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The 2018 State Fair of Texas By the Numbers

Sensory-Friendly Mornings were introduced for all three Wednesdays of the Fair

Another State Fair of Texas is in the books.

Fair officials said, despite a rainy three-week run, Big Tex welcomed more than 2 million visitors this year, slightly down from last year's 2.2 million. More than 380,000 took advantage of extended hours in the fair's final weekend.

"While we couldn't control the weather, we were thrilled to see family and friends come out to experience the great State Fair of Texas and create lifelong memories - rain or shine," said Mitchell Glieber, State Fair of Texas president, in a news release. "As the 2018 exhibition comes to a close, we thank everyone who helped make this another successful event, enabling us to give back to Fair Park, the surrounding communities, and award college scholarships to students from throughout the Lone Star State."

Officials at the State Fair of Texas said they have had lower attendance this year due to the wet weather.

This year's State Fair of Texas by the numbers:

• Military Appreciation Day provided free admission for more than 11,400 members of the military and their families.
• More than 4,500 first responders and their families visited the Fair for free on First Responder's Day.
• More than 200,000 dots were used on this year's VisitDallas map in Big Tex Circle for fairgoers to proudly showcase where they are from. Dots were scattered across all 50 United States of America and 183 of 195 countries from around the world were represented with at least one dot.
• With 9,600 students competing, the Fair's livestock and agricultural events hosted a record total of more than 16,000 livestock entries - a 23 percent increase from the 2017 Fair.
• Sensory-Friendly Mornings were introduced for all three Wednesdays of the Fair. The fair worked with national and local organizations to come up with ways to make the fair grounds more accessible to those with autism or sensory-related concerns.
The Cotton Bowl welcomed more than 157,000 college football fans for the State Fair Classic, Red River Showdown, and State Fair Showdown games
• Fletcher's Corny Dogs were voted the winner of our 2018 State Fair of Texas Fried Food Bracket Challenge.

state-fair-attendance-map
Kevin Brown | State Fair of Texas
The fair's attendance map showed more than 200,000 dots scattered across all 50 United States of America and 183 of 195 countries from around the world.

The 2019 State Fair will run from Friday, Sept. 27 through Sunday, Oct. 20 in Fair Park.

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