Attendance, revenue up at California Mid-State Fair as free carnival rides return
More people flocked to the 2023 California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles this summer than the previous year, lured by concerts and free carnival rides, fair officials announced Thursday in a news release.
More than 334,000 people attended the Paso Robles fair in July, a 0.5% increase from 2022, according to preliminary results. Official ticket counts will take several weeks to calculate, the release said.
That slight bump in attendance was accompanied by a more sizable increase in spending at the carnival, fair officials said.
Carnival operator Helm and Sons Amusements, Inc., brought in $1.67 million during the 12-day event, the release said. That’s a 4% increase from the money spent by eventgoers in 2022.
About double that was spent on food and non-alcoholic drinks, with vendors earning $3 million with concession sales, according to the release.
In total, the Junior Livestock Auction raised an estimated $2.69 million with about 770 animals sold, the release said. Auction totals are expect to increase after Aug. 7.
According to fair officials, live music was a big draw this year, with a couple thousand more ticket buyers than last year.
More than 91,000 people packed the Grandstand Arena to see performances by Luke Bryan, Pitbull, Tim McGraw, Nelly and Los Tucanes de Tijuana, among other big-name acts, according to the release.
According to the fair, tickets for Bryan’s July 23 concert sold out in about a week and a half.
Fair CEO Colleen Bojorquez said officials were “delighted” with the results of the Mid-State Fair, which ran July 19-30 at the Paso Robles Event Center.
“The support from the community to celebrate the traditions of San Luis Obispo County and to see the staff’s hard work is truly inspiring,” she said in the release. “We couldn’t do it without you.”
The 2024 fair will run July 17-28 at the Paso Robles Event Center.
