The first day of the Minnesota State Fair broke a record for attendance.
First-day attendance at Minnesota State Fair sets record
Thanks to the good weather, 122,695 people hit the fairgrounds on Thursday.
August 25, 2018 at 3:26AM
The fair announced Friday that attendance on Thursday was 122,695. Thursday's mostly pleasant weather probably factored into the rush to the fair, which also was reflected in a colossal traffic jam in the area on Thursday morning.
The previous record for first-day attendance was 119,145, from 2010.
Last year, 117,877 people went to the fair on opening day. In 2016, 111,902 went.
The all-time record for single daily attendance was 260,374, from the fair's final Saturday in 2016. A record for total fair attendance — 1,997,320 — was set last year.
Friday's attendance number will be released Saturday.
The fair runs through Labor Day, Sept. 3.
STAFF REPORT
![Fairgoers took a ride on the Sky Glider past the Great Big Wheel Thursday afternoon. ] AARON LAVINSKY • aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com State Fair from the air photographed Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, Minn.](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/WDZJJPQRGMEJFTG7L3RDF6U5IM.jpg?&w=712)
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