State Fair returns after pandemic hiatus but attendance down

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Attendance at this year’s New Mexico State Fair dropped by about two-fifths from the 2019 fair, the last before the 2020 event was canceled because of the pandemic. State Fair General Manager Dan Mourning said over 275,000 people attended the nine-day September event, a 41.6% decrease from 2019’s attendance of about 472,000. Revenue figures weren’t available. Mourning said it’s likely the decreased attendance generated less than the 2019 fair’s revenue figure of over $5 million. The 2021 fair instituted requirements that included requiring people to show a COVID-19 vaccination card in order to enter and to wear a mask in all indoor spaces.