RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina State Fair wrapped up its 2026 run in Raleigh with 910,584 visitors, a solid crowd by most measures but a step back from recent years, according to figures the state agriculture department released Monday.
That total is 36,227 fewer people than the 946,811 who came in 2025, a drop of about 3.8%. Setting aside 2021, when the fair came back after the pandemic canceled the 2020 event, it is the smallest turnout since 2009, when 877,939 people went through the gates. It also marks a second straight year of decline after attendance hit 998,926 in 2024.
Weather took a bite out of the numbers. Rain soaked the opening weekend, and only about 68,000 people showed up on the first Saturday, a day that usually draws more than 100,000. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said every day was strong except the rainy one, and that without it the fair would have matched last year.
Cost was another factor this fall. Several longtime food vendors skipped the fair after the state changed the way it charges vendors, and families have been juggling higher prices for gas and groceries before they ever buy a ride ticket.
For perspective, the fair topped 1 million visitors in both 2016 and 2017, peaking at 1,028,364 in 2016. The all-time high, 1,091,887, came in 2010.
One bright spot was the Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day, when visitors traded canned goods for free admission, which collected more than 200,000 pounds of food. Next year’s fair is set for Oct. 14-24, 2027, a year that also marks 75 years for Dorton Arena.
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