Attendance at Du Quoin State Fair keeps climbing

DU QUOIN, Ill. — Whether it’s the music or the motors, the main stage or the meals and munchies, the Du Quoin State Fair keeps bringing in the crowds.

Those crowds keep growing for the fair, which starts on Aug. 25 and continues through Sept. 4 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.

“We are hopeful that, if the weather cooperates, we could push that 200,000 number this year,” said Josh Gross, manager of the Du Quoin State Fair.

For the last two years, the fair has seen consecutive increases in attendance. The attendance in 2021 was 150,000.

“We were right at 174,000 last year. That is the highest number we’ve had since they changed the way we track attendance,” Gross said.

“In 2018, we were at 108,000. We saw a small increase in 2019. We all know what happened in 2020, unfortunately. In 2021 and in 2022, we’ve seen some large increases.”

One of the factors in the attendance numbers is the number of daily or seasonal parking passes. Seasonal parking passes are on sale for $30. The seasonal parking passes are sold through the first weekend of the fair.

“If you buy a pass at the gate, it’s $10 or $15 per day, depending on which gate you want to go to. If you are planning to attend for multiple days of the fair, it’s definitely worth it to buy a seasonal pass,” Gross said.

“We will sell those up through the end of the first weekend of the fair. You can stop by the box office, the ticket office in the grandstand, to purchase those passes.”

For more information on seasonal passes, parking and box office hours, along with other Du Quoin State Fair details, call the fair office at 618-542-1515.