Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Illinois State Fair sets all-time revenue record

Posted in:

Illinois

It’s official: the 2019 Illinois State Fair is the most successful in state history with over $6.5 million in estimated revenue. This year’s all-time record exceeds revenue brought in for the 2018 fair by approximately $750,000 and surpasses the previous record of $6.4 million set in 2013.

“I’ve had more fun at the state fair than almost anything else I’ve done in the past eight months, and I’m proud that so many families enjoyed everything the fair has to offer – and it’s no wonder this fair is one for the history books,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This fair brought in record-breaking revenue of over $6.5 million, highlighted our tremendous agriculture industry and supported incredible small businesses from across the state. I’m grateful to our hardworking team at the Department of Agriculture for making this possible and already looking forward to next year’s fair.”

“The success of this year’s Illinois State Fair is a testament to the hard work of our staff, not only during the fair but throughout the whole year,” said John Sullivan, Director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture. “The buildings and grounds crew made the fairgrounds look more beautiful than ever and State Fair Manager Kevin Gordon came up with new ways to bring more people back to the fairgrounds. After a lot of hard work, Illinoisans have a lot to celebrate.”

Today’s revenue announcement comes on top of a record-setting year at the grandstand with 63,633 tickets sold, bringing in a record $2.3 million. Estimated attendance totals of nearly 509,000 were 37% higher than 2018’s projection of just over 370,000, making it the largest attendance since 2014.

This data represents conservative estimates, with the final numbers being released for 2018 and 2019 in the auditor’s report in October or November.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:40 am

Comments

Great news. Congratulations and thanks to all who made it successful.

On the other hand, the Confederates’ boycott was an abysmal failure and so well-deserved. But all isn’t lost. Maybe some of these folks can get hired by those who professionally trash Illinois.

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:47 am
JB did better than Rauner while standing on one leg.

Comment by Sonny Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:52 am
Good times on the fair circuit. Both Iowa and Wisconsin state fairs also set attendance records this year.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 11:08 am
@ Sonny: You are correct, and I would add that J.B. (stupid iPad keeps adding initials) could do better than Rauner while standing on his head.

Comment by Bourbon Street Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 11:29 am
Pretty sure those acts, or most of them, were booked before JB took office. Throw in good weather and that is the recipe for success.

Comment by Pick a Name Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 12:02 pm
===were booked before JB took office===

Yeah. I kinda think that Bruce did not book Snoop.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 1:03 pm
Combination of good weather and a string of good acts at the Grandstand contributed to it.

And it was great to see the “I ain’t a goin’ to tha State Fair cuz they doan like thuh Confederate Flag” crowd be made to look like the blowhards that they are.

Comment by btowntruth from forgottonia Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 1:08 pm
Now we just need to have 1,086 more of them to pay off the state’s bill backlog.

Comment by Marty Meh-lan Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 1:35 pm
i Am assuming that the Department of Revenue collected Retailers Occupation tax on a portion of that Revenue? How about showing what taxes were collected this year as opposed to previous years

Comment by Hemi345 Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 2:19 pm
Oh I forgot. The Department of Revenue no longer has tax collectors at the fair attempting to collect taxes on out of state vendors doing a cash business

Comment by Hemi345 Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 2:31 pm
C’mon Rich, Bruce is a big fan of Snoop!

Comment by Pick a Name Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 3:04 pm
== And it was great to see the “I ain’t a goin’ to tha State Fair cuz they doan like thuh Confederate Flag” crowd be made to look like the blowhards that they are.==

Oh, go look at WSIL’s Facebook page. They think this is fake news. They’re in full “tin foil hat” mode right now.

Comment by Alex Ander Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 4:14 pm