State Fair of Texas Saw Its Lowest Attendance in a Decade
The State Fair of Texas just wrapped with its lowest attendance in ten years. Only about 2,020,000 people hit Fair Park this year — a big drop from more than 2.3 million in 2023 and 2024, and way off its 2022 peak of 2.5 million visitors.
Organizers blame a perfect storm of issues — scorching fall temps, fears over immigration raids, the ongoing government shutdown, and overall economic pressure on fairgoers. But experts say the root cause might be simpler: people are just broke and tired.
Steven Haynes, a finance professor at UT Dallas, says it’s not that Texans don’t want to go — they just don’t have the spare cash. “It’s not a lack of interest. It’s a lack of disposable income,” he told WFAA. He calls it ‘funflation,’ the squeeze on everyday folks trying to balance bills with “good times.”
“When it’s between going to the fair or putting groceries on the table, groceries win,” Haynes said.
Another UT Dallas professor, Ted Benavides, thinks social media may have made things worse. Early posts about smaller crowds could’ve scared people off — creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Benavides says the city will likely study what went wrong, from tweaking entertainment options to surveying fairgoers. But Haynes warns this may just be a preview of what’s ahead for the holidays.
“The State Fair is a Texas tradition,” he said. “But when reality hits, even traditions can die.”
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