Big Sky Country State Fair 2022 Attendance Numbers
Final attendance numbers are in from the annual Big Sky Country State Fair held in Bozeman July 20-24.
The regional attraction drew 40,100 people; numbers were slightly down from 2021, with a decrease of 17%, from the 48,246 we saw in 2021. However, this was still a 22% increase in attendance from 2019. Despite the decrease in attendance, Food Row and Carnival sales held strong in 2022 with an increase of 16% and 10%, respectively. 4-H Market Sale also had an increase of 9.6% with another record-breaking sale.
Sunday proved to be a huge day at the fair, seeing a 26% increase in gates and food row a 62% increase in sales on Sunday. Bringing in a new Monster Truck Show on Sunday and cooler temperatures made for strong attendance. “We always strive to bring in new and exciting entertainment to keep the community coming back every year,” said Rachel May, the Fair’s interim director. Competitive Exhibits also had a strong showing during the 2022 fair having 868 entries with over 266 exhibitors compared to the 640 entries and 211 exhibitors in 2021.
Anchor elements for this year’s Fair were night shows, T.I. with special guest Willie Jones, Russell Dickerson with special guest Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, and Brantley Gilbert with special guest Ashland Craft. The longstanding Ranch Rodeo Roundup proved again to be a crowd favorite with standing room only for the event. Monster Truck Nitro Tour was a hit on Sunday, bringing in record crowds to the fair on Sunday. Other events such as the Flying Fools, Extreme Dogs, Raptor Show, Chicago Honey Bear Dancers, Dale K Hypnotist, and Scot Bruce Elvis all had full crowds throughout the week!
The Big Sky Country State Fair typically serves a large variety of out of state visitors that are traveling through the state or visiting Yellowstone National Park. With inflation, gas prices and attendance down at Yellowstone National Park, the decreased fair numbers were to be expected and very similar to what the rest of the country is seeing at events similar to the Big Sky Country State Fair. “We want to thank the community for spending their hard earned money with us at the Big Sky Country State Fair,” May said.
Despite the continual rise in prices of goods, the Big Sky Country State Fair never raised gate prices for this year’s fair. “We didn’t want to pass our rising costs on to our fair goers and still keep it an affordable event for Gallatin County,” says May. The 2023 Big Sky Country State Fair will be held July 19th -23rd, 2023 at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds. For more information on the 2023 Fair and events happening at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds, visit gallatincountyfairgrounds.com.
