The charm of old-fashioned fairs continues unabated as carnivals across North America saw high attendance last year.
CNE
Carnival Warehouse has published the industry’s annual ranking of the top 50 fairs and carnivals based on attendance and “calculated with a special patented formula to determine their official ranking.”
The best fair in North America was the State Fair of Texas which saw an attendance of 2,547,289 people, a 15.64 percent jump over 2021.
Canadian National Exhibition or CNE came in 5th and saw 1,566,268 enthusiasts enjoying unique food and fun.
Calgary Stampede saw a growth of 130.03 percent in 2022 attendance at 1,216,859 compared to 2021 (528,998) and is the 8th best fair. The 2021 Calgary Stampede was held under COVID-19 restrictions.
Edmonton’s K-Days and Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver made the top 50, respectively at 23rd and 32nd positions.
K-Days attendance was 760,889, an increase of 8.34% compared to 2021. PNE saw a 27.73% decline in attendance compared to 2021 with only 529,000 carnival goers.
Here are the top 10 fairs and carnivals in North America:
Calgary Stampede — Christina Ryan/Tourism Calgary
- State Fair of Texas – Dallas TX — Attendance 2,547,289
- Houston Livestock Show and Exhibition — Attendance 2,417,248
- Minnesota State Fair – St. Paul, MN — Attendance 1,842,222
- Eastern States Exhibition – W. Springfield, MA — Attendance 1,603,354
- Canadian National Exhibition – Toronto, ON — Attendance 1,566,268
- Arizona State Fair – Phoenix, AZ — Attendance 1,384,269
- San Antonio Livestock Show and Exhibition – San Antonio, TX — Attendance 1,300,000
- Calgary Stampede – Calgary, AB — Attendance 1,216,859
- Fort Worth Stock Show – Fort Worth, TX — Attendance 1,202,200
- Tulsa State Fair – Tulsa, OK — Attendance 1,200,000
23. K Days – Edmonton, AB — Attendance 760,889
32. Pacific National Exhibition – Vancouver, B.C — Attendance 529,000
CNE’s attendance record was set in 1976 with 3,593,000 visitors and the 100th anniversary of the Calgary Stampede saw a record of 1.4 million.
K-Days attendance record was set in 2017 with about 816,000 attendees while PNE was its highest number of guests in 1986 at 1.1 million.
The website, Carnival Warehouse was founded in 1997 by industry enthusiast Matt Cook, and according to them, “has become the industry’s most comprehensive source for carnival, fair, and festival news.”