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Lifestyle
Matt Mikus

Here are the least crowded days to go to the State Fair, according to data

The Great Get-Together set records for attendance in 2018.

Crowds at the State Fair
Fairgoers pack the grounds at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Heights, Minn. The best day to go to the state fair is on the first day. It typically draws the "fewest" number of visitors.
Jim Mone | AP 2014

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If you want the Minnesota State Fair experience, but would prefer to avoid all the people, your best bet is to go on the first Thursday.

On average, the first Thursday, often the first day of the state fair, draws about 109,655 people. That’s the lowest number of daily visitors during the fair’s 12-day run, according to attendance figures from the past seven years.

The highest number of daily visitors, on average, is the last Saturday of the fair — with an average of 238,787. In 2018, the fair set a new single-day attendance record — with 270,426 visitors on the last Saturday of the fair.

The previous single day record? That was in 2016, with 260,374 visitors. And yes, it was on the last Saturday.

If Thursday is booked up and you can’t make it over to Falcon Heights, your next-best days to visit are Tuesday, Wednesday, then the first Friday. Those days draw in a range of around 119,000 to 120,000 people.

More Minnesota State Fair coverage