Based on 2025 rankings of attendance and popularity, the Minnesota State Fair is frequently ranked as the number one state fair in the United States, drawing nearly two million visitors annually.
The biggest fair in the UK, particularly among traveling fairs, is widely considered to be Hull Fair, one of Europe's largest and oldest, featuring hundreds of rides and attractions annually in early October. Another major contender is the Nottingham Goose Fair, also ranking among the biggest, known for its massive scale and traditional food like Grandma Gingerbread.
Osaka, Japan held the most recent World Expo in 2025, while Astana, Kazakhstan held the most recent Specialised Expo in 2017, and Doha, Qatar held the most recent Horticultural Expo in 2023.
Top 5: Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Texas and Tulsa State Fairs. The Minnesota State Fair lands in the #1 spot for the third year in a row. The Iowa State Fair comes in second. The Wisconsin State Fair moves up two spots from #5 to #3, versus last year.
Number One Waltzer - Victoria DeVey @ Bridgwater Fair 2019
What is the world's greatest county fair?
The Clay County Fair is “The World's Greatest County Fair” by presenting blue-ribbon competition, world-class entertainment and innovative exhibits in a safe family atmosphere, while also providing year-round facilities for entertainment and events.
The historical roots of the Frankfurt Trade Fair date back to 1240 when Emperor Frederick II granted the city the trade fair privilege. This makes it the oldest fair in the world.
While fairs became less frequent in the 21st century because of the increasing costs of staging them and because the BIE was imposing tighter regulations, there were two significant events in the first decade of the century.
Several states have more than one fair that's called a state fair. Texas has four of them, basically regional fairs; so do Alaska and Washington. The two states without state fairs are smaller eastern states, which is not surprising. They are Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Topping this 2023 “Top 30 State Fairs” list is the Minnesota State Fair, followed by the Tulsa State Fair, State Fair of Texas, Iowa State Fair, and Wisconsin State Fair.
More than 60 World's Fairs have taken place to date, the most recent ones in Aichi/Japan 2005, Zaragoza/Spain 2008, Shanghai/PRC 2010, Yeosu/South Korea 2012, Milan/Italy 2015, Astana/Kazakhstan 2017 and Dubai 2020.
Top picks include the Texas, Minnesota, and Iowa State Fairs. Others like Wisconsin, Ohio, and North Carolina delight with food and fun, while Arizona, New York, and Oklahoma fairs bring colorful energy and family entertainment.
How much is a ticket to the California state fair?
Except for special event days, regular ticket prices are: Children ages 4 and younger: Free. Children 5-12 years old: $10. Adult/General Admission: $16.
There are 3,138 fairs in the United States. Combined, these fairs employ 32,732 people, earn more than $2 billion in revenue each year, and have assets of $4 billion. Skip to: List of fairs.
The Latin word “feria,” meaning holy day, would appear to be the logical root of the word “fair.” Each feria was a day when many people would assemble for worship. Worship in those early days was centered around temples in great cities, including Ninevah, Athens, Rome, and Mecca.
Celebrating 900 years of Hereford May Fair, the oldest surviving chartered fair in Britain. Historical fairground memorabilia and photographs, archive footage and stories of all the fun of the fair.
London, 1851: Great Exhibition” The Great Exhibition was the first ever “World's Fair.” The event was largely organized by Prince Albert and was held in the “Crystal Palace,” a structure nearly three times larger than St. Paul's Cathedral.
The next World Expo, Expo 2030 Riyadh, will take place in Saudi Arabia between 1 October 2030 and 31 March 2031 under the theme "Foresight for Tomorrow".
How much did it cost to get into the 1964 World's fair?
Visitors 13 and older were originally charged the adult admission price of $2.00 (equivalent to $20.28 in 2024), while children 2–12 years old were charged $1.00 (equivalent to $10.14 in 2024).
