The 15 Most-Visited Fairs in the United States

The largest livestock show and rodeo in the world, running 23 days each spring at NRG Park. Beyond the rodeo and livestock auctions, it draws top-tier musical acts and a sprawling fairgrounds that keeps it consistently at the top of this list.

Held every fall at Fair Park in Dallas, the State Fair of Texas is one of the oldest and largest fairs in the country — home to Big Tex, the 55-foot talking cowboy, and an almost absurd variety of deep-fried foods.

Known as "The Great Minnesota Get-Together," this 12-day fair is a genuine institution and the second-most attended state fair in the country — famous for its food-on-a-stick culture and beloved butter sculptures.

A 17-day fair representing all six New England states, the Big E set an all-time attendance record in 2024. It's the largest fair in the northeastern United States and a regional institution dating back to 1916.

The Iowa State Fair set an all-time attendance record in 2024, cementing its status as one of America's most beloved agricultural fairs. It's been running continuously since 1854 and inspired the 1945 film of the same name.

Officially the Southwestern Exposition & Livestock Show, the Fort Worth Stock Show is the oldest continuously running livestock show and rodeo in the US, dating to 1896. Its 23-day January run draws over a million visitors from across the country.

The Wisconsin State Fair set an all-time attendance record in 2024. Running 11 days each August in West Allis, it's been a fixture of Wisconsin summers since 1851 and is particularly famous for its cream puffs.

Southern California's biggest summer event, the OC Fair runs 23 days each July and August at the OC Fair & Event Center. In 2024 it sold out 9 of its 23 days at a daily cap of 50,000 — a sign of demand that far outstrips capacity.

Held each fall at Expo Square in Tulsa, the Tulsa State Fair is consistently one of the top ten most-attended fairs in the country. Its 11-day run draws visitors from across Oklahoma and neighboring states.

One of the country's oldest state fairs, running continuously since 1850, the Ohio State Fair draws nearly a million visitors each year to the Ohio Expo Center in Columbus. It narrowly missed its all-time record of 1,006,228 set in 2023.

The largest county fair in California, the San Diego County Fair runs 26 days in June and July at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It's been running since 1880 and is one of the most-attended county fairs in the country.

One of the oldest state fairs in the country, dating to 1841, the New York State Fair runs 13 days at the end of August in Syracuse. It's the anchor event of Upstate New York's summer calendar.

One of the largest county fairs in the United States, the LA County Fair runs 25 days at the Fairplex in Pomona. Moving to May dates in 2022 helped boost attendance significantly from its former September timing.

Running since 1854, the California State Fair is held each July at Cal Expo in Sacramento. The 2024 edition saw attendance climb despite extreme heat, driven by expanded programming and free admission nights.

Billed as Ohio's largest county fair, the Fulton County Fair set an all-time attendance record in 2024. Running each September in Wauseon, it draws visitors from across Northwest Ohio and neighboring Michigan and Indiana.