Giant Leap

If there’s one word that can be used to describe the 2017 New York State Fair, it’s “big.” Make that “enormous.”

Our Fair has always been one of the largest in the country and the layout changes for 2016 increased useable space significantly. But with this year’s opening of the Empire Experience grounds, the view from the Broadway Skyliner really emphasized that this is one massive, impressive event. Consider this; There was so much space inside the perimeter that some areas seemed empty, unused. Future plans for those open spots assure that the growth will continue.

Even when over 100,000 people invaded the grounds, it didn’t seem extremely crowded. There were bottlenecks, like the corner between the dairy cattle barn and the Ox Roast, leading to the colonnade, that were difficult to navigate, but there are fewer such tight spots.

Though attendance numbers don’t tell the whole story, you remember when one million visitors was the magic number–the holy grail. After the past two Fairs, anything less would be disappointing.

As Fair lovers look back on 2017, they may shiver remembering the chilly temperatures or grimace looking back on the traffic jams–though this year was a definite improvement over 2016. But only a really hardcore curmudgeon can see this fabulous event as anything less than amazing, exciting, delicious and yes–very big.