San Rafael, CA – From June 30 through July 4, more than 94,000 people celebrated the extended Fourth of July holiday by buying tickets to the 76th Marin County Fair, generating more than $1.6 million in ticket revenue, a record.
Thousands of fans enjoy one of the live music performances during the 76th Marin County Fair. The
Marin County Department of Cultural Services, which manages the fair, reported paid attendance was up 12.5 percent, jumping from 83,829 in 2016 to 94,272 this year. Factoring in free passes, total attendance this year was 118,020, up 4.7 percent from 112,709 in 2016. Ticket revenue was up 6.9 percent, an increase from $1,542,587 to a record $1,649,202 this year.
The fair’s theme, Let the Funshine In!, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Summer of Love, and the visitors joined in the spirit by donning tie-dye, putting flowers in their hair, and enjoying far-out carnival rides.
“Let the Funshine In! truly brought the community together to celebrate the anniversary of the Summer of Love,” said Gabriella C. Calicchio, Director of Cultural Services. “With so many activities available, we believe this was one of the most diverse and fun-filled fairs to date. From art to agriculture and from our healthy initiatives to carnival rides, there was something for everyone.”
Some additional post-fair statistics:
- 11,146 children admitted free, including 6,400 on Kids Free Day (June 30)
- About 28,000 people celebrated their Fourth of July at the fair
- More than 13,500 items were entered in the competitive exhibits program, from fine art to cookies and cakes to tie-dyed garments and trash-to-treasure creations
- 8,240 corn dogs sold
- 5,460 lemons squeezed by Phil’s Organic Lemonade
- 2,558 people saved on parking costs by riding the fair shuttle buses
- More than 2,200 watched the liquid light show in the Showcase Theater
- 1,540 Hawaiian pineapple teriyaki bowls sold (the newest fair food item)
- 500 pedometers distributed to kids by the fair health ambassadors totaling more than 5 million steps throughout the fairgrounds
- 363 people played the fair trivia game online
- 129 artworks sold in the fine art and exhibits area
- The petting zoo featured 40 animals, from alpacas to zebus
- 12 pigs ran a total of 60 laps in the Great American Pig Races
- Eight sold-out headline concerts on the Island Pavilion (Willie K, Sons of Champlin, Paul Liberatore and the Liberators, Ann Wilson of Heart, UB40, The 5th Dimension, The Commodores, and The Happy Together Tour)
- 94 percent waste diversion with recycling and composting efforts
- 100,595 Facebook post engagements during the week of the fair
- 904 people used the hashtag #marincountyfair on Instagram
- More than 500 views on the fair’s SnapChat Star Wars post
- *More tie-dyed garments worn over the five days of the fair since the Summer of Love in 1967
*(not statistically verified)
For more information, go to www.marinfair.org.