There’s little doubt left that the 2026 Iowa State Fair will set an all-time attendance record.
The latest attendance report, for Friday, Aug. 21, showed 114,256 people passed through the gates ― a new record for Day 9 of the 11-day fair. That leaves the fair 198,352 short of the record total attendance of 1,182,682, set in 2024.
What will it take to set the all-time record?
If the fair on its final Saturday and Sunday draws only the average daily attendance it has had on the first nine days ― 109,370 ― it will exceed the 2024 record by 20,829, pushing attendance past 1.2 million.
What would stop the fair from reaching record attendance?
There’s no reason to think the Iowa State Fair this Saturday and Sunday won’t close out its 11-day Aug. 13-23 run with some of its biggest crowds. Unlike 2025, when the final Saturday and Sunday of the fair were among the hottest days of the year and attendance lagged, the weather on Saturday, Day 10, this year and the outlook for Sunday, Day 11, are about as fair-friendly as it gets in an Iowa August.
Saturday has been sunny, with a high of 84, and Sunday’s high is forecast to be an even more moderate 81. The only potential for rain comes early Monday, as the vendors and exhibitors pack up and head home.
Adding to the likelihood of a record: This year’s fair has seen all-time highs for daily attendance on three days so far. Joining Day 9, Friday, attendance Sunday, Aug. 16, broke the record for Day 4 of the fair, at 123,140. And Day 5, Monday, Aug. 17, also was a record for the day at 111,159.
When will we know for sure that the fair had record attendance?
The official number for Saturday is due Sunday, and the final attendance report, with the 2026 total, will come Monday.
What have been the fair’s most attended recent years?
Since the cancellation of the fair in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has bounced back with four fairs that ranked among the 10 best-attended:
The fair in 2021 fell just shy of the top 10, ranking 11th.
Which other fair years have been in the top 10?
Others in the top 10 are 2019 (2), 2018 (5), 2017 (6), 2015 (8), 2008 (9) and 2012 (10).
Where does the Iowa State Fair rank among the nation’s most-attended?
We’d like to say, as the fair motto goes, “Nothing compares.” But according to Blue Ribbon Group, the Minnesota State Fair has taken the top spot in average daily attendance for the past three years. It has a leg up because its final weekend includes a third day, the Labor Day holiday.
Lucia Cheng is a service and trending reporter at the Des Moines Register. Contact her at lcheng@gannett.com or 515-284-8132.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State Fair nears attendance record as Friday sets new Day 9 mark
Reporting by Lucia Cheng and Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Lucia Cheng and Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
