First Front Range fair of the year hosts almost 37,000 visitors

The Arapahoe County Fair rebounded from its COVID-related cancellation in 2020 by welcoming a record-breaking 36,854 attendees to the four-day event. This was about 10,000 more visitors than the previous record high, which was set in 2019.

A single-day record of 15,722 people entered the Fairgrounds on Saturday, which forced Fair organizers to stop admitting new visitors around 8 p.m. County and public safety officials concluded that the crowd and traffic volume in and around the site made it too risky to safely admit more people should an emergency occur. Out of an abundance of caution, the decision was made to halt new entries, and any unused Saturday tickets were honored on Sunday.

“We’re grateful to everyone who made it to the Fair this weekend and helped us set this attendance record,” said Arapahoe County Fairgrounds Operation Manager Glen Poole. “We’re sorry we had to turn away some people on Saturday night, but we did so in the interest of maintaining the highest public safety standards, and we’ve heard that everyone who did attend throughout the weekend had a great time.”

The Arapahoe County Fair has been staged annually over the past 115 years and serves as a showcase for the County’s Western and agricultural heritage. Highlights included popular carnival rides, Western and Mexican rodeos, 4-H exhibits and competitions, fireworks shows, numerous family-friendly events and competitions, and live entertainment. The event was one of the first large gatherings in the Front Range since COVID restrictions were relaxed in May, and pent-up demand for safe, affordable and outdoor-oriented family fun likely contributed to the unprecedented turnout across the weekend. 

County officials are already looking ahead to the 2022 Fair, which will include most or all of this year’s events and amenities, as well as other features that organizers will determine in the coming months. The Arapahoe County Fairgrounds and Events Center also will host numerous other events through the end of this year, including a 5K walk/run series in August and October, our Treat Street Halloween celebration and the Board & Barrel snowboard event in December. For more information, visit our website.