ALBUQUERQUE – Attendance at this year’s New Mexico State Fair decreased by about two-fifths from the 2019 fair, the last before the 2020 event, which was canceled due to the pandemic.
State Fair general manager Dan Mourning said Friday that 275,467 people attended the nine-day event, September 9-19, a 41.6 percent decrease from the 2019 fair, which drew 472,415 visitors.
Revenue numbers weren’t available yet, but it’s likely that the show’s declining visitor numbers in 2021 generated less than the show’s 2019 revenue of over $ 5 million, he said.
The trade fair for 2021 introduced health protection requirements, which included, among other things, the presentation of a COVID-19 vaccination card for access and the wearing of a mask in all indoor areas.
The restrictions resulted in the fair canceling the normally busy New Mexico Youth Livestock Expo after most of the exhibitors’ parents said they would not be attending.
Trauer said that initially 425 exhibitors were supposed to attend, but only 20 said they would still attend after the mandates were announced.
“We couldn’t do it with just 20 people,” said Mourning. “This is not a show.”
Instead, the teenage exhibitors attended a private show in Roswell without the requirements.
The fair was still a success, said Mourning.
“A pleasant surprise for us was that the people were spending money, the salespeople and concessionaires who came here were making money,” said Mourning.
And the visitors to the fair “had an amazing experience,” said Mourning. “You were among your neighbors again and in a safe environment.”
New Mexico on Friday expanded its interior mask mandate across the state, pointing to continued community prevalence.
With the expansion of the mask mandate, state health officials said the goal was to ease pressure on the health system.
A separate public health ordinance mandating vaccination of health care workers remains in force. School staff must also be vaccinated or have regular tests.
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