State Fair Brings $50M Economic Impact, Half a Million Attendees

The 2023 Mississippi State Fair concluded Sunday, October 15. Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson released the following statement on the success of the 164th State Fair.

“The 164th Mississippi State Fair is in the books, and I am proud to report the 2023 State Fair was a success. The 11-day fair is the state's largest agriculture event with an economic impact of nearly $50 million annually. Fairgoers from across the state enjoyed new attractions such as the Mississippi State Fair Idol competition and Taste of Dixie National Rodeo along with many traditional favorites like the Biscuit Booth, livestock shows, and of course, the fair food.

Fair attendance and revenue were up this year, despite a couple days of much-needed rain that had less attendance. Considering we have one less fair day than prior to 2022, we are very pleased with the increased attendance that was driven in part by higher concert attendance. We drew large lunch crowds during the weekdays. We estimate the total fair attendance, which accounts for non-paid admissions, to be nearly 526,000.

We accomplished our goal of hosting a safe State Fair. For the second year, we implemented the new stringent security model that included policies such as a youth curfew to ensure a peaceful, family-friendly, fun and secure Mississippi State Fair for fairgoers. There were no major incidents to report. Any issues that arose were handled by law enforcement quickly. We could not have accomplished this without the support of multiple state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies. I want to personally thank all of our law enforcement partners: Mississippi Highway Patrol, Mississippi State Capitol Police, Department of Homeland Security, State Fire Marshal’s Office, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks, Mississippi Agriculture and Livestock Theft Bureau, Hinds County Sheriff’s Office, Jackson Police Department, Pearl Police Department, Florence Police Department and private security officers.

I also want to thank the Director of the Mississippi State Fairgrounds Michael Lasseter and the staff at the Fairgrounds for their dedicated effort to make this the best Mississippi State Fair. I hope to see everyone October 3-13, 2024, for the 165th Mississippi State Fair.”