After many people stayed home in 2023 due to rain, clear skies have led to multiple record-breaking crowds at The Big E this year.
The Big E has had seven attendance records broken over the course of the fair, five of them in a row.
On Tuesday, there were 79,852 people at the fair, which was a daily attendance record.
One of the records was for an all-time single day attendance record, which was on Saturday when 178,608 people attended the fair.
Overall, 1,119,145 people have gone to The Big E so far this year.
The Big E lasts from Sept. 13-29 and is considered one of the largest fairs in the U.S. and Canada, according to Carnival Warehouse.
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, Cassidy said.
