we looked for various types of free entertainment and activities for kids to enjoy in order to make this a family friendly event,” says Tibretta Reiman, Assistant Du Quoin State Fair Manager. “We also expanded the carnival’s footprint and brought back the truck and tractor pulls, which were very well received.”
Preliminary estimates show 109,305 people attended this year’s Du Quoin State Fair, an increase of over 3,600 attendees. The highest attended day of the 2017 Du Quoin State Fair was Saturday, September 2, while the lowest attended day was Wednesday, August 30. The biggest increases in attendance year-over-year occurred on Saturday, August 26 (an increase of 3,896 attendees) and Friday, August 25 (an increase of 2,887 attendees).
Competitive Events
The Du Quoin State Fair takes great pride in promoting agriculture through our livestock shows that are held during the fair. In 2017, overall livestock numbers increased by 27% over 2016 entries. Beef saw an increase of 25%, while Dairy was up over 42%. New this year, steer and goat shows were also added to the event, and were responsible for bringing in an additional 100 head combined between the two (2) shows.
Grandstand
A total of 12,090 tickets were sold resulting in $292,736 in grandstand revenue. Even though 2016 saw slightly higher ticket sales, the Du Quoin State Fair was still able to recoup 85% of the artist investment (as compared to 75% in 2016). In addition, ticket revenues from grandstand sales realized an increase of over $26,000 from the previous year.
About the methodology:
Attendance was determined based on the number of tickets purchased and turned in at the gates. This takes into account anyone who contributed to the commerce of the Du Quoin State Fair. As in previous years, a formula provides multipliers, based on national averages, to count visitors who cannot be tracked by a ticket due to the fair’s various free admission days.
Below is the attendance breakdown per day at the 2017 Du Quoin State Fair:
Friday, August 25 8,865 5,978 (2016)
Saturday, August 26 17,282 13,386 (2016)
Sunday, August 27 9,403 8,700 (2016)
Monday, August 28 6,031 5,450 (2016)
Tuesday, August 29 7,652 6,407 (2016)
Wednesday, August 30 4,240 3,825 (2016)
Thursday, August 31 6,135 7,306 (2016)
Friday, September 1 7,976 11,463 (2016)
Saturday, September 2 18,498 19,366 (2016)
Sunday, September 3 13,991 15,689 (2016)
Monday, September 4 9,233 8,052 (2016)
