Attendance numbers from opening day of the 2025 Iowa State Fair are out, and after last year’s record-breaking attendance across 11 days, is 2025 on track to surpass that?
The State Fair opened with heavy rain due to some scattered thunderstorms across Des Moines and central Iowa and concluded with Grammy-nominated Christian pop artist Forrest Frank headlining the Grandstand at night.
How many people attended the Iowa State Fair on opening day?
Despite the wet weather, the Iowa State Fair saw 95,671 people attend the opening day on Thursday, Aug. 7 — 5,000 more than last year.
How does attendance compare to the 2024 Iowa State Fair?
In 2024, 90,822 people attended the first day of the fair.
Eight of the 11 fair days in 2024 eclipsed the 100,000 people in attendance mark, according to the Iowa State Fair. In total, 1,182,682 people attended the fair in 2024, surpassing the record set in 2019 by roughly 12,000 people.
How many people attended the Forrest Frank concert at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand?
Opening night’s Grandstand act drew 15,804 people. Frank, supported by fellow Christian artist Lecrae, is the first Christian music act to sell out the Grandstand at the fair.
Iowa State Fair attendance: 15 biggest fairs
When is the Iowa State Fair 2025?
The Iowa State Fair runs from Thursday, Aug. 7, through Sunday, Aug. 17.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Despite heavy rain, Iowa State Fair 2025 opening day sees more fairgoers than last year’s
Reporting by Cooper Worth, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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