State Fair

First-day attendance at Minnesota State Fair sets record

Thanks to the good weather, 122,695 people hit the fairgrounds on Thursday.

By Star Tribune staff

The Minnesota Star Tribune

August 25, 2018 at 3:26AM

Crowds jammed the Minnesota State Fair's International Bazaar on opening day. (Elizabeth Flores/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The first day of the Minnesota State Fair broke a record for attendance.

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.

Fairgoers took a ride on the Sky Glider past the Great Big Wheel Thursday afternoon at the Minnesota State Fair. (Aaron Lavinsky/The Minnesota Star Tribune)