While the New York State Fair didn’t quite break 1 million visitors this year, State Fair officials detail other record highs they experienced at the 2026 Great New York State Fair.  

“For 185 years, the Great New York State Fair served as a celebration of agriculture and community. This year, that rich history came to life once again, giving fairgoers an opportunity to immerse themselves in and learn about the very best of New York State agriculture while celebrating our diver communities in a welcoming, inclusive and family-friendly environment,” New York State Commissioner of Agriculture Richard Ball said in a press release.  

Last year’s total attendance was up about 37,000, as 962,795 people attended the 2026 New York State Fair. However, the first day of this year’s fair was the highest single-day attendance record since 2019.  

“When we look at the numbers, what stands out most is the incredible community behind them. It’s the farmers, exhibitors, food vendors, performers, partners, staff, volunteers and of course, the nearly million people who walked through out gates who make the fair what it is,” New York State Fair Director Julie LaFave said in a press release.  

There were nearly 7,400 livestock entries at the New York State Fair this year, which included the highest number of Holstein dairy cattle entries in about a decade. The Holstein show was held in Toyota Coliseum for the first time since 2019 this year and had more than 200 entries.

The Voice of the Farmer Garden, which was introduced in 2022, donated 360 pounds of fresh produce to food pantries in Syracuse. Cornell Cooperative Extension of Onondaga County grew 55 different crops and 70 varieties of plants in the garden this year.  

The Taste NY Marketplace market and tasting yard in the horticulture building featured 250 products from 80 individual vendors.  

The Milk bar, which will be getting renovated before next year’s fair, sold nearly 300,000 glasses of milk with about 78% of them being chocolate milk. The maple booth sold 9,522 maple ice cream codes, 5,585 bags of maple cotton candy, 2,740 maple milk shakes, 2,520 maple donuts and over 20,000 ounces of maple sugar.

For the first time ever, the Great New York State Fair Potato Booth featured all New York state grown products including locally grown potatoes which came from a farm in Wayne County. The booth, operated by Tully’s Good Times, sold 50,711 potatoes with the most popular item being the $1 baked potato. Owner of Tully’s Good Times, Dan Giamartino, said customers were impressed by the size and quality of the potatoes as well.  

There was a 25% increase in vendor applications between last year and this year with nearly 600 applications. There were 355 vendors with more than 400 stands at the 2026 fair.  

Concerts that were popular this year with Third Eye Blind drawing a second-highest all-time record of about 49,000 people in attendance. Flo Rida was also popular with a crowd of about 39,000.