Fairgoers wait in line for a ride while attending opening day of the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo in 2022.

Attendance at the 2022 Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo was back to pre-pandemic levels — and then some — with over 164,000 visitors to the fair, almost 30,000 attendees at the rodeo and millions of dollars in revenue.

This year’s fair and rodeo broke records across the board. The largest single day fair attendance and admissions revenue in its history was on Saturday, Aug. 6, with almost 50,000 attendees.

Admissions revenue was up overall with about a $43,000 increase from last year for a total $747,000, setting a new record.

Food and non-alcoholic beverage sales broke $1 million for the first time in the fair’s history, grossing over $1.15 million. The youth livestock auction also saw its highest dollar amount in fair history, earning approximately $1.75 million in proceeds with sales and add-ons.

Such high revenues have Geoff Hinds, the director of the Deschutes County Fair & Expo, already looking to the future.

“It allows us the opportunity to continue do more and bigger things each year. It allows us to bring either bigger concerts or larger attractions that our community has never seen,” Hinds said.

The fair is a self-sustaining event, Hinds said. The revenue helps pay for residual costs from this year’s event and prepare for next year’s fair. Earnings stay invested in the property — not just for the fair but also for other events on the fairgrounds throughout the year, according to Hinds. He estimates around $2 million was spent on this year’s fair, though the number isn’t final yet.

“As good as we’ve gotten, we have a need to continue to make it better,” Hinds said.

Last year was a record-breaking year on its own even with pandemic-related restrictions in place that capped attendance at 25,000 attendees per day. Attendance revenues reached more than $704,000 in 2021 after the fair ceased operations in 2020 for the COVID-19 pandemic. This year, there were no caps on attendance.

“As the fair continues to grow in attendance size, we’re going to continue to be challenged,” Hinds said.

Data on attendance and revenue helps Hinds to better understand how and when attendees are arriving, which, in turn, helps him to appropriately prepare, he said. The county fair and rodeo organization identified several areas for improvement for next year’s fair. Alleviating congestion issues when attendees enter and exit the fairgrounds is a top priority. Other priorities include improved staffing measures, vendor oversight and electrical and layout considerations.

The 103rd Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo has already been announced. It will run from Aug. 2–6, 2023.