A preliminary number released Tuesday says that more than 717,000 people went to the 16-day-long Los Angeles County Fair.
The attendance number of 717,815 is higher than it was in 2022 when about 635,400 people showed up after the event had been canceled for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year was also the first time that the fair was held in May instead of September so that people could enjoy the warmer weather.
Walter Marquez, president and CEO of Fairplex, said in a statement, “Our attendance shows that people know the Fair is now always in May and that they love it.” “Guests stayed longer, just like last year. I think that’s partly because they’re having fun and, of course, because the weather is nice.”
The fair, which ended on Monday, is still trying to get back to its normal numbers, which were usually over 1 million people before the pandemic, despite the fact that attendance is up.
This year, the fair used “calendar pricing” to offer cheaper tickets earlier in the fair’s run. Tickets for people ages 13 to 59 who bought them online in advance cost $15 on Saturday, Sunday, and the three Thursdays of May 11, 18, and 25; $18 from May 12 to 14; $21 from May 19 to 21; and $25 from May 26 to May 29.
According to fair officials, the outcome was a more even distribution of attendance over the course of the event.
The theme of the fair was “Spring Into Fair: Where Fun Blooms,” which was a tribute to flower power.
Fair officials said that popular seller Chick Charlie sold 10,000 pounds of chicken, 12,000 Flamin’ Hot Cheetos potstickers, 3,000 fried s’mores on a stick, 8,000 ears of corn, and 4,000 chicken kabobs during the event.
A total of 17,000 pounds of turkey legs, 8,000 pounds of potatoes, and 4,000 pounds of popcorn were sold at the midway.
In 1921, a business and industrial show was held along the Southern Pacific railroad siding in downtown Pomona. This was the beginning of the fair. It did so well that in October 1922, the businessmen who made it held the first Los Angeles County Fair.
Since 1922, the fair has been held every year at Fairplex, except for the years 1942–1947, when the building was used by the U.S. Army as a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian soldiers and a transfer camp for Japanese Americans, and in 2020 and 2021, when the fair will not be held because of the coronavirus pandemic.