Less-than-ideal weather near the end of the Carolina Classic Fair put a damper on overall attendance for the 10-day event, officials said Tuesday.

“The fair is strongly dependent on good weather, and we had beautiful days most of the week up until closing weekend,” said Fair Director Cheryle Hartley. “A cooler Saturday and rainy Sunday on closing weekend hampered our attendance.”

More than 251,000 people attended this year’s event. That was less than last year’s total of 270,190.

However, advanced sales increased 4.5% over 2024, an indication that the weather likely kept a significant number of ticketholders away on Saturday and Sunday.

Despite an overall drop, the fair reported its highest Tuesday attendance since 2011, with more than 33,000 people on hand Oct. 7.

There were 19,861 e

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