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Oregon State Fair attendance and revenues rebound from pandemic

The Oregon State Fair, 2023.
Oregon State Fair
The Oregon State Fair, 2023.

Fair-goers, festivities, and fun were abundant at the 2022 Oregon State Fair, which ran from August 26 to September 5 in Salem.

Over 346,000 people attended, said Oregon State Fair CEO Kim Grewe-Powell. That’s a 63% increase from 2021.

“2021 was a little bit challenging for us, because we were just coming out of COVID or still within COVID,” Grewe-Powell told KLCC. “And so compared to 2019, our attendance was up about 9%.”

Additionally, revenues topped $12.7 million, a 52% increase over the five-year average. Food and beverage receipts grew 50% year over year, and carnival revenue surpassed its 2021 gross by 15%.

Planning for the 2023 Oregon State Fair -which will boast a new lineup of music and events- has already begun.

Fans can subscribe to the Oregon State Fair newsletter to be the first to know next year’s lineup when it’s announced in late spring.

The 2023 fair will run August 25 to September 4.

©Copyright 2022, KLCC.

Jasmine Lewin was a freelance reporter in 2022 and 2023. Originally from Portland, Oregon, Lewin wrote for the University of Oregon quarterly magazine Ethos before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.