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After a hiatus in 2020 and months of uncertainty, the 136th Arizona State Fair opened its doors on Oct. 1, hosting a record breaking 1,589,951 guests over 22 days at its downtown Phoenix location.
With the roller coaster landscape of the live event industry, fair officials weren’t sure what crowds would look like this year. Combined with a condensed time frame to plan and a limited budget, supply chain and recruiting challenges, fair planners didn't know what to expect.
“We could feel the community wanting to get out and have fun,” said Wanell Costello, executive director of the fair. “We wanted to be that place for families and friends to gather safely. Seeing the smiles and hearing the laughter made it all worthwhile.”
Fairgoers devoured Flaming Hot Cheeto Tater Tots, the most popular menu item this year, and enjoyed exhilarating Valley views from La Grande Wheel and the 14-story Titan. Game players skilled enough to win a SquishMellow were the envy of those strolling the fairgrounds with their funnel cakes, topped with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, another fair favorite for 2021.
Creative and talented artists from 13 Arizona counties shared 4,449 competitive entries and children read 6,113 books to earn free rides by participating in the SRP Read & Ride program.
In previous years, the fair operated 18 days and in 2019 had its highest attendance with 1.3 million guests. This year, the fair surpassed 1.3 million patrons on day 17 of 22 - the longest running Arizona State Fair in history.
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