Iowa State Fair officials say a record 1,218,834 people attended the fair during its 11 day run.
The 2026 State Fair had its largest single-day crowd of nearly 131,000 this past Saturday. The Lainey Wilson concert on August 16 had a State Fair Grandstand record of over 17,000 fans. Governor Kim Reynolds, who was on the fairgrounds for each of the past 11 days, credits state fair officials for scheduling the right mix of activities to attract a record crowd.
“You’ve got your die-hard tradtions like the charity steer show, egg-on-a-stick, the Pork Producers, the Beef Quarters and then they always find some way to bring in new elements,” Reynolds said, “and then the other thing I just appreciate is how they’ve been proactive in taking care of the grounds.”
The horse barn just underwent a $13 million renovation, for example, and the swine barn is next, at a projected cost of $19.6 million. Reynolds also notes the 4-H building is among the facilities that have been updated — and air conditioned — in the past decade.
Many make the trek to the 425-acre fairgrounds, though, to eat. George Atsidakos and his sister brought their Minneapple Pie Stand to Des Moines for the first time this year. “I’ve heard it’s one of the best fairs in the country and I believe we’ve got one of the best apple pies in the country,” Atsidakos said. “And I thought: Why not bring that to the people of Iowa?'”
The stand sold an average of 2000 pieces of their deep-fried ‘Ultimate Minneapple Pie’ with two scoops of ice cream each day. The stand got its start in 2009 and was awarded “Best of Show” for its booth at this year’s Iowa State Fair.