GRAND ISLAND- This year's Nebraska State Fair attracted 287,367 people over the course of its 11 days, an 8% increase over last year.

Attendance was also up from 2019, when 283,468 people attended in the last fair prior to the pandemic.

"The fair was amazing from our standpoint," said State Fair Executive Director Bill Ogg. The fair wrapped up a strong final weekend on September 5th.

Through September 4th, food numbers were up 14% from a year ago, officials said. Carnival numbers were up 15%.

This year was the first time that fairgoers could carry alcoholic drinks around the fairgrounds.

In 2017, the fair drew 379,108 people in a different method of tallying attendance. The 2018 figure was 314,805.

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