South Dakota State Fair Sees Nearly 50% Decrease in Attendance

The big one wasn't nearly as big in 2020, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.

The attendance numbers for this year's South Dakota State Fair were just released, and the threat of getting COVID-19 definitely took its toll on the number of people who walked through the gates in 2020.

Dakota News Now is reporting that just under 108,000 people attended this year’s state fair, a significant drop off from the nearly 205,000 fairgoers that attended South Dakota's State Fair in 2019.

According to Dakota News Now, Peggy Besch, the South Dakota State Fairgrounds manager, said the fair was still pleased with the attendance numbers in the wake of this year's pandemic.

Despite the lighter crowds, those who did attend this year's fair ended up spending around $1.3 million on goods, concessions, and carnival rides.

Dakota News Now reports the state fair was also very pleased with the job they did in helping to keep fair attendees safe.

A number of different safety measures were put in place this year, like, numerous sanitization stations and increased social distancing efforts, which all contributed to helping make this year's event a success, according to Besch.

Here's to hoping life is a little more on the normal side once the 2021 state fair comes rolling around.

We still have a little time for things to quiet down on that front. The 2021 South Dakota State Fair is scheduled for September (2-6th) in Huron.

Source: Dakota News Now