Washington State Fair ends with 816,000 attendees and record-breaking spending

With the state fair ending in Puyallup on Sunday, organizers reported early 816,000 people attended from September 3 - 26.

The total attendance means the fair was Washington’s largest event since the pandemic began.

“While attendance was down 20 percent from the 2019 Washington State Fair, we broke financial records in many areas,” Stacy Van Horne, the fair’s public relations manager, said. “This reflects our guests wanting to be back, to celebrate and make new memories.”

Specific dollar amounts were not provided, but Van Horne said there was an increase in overall spending for vendors selling food, rides, games, and alcohol.

369 guests also received COVID-19 vaccines at an on-site booth in partnership with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (TPCHD).

A spokesperson with TPCHD said it was too early to gauge if any COVID cases spread due to the fair. Days before the first day of the fair, MultiCare released a statement raising concerns of possible COVID transmission at the event.

“The risk of increased transmission of the virus through an event like the fair would almost certainly result in more COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations,” MultiCare stated.

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