Officials with The Great New York State Fair say 18 days is too long. Director Troy Waffner told media after the final day of the New York State Fair that shortening to 13 days would be wise.
He called it a matter of sustainability. Over the course of the fair Waffner took a poll among vendors – and called the results ‘overwhelmingly in favor’ of a 13 day fair.
“If it’s 13 versus 18, I think 13 days was a good run of a fair. Like I said, very sustainable. I think it would be a wise move to go back to it,” Waffner explained.
Many vendors participate in other fairs and festivals. By moving the State Fair to a greater length – they put strain on those venders, who ultimately had to choose between events.
Then there was turnout this year, which lagged – likely because of the coronavirus pandemic. Staffing issues associated with the pandemic also made some vendors pull out.
“You know, after the first day, I thought this was going to be a low-attended fair. It just had a different feel to it, but you know, we got through it and we had a couple good weekend runs and you know, we’re going to go in a rebuilding phase and whatever days we end up with, we’re going to make sure it looks and feels like a normal fair again,” Waffner added.
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