The Orange County Fair set an attendance record with more than 1.4 million guests, fair officials said Monday.
The 128th annual fair, which concluded Sunday, attracted 1,470,636 visitors, breaking the previous record of 1,400,280 set in 2011. The fair drew about 1.3 million people each year from 2012-2017.
The fair’s single-day attendance record was broken with 86,334 visitors on July 28. The previous record of 84,986 was set on July 21, 2001.
All of the fair’s 35 shows sold out. The fair’s revenue won’t be tallied officially until October, said fair spokeswoman Terry Moore.
The fair offered more promotions and discounts than ever before so it could affect how much revenue was generated, Moore said.
Kathy Kramer, the fair’s chief executive, said there was a push this year with the “free your inner farmer” theme to educate fairgoers about agriculture.
“We’re proud that 87 percent of guests surveyed said they increased their knowledge of agriculture and gave us a 4.62 overall enjoyment rating (out of 5),” Kramer said.
The fair collected 11,055 children’s books, 10,769 articles of clothing, 8,849 cans of food and 8,229 school supplies for the area’s needy families. The fair offered free admission to guests who brought in a donation on Wednesdays.
The Orange County Fair is the second-most attended fair in the state, behind the San Diego County Fair, and seventh nationally.