BILLINGS – While scorching temperatures on opening weekend initially knocked down sales at Montana Fair, record foot traffic during the week helped the fair catch up and ultimately post near-record revenue.
The 2018 fair finished second to only 2016 in terms of overall financial success, MetraPark officials said Wednesday. Concession and overall carnival receipts were about on par with 2017.
Over the course of the fair, 219,000 people made their way through the gates, enough to make the fair the state’s largest event. However, those attendance numbers represent the lowest fair attendance in the last 5 years.
Kelly Clarkson was the box office highlight. More than 7,900 people went to see the former American Idol winner perform.
Total night show revenue was $640,000.
MetraPark officials said that eight full-time, exempt employees worked about 450 hours of overtime in the nine days of the fair to keep things running smoothly.
Full financial statistics for Montana Fair 2018 are expected to come out late Thursday.
Reporting by Connor Pregizer for MTN News
