Thousands of people headed to West Springfield to eat cream puffs, ride rides and explore the state buildings at The Big E Wednesday.
There were 63,243 people at The Big E on Wednesday, Sept. 18. It was slightly lower than the same day in 2023 when 72,849 people attended on the first Wednesday of the fair.
On Tuesday, the crowd size of 58,996 people broke a daily day attendance record. The attendance record for the first Tuesday of the fair was set in 2023 when 57,802 people attended the fair.
A daily record was also broken on Saturday when 121,854 people attended the fair.
The Big E is considered one of the largest fairs in the U.S. and Canada, according to Carnival Warehouse.
It was named the third largest fair in 2021. However, by 2023 it was the seventh largest fair in the U.S.
The number of fairgoers doesn’t just mean the amount of people who enjoy things like cream puffs, rides and shopping, it also reflects how much the Eastern State Exposition can do over the next year, Eugene J. Cassidy, president and chief executive officer, told The Republican.
Keeping the fair alive and thriving is especially vital for farmers, since the awards they receive means they can sell and breed their cattle at a higher price and helps improve the lineage of the animals.
“The value is they can share and exchange best practices,” he said.
About 87% of the Eastern States Exposition budget comes from the fair. After 30 years working there, Cassidy predicted the nonprofit would end up with a net income of $2.5 million after 2023′s fair. In a good year, it will top $4.5 million, he said.
So far, 464,717 people have attended The Big E. It lasts until Sept. 29.
