DESPITE RAINY START, 2018 DU QUOIN STATE FAIR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR

DU QUOIN, IL - Despite a rainy start, attendance on Family Night on Friday, August 24th, was up nearly 40 percent, propelling the 2018 Du Quoin State Fair toward another successful year.

Preliminary estimates show a total of 100,813 fairgoers passed through the gates for the 2018 fair, bringing in $226,780 in admission and parking revenue during the fair's 11-day run. Attendance was down just eight percent compared to 2017's Du Quoin State Fair numbers, and on par with attendance from last month's Illinois State Fair in Springfield.

"Every year we strive to showcase all that southern Illinois has to offer, highlighting agriculture and tourism so that families can enjoy the Du Quoin State Fair as an entertaining and affordable event," said State Fair Manager Luke Sailer. "We're very proud of what we offered this year, particularly our special events celebrating Illinois' bicentennial."

The highest attended day of the 2018 Du Quoin State Fair was Coal Heritage Day on Saturday, September 1st (15,685 attendees), while the lowest attendance day was Agriculture Youth Day on Monday, August 27th (4,399 attendees). By far, the biggest increase in attendance year-over-year occurred on Family Night on Friday, August 24th. 12,350 fairgoers attended the fair's first night, including the Twilight Parade, which this year was moved entirely inside the fairgrounds. That's an increase of 3,485 fairgoers over 2017's Family Night, up 39.3 percent.

"This year we moved the Twilight Parade, which kicks off the fair, inside the fairgrounds and waived all admission and parking fees that night so that more families could enjoy the parade and the fair's opening night," said Assistant State Fair Manager Tibretta Reiman. "That change was incredibly successful this year, as thousands more people came out to celebrate the opening of the Du Quoin State Fair."

Economic impact

Annually, the fair provides a much-needed economic impact for Perry County. The most recent economic impact study concluded the Du Quoin State Fair has an economic impact of $6 million, including $2 million for wages and salaries, and generates more than $500,000 in sales tax revenue.                                                                                         
 
"It takes a small army to organize an event of this size and duration," said Director of the Department of Agriculture Raymond Poe. "The Du Quoin State Fair put nearly 300 people to work this summer. Those are paychecks that will be spent in neighboring grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants. That direct impact on our state and local economy is essential as the fair continues to fuel small businesses in southern Illinois."

About the methodology

Attendance was determined based on the number of tickets purchased and turned in at the gates.  This takes into account anyone who contributed to the commerce of the Du Quoin State Fair. As in previous years, a formula provides multipliers, based on national averages, to count visitors who cannot be tracked by a ticket due to the fair's various free admission days.

Below is the attendance breakdown per day at the 2018 Du Quoin State Fair: