The Iowa State Fair has released attendance numbers for Sunday, Aug. 16 — and they are record-breaking.
Here’s how many people attended the fourth day of the 2026 fair.
How many people attended the 2026 Iowa State Fair on Sunday?
The fourth day of the 2026 Iowa State Fair saw 123,140 people attend, a new record for the first Sunday of the fair.
The previous record for the first Sunday was 115,048, which was set in 2024.
Attendance was likely boosted by another record broken on Sunday night. Country diva Lainey Wilson drew 17,360 people to her performance, officially selling the most tickets of any Iowa State Fair Grandstand show since the renovation in 2018.
And Sunday followed an impressive day on Saturday Aug. 15, which saw 125,067 people come through the gates, marking the fourth largest attendance for any day at the Iowa State Fair.
Total attendance for the 2026 fair is 443,138, just under 450,000.
How does attendance compare to the 2025 Iowa State Fair?
In 2025, 113,001 people attended the first Sunday of the fair.
Eight of the 11 fair days in 2025 eclipsed the 100,000 people in attendance mark, according to the Iowa State Fair. By the end of it, 1,160,121 people attended the fair in 2025, the third-highest total in the fair’s history.
How many people attended Lainey Wilson’s concert at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand?
Sunday’s Grandstand act, Lainey Wilson, drew 17,360 people.
The Grammy Award winner performed the largest single Grandstand show since the venue was renovated in 2018, breaking Chris Stapleton’s 2021 record.
When is the Iowa State Fair 2026?
The Iowa State Fair runs from Thursday, Aug. 13, through Sunday, Aug. 23.
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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: Iowa State Fair reports record-breaking attendance for first Sunday
Reporting by Cooper Worth and Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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By Cooper Worth and Courtney Crowder, Des Moines Register | USA TODAY Network
