Tag: Best State Fairs

2026 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

With the 2026 state fair season just around the corner, we’re publishing our 2026 “Top 30 State Fairs” list, now an annual tradition, four years running.

This list is based exclusively on two factors: per day attendance numbers (total 2025 attendance divided by total days open) and their baking competitions (history of past Blue Ribbon Group special contests). Our other criteria? They have to take place the second half of the year, the Blue Ribbon Group official state fair season. In fact, the majority of the best state fairs happen in a three month window: August, September, and October.

Top 5: Minnesota, Iowa, Tulsa, Big E, and North Carolina State Fairs

The Minnesota State Fair lands in the #1 spot for the fourth year in a row. The Iowa State Fair comes in second. Three fairs leapt two spots each, to land at 3rd, 4th, and 5th, respectively: Tulsa State Fair, Big E, and North Carolina. With their daily average attendance number, the State Fair of Texas lands in the #6 spot. Wisconsin falls closely, behind Texas. Here is the complete list.

Since 2006, Blue Ribbon Group has managed special recipe contests at large state, county and regional fairs. Find a collection of winning recipes at BlueRibbonGroup.net and featured on BlueRibbonFoodies on Instagram and Facebook.

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2025 “TOP 30 STATE FAIRS” LIST

2025 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

Just in time for this year’s state fair season, we’re publishing our 2025 “Top 30 State Fairs” list, now an annual tradition, three years running.

This list is based exclusively on two factors: per day attendance numbers (total 2024 attendance divided by total days open) and their baking competitions (history of past Blue Ribbon Group special contests). Our other criteria? They have to take place the second half of the year, the Blue Ribbon Group official state fair season. In fact, the majority of the best state fairs happen in a three month window: August, September, and October.

Top 5: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Texas and Tulsa State Fairs

The Minnesota State Fair lands in the #1 spot for the third year in a row. The Iowa State Fair comes in second. The Wisconsin State Fair moves up two spots from #5 to #3, versus last year. The State Fair of Texas consistently has the highest total attendance. With their daily average attendance number, Texas lands in the #4 spot, followed closely by the Tulsa State Fair. (Texas wins the tiebreaker with Tulsa, given their higher total attendance). The North Carolina State Fair swapped rankings with the Big E Fair, landing in the #6 spot. Here is the complete list.

The other biggest changes with our list:

At the Tennessee State Fair, which officially combined with the Wilson County Fair in 2021, attendance leapt from 739K to 861K, a bump of 122,000 people.
Total attendance for the 30 top fairs grew again, for the third year in a row. The increases were from 22 million (2022), to 23.5 million (2023), and 24.1 million (2024).

2025 Honorable Mention U.S. Fairs

The biggest fairs in the country are not all state fairs, so we now make an annual Honorable Mention List. This compilation recognizes the largest county and regional fairs we have worked with over the years, giving our list the best representation of the entire country. We have managed special recipe contest at each of these fair in the past. They are tried, true and extremely popular events, just like the official state fairs, but with a different label.

Daily average attendance numbers range from 94K to 10K per day, which is how they are ranked here.

2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

New: 2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” List

Do you love state fairs like we do? Check out our new 2024 “Top 30 State Fairs” list. This second annual compilation is based exclusively on two factors: per day attendance numbers (total 2023 attendance divided by total days open) and their baking competitions (history of past Blue Ribbon Group special contests). Our other criteria? They have to take place the second half of the year, the Blue Ribbon Group official state fair season.

Attendances ranged from 27K to 153K for per day averages (based on top 30 list). That is A LOT of people through the gates each day. All take place in the second half of the year, with the majority happening in August and September. The State Fair of Texas has the highest total attendance – 2.5 million – but since it’s spread out over twice as many days as Minnesota and others, it lands in the 4^th “best state fair” spot.

Top 30 State Fairs List - Best State Fairs

Big E Fair Added for 1st Time: Lands in Top 10

New to our “Top 30 State Fairs” list is the Big E, the biggest fair in Massachusetts. It lands in the # 8 spot. The Big E is considered America’s only multi-state fair and is the largest in the whole NE region. As a result, we count the Big E as a state fair. It represents all of New England with entertainment, unique foods, competitions, and more. Per research, the Big E’s Massachusetts State Exhibition Hall literally pays homage to all six New England states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. We have had many cookie contests at the Big E in years past. Welcome to our best state fair list, Big E!

The other biggest changes with our list:

Attendance leapt at many fairs, especially at Kentucky (up 14 percent) and at Wisconsin, Ohio, and New York, among others
Total attendance for all 30 top fairs jumped from 22.2 million fairgoers to 23.5 million
We narrowed the top 30 list to only have official state – or multi-state – fairs.
At the same time, we added 20 runner-up best fairs, for an Honorable Mention list.

2024 Honorable Mention U.S. Fairs:

For the first time, we also compiled an “honorable mention list” of sorts, to include the largest county and regional fairs we have worked with over the years. This gives our list greater/deeper representation of the entire country. Six land on the West Coast. Six land in the Northeast. The rest span the entire continental U.S. We have managed special recipe contest at each of these fair in the past. They are tried, true and extremely popular events, just like the official state fairs, but with a different label.

Daily average attendance numbers range from 94K to 10K per day, which is how they are ranked here.