A fair to remember
JACK DEWITT | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 2 days, 3 hours AGO
Adam Foote, known as Ethereal in E, plays a handpan at the North Idaho State Fair.
Courtesy of the North Idaho State Fair
A record 171,362 people attended this year's North Idaho State Fair, marking the highest attendance in the event's history.
"Whether it's a record-setting year or not, anytime we can create an event to this scale and see people really enjoying the work that we do, it feels really special," said Alexcia Jordan, CEO and general manager of the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.
The fair has now surpassed 150,000 attendees for six consecutive years. Attendance reached 154,726 in 2021, 168,567 in 2022, 157,130 in 2023, 170,882 in 2024, 169,132 in 2025 and a record 171,362 this year.
Jordan said food, beverage and carnival ticket sales all increased from previous years. The fair also hosted more commercial vendors than ever before. Meanwhile, 327 animals were sold during the event for more than $1 million.
Volunteer participation also reached new heights, with roughly 600 people helping to put on the fair, another record, Jordan said. Through the fair's free-admission programs, attendees could receive admission by donating canned food or winter coats.
Fairgoers donated more than 6,200 pounds of food for food banks and 56 bags of winter coats for Coats 4 Kids. Jordan said more than $200,000 will be distributed to charities.
"I think it was a great, positive, family-friendly fair," she said.
Jordan credited the event's success to the volunteers, staff and attendees who helped make the fair run smoothly.
"It honestly went quite smooth this year because so many people showed up and played their part and came together to make it special," she said.
Looking ahead, Jordan said her team is always searching for ways to improve the fair experience, though this year's event offered few lessons because of how smoothly it unfolded.
She said fairs remain an important way to connect people to agriculture, which she called the foundation of the fair's mission.
"They are one of the most long-standing traditional events we have, so it's just holding to that heritage and still keeping it fun, so it brings people back year after year," she said.
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A fair to remember
Record attendance, charitable giving among highlights
171,362 people attended the North Idaho State Fair this year, their highest attendance ever. “Whether it’s a record setting year or not, anytime we can create an event to this scale and see people really enjoying the work that we do, it feels really special,” said Alexcia Jordan, CEO and General Manager of the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.