Wisconsin has one of the highest-attended state fairs in the country, survey finds

The Wisconsin State Fair is gearing up to welcome thousands of visitors starting Aug. 1 in West Allis. The fair, which runs through Aug. 11 this year, regularly lands among the highest attended state fairs across the country.

But, if you're wondering which one is the best, well "of course it's Wisconsin State Fair," said spokesperson Kristi Chuckel.

Here's a look at how many people visit the Wisconsin State Fair and how it compares to other fairs across the country.

More than a million people attended the Wisconsin State Fair in 2023

The Wisconsin State Fair welcomed 1,043,350 guests in 2023 . That's up slightly over 2022's 1,003,450 fairgoers.

According to the State Fair , about 841,000 people attended the fair in 2021. It was cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the pandemic, the State Fair had more than a million visitors for seven consecutive years, with a modern-day attendance record of more than 1.1 million fairgoers in 2019.

The first Wisconsin State Fair took place in 1851 in Janesville. The fair lasted two days, and 13,000-18,000 patrons attended the festivities.

What are the biggest State Fair in the U.S.?

Here's a look at the largest state fairs by attendance in 2023, according Carnival Warehouse . This list does not include rodeos, exhibitions or county fairs of similar size.

1. State Fair of Texas (2.3 million visitors in 2023)
2. Minnesota State Fair (1.8 million visitors in 2023)
3. Arizona State Fair: (1.4 million visitors in 2023)
4. The Big E, New England state fair (1.4 million visitors in 2023)
5. Iowa State Fair (1.1 million visitors in 2023)
6. Tulsa State Fair (1.1 million visitors in 2023)
7. Wisconsin State Fair (1 million visitors in 2023)
8. Ohio State Fair (1 million visitors in 2023)
9. Washington State Fair (973k visitors in 2023)
10. Great New York State Fair (932k visitors in 2023)

How many people will attend Wisconsin State Fair 2024?

Wisconsin State Fair attendance has been around a million attendees for several years. "We are planning on right around that 1 million again this year," Chuckel said.

What are the dates for the Wisconsin State Fair 2024?

Dates: Aug. 1-11

Location: Wisconsin State Fair Park, 640 S. 84th St., West Allis

Hours: 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to midnight Thursday through Saturday.

RELATED: How to shuttle, bike or ride the bus to the 2024 Wisconsin State Fair

Jim Higgins contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin has one of the highest-attended state fairs in the country, survey finds