Not even the mayor of West Springfield knows The Big E’s daily attendance numbers.

For the past several years, the fair has published its record-breaking numbers every day and in 2024, touted its place among the top four largest fairs in North America.

This year? Only fair organizers know how many have entered the gates in the past 13 days, since they’ve stopped releasing attendance numbers.

“What I’ve seen is probably what everyone’s kind of seen and heard — it definitely seems like lighter crowds this year than in the past," Mayor William Reichelt said on Wednesday, the 13th day of the fair’s annual 17-day run.

Eugene Cassidy, president of The Big E , refused to comment Wednesday and fair organizers have not said why they decided to stop releasing attendance figures.

The West Spri

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