2015 Delaware State Fair attendance increases 10 percent over 2014

A true Delaware and American tradition, the Delaware State Fair is a place where summer rituals were celebrated for 10 days. The 2015 Delaware State Fair returned to strong attendance numbers and reported the fair's second-best attendance, with over 311,000 fairgoers visiting, up over 10 percent from last year. The combination of 10 days of cooperating weather, a mix of new entertainment offerings and a supportive fair community helped the attendance grow back over 300,000.

“We had a fantastic fair this year and, by most measurements, the best fair in recent memory,” said General Manager Bill DiMondi. “It’s great when plans come together accompanied by a pretty healthy dose of fair-friendly weather not marked by extremes in heat or dangerous storms.” He noted the significant positive effect mild temperatures and dry skies played into this year’s success: “Exhibits were up, the carnival set an all-time record, commercial space was fully occupied by happy vendors, and new formatted entertainment in the M&T Bank Grandstand such as the new Craft Beer Festival at The Delaware State Fair featuring the music of Grand Funk Railroad and 60 craft beer varieties from over 20 breweries, pop star Meghan Trainor and the return of contemporary Christian recording artist Casting Crowns drew patrons to our fairgrounds from all over the Delmarva Peninsula.”

The 2015 Delaware State Fair’s Summer Concert Series in the M&T Bank Grandstand showcased a new entertainment offering through the introduction of a very successful Craft Beer Festival, food trucks, Lower Case Blues and Grand Funk Railroad. Meghan Trainor with Charlie Puth and Life of Dillon, Casting Crowns with For King and Country, Josh Turner with Dustin Lynch and Craig Wayne Boyd and a sold-out Demolition Derby helped deliver another strong grandstand performance even with the disappointing cancellation of the Little Big Town concert.

On the carnival side, The Wade Shows provided 56 rides and attractions with a record carnival gross exceeding $1.1 million, which was up 6 percent compared to 2014. The carnival provided a great blend of rides and games of chance for the kids of all ages.

Fair officials focused on a strong balance of grounds entertainment and agriculturally minded entertainment and exhibits. FFA officials helped develop a new agricultural exhibit during the first five days of the fair at the FFA Agricultural Education Center and the John Curtis Sr. Barnyard. Both areas brought animal interaction and FFA programming to fair goers. 2015 also saw the return of the antique machinery showcase that ran all day July 24 and featured agricultural craft demonstrations and live bluegrass music from the group Flatland Drive. The birthing center also returned this year to rave reviews as families witnessed the birth of nine calves during the last four days of the fair.

Assistant General Manager Danny Aguilar noted the fair's continued commitment to offer great entertainment for the price of admission while creating new ways to communicate the various entertainment offerings and schedules. “The return of the fair’s mobile app allowed us to reach over 14,000 fairgoers and highlight weather alerts, contests, livestock information and daily activities. Our social media channels, like Facebook and Twitter, were hard at work keeping fans up to date with fair information and contests,” says Aguilar. “Our new Walgreens in-store pre-fair promotion offering discounted gate and ride wristbands at over 75 Walgreens in Delaware and adjacent counties on Maryland’s lower Eastern Shore gave our patrons even greater access to affordable ways to enjoy the festival-like experience here at the fair.”

This year’s new grounds attractions included the Butterfly Encounter, Movin’ with the Blue Hens, Kid Davie and Scott’s Crazy Comedy Magic Show. Circus Hollywood, the racing pigs, two petting zoos, a menagerie of exotic animals including Twiggs the giraffe and Catherine Hickland, the world-renowned hypnotist, returned again this year.

The Junior Livestock Auction, which represents the culmination of an exhibitor's full year of hard work and dedication, completes an important early agribusiness education program for many livestock exhibitors. This year, the auction experienced another strong year as over $200,000 was raised and distributed to youth exhibitors after selling their animals.

The fair played host to a record 57 corporate sponsors this year. New sponsors for the 2015 fair were Army, Marines, Click Heat, Four Seasons Sunrooms, IG Burton, Jewelry with Charm, and Renewal by Andersen. Other corporate sponsors included M&T Bank, Food Lion, Hertrich, Delaware Electric Cooperative, Delaware Lottery, Discover Bank, and Grotto Pizza, among several others. Aguilar said, “Continued support provided by sponsors allows the Fair to provide our patrons with a variety of great summertime entertainment.”

For the fourth annual Food Lion Hunger Relief Day, fair goers were given another opportunity to exchange five Food Lion brand canned goods for free admission to the fair July 27. Over 19,000 pounds of canned goods were brought to the fairgrounds that day and distributed to Delaware’s needy.

“This year's fair will certainly be one to remember as we reflect back on the great weather, staff and volunteers' hard work, and a community that circles the calendar for the end of July for a trip back to the great entertainment and fun a fair provides. The board of directors are incredibly excited with the success of 2015 and are hard at work with plans for the 2016 Delaware State Fair,” said the Delaware State Fair Board of Directors President Ron Draper.

The dates for the 2016 Delaware State Fair are Thursday July 21, through Saturday July 30, 2016.