Those overpriced pretzels are really paying off.
At Monday night’s Boulder County Fair Board meeting, Fair Manager Brian Mulligan announced a myriad of achievements for the 2026 fair. Chief among them — record-setting attendance. Exact numbers aren’t available yet, but will be released in the weeks to come. Among the other highlights…
Roughly $320,000 in concessions sales. It’s a huge spike from $200,000 in 2025.
A $47,000 year-over-year increase in sales related to the carnival.
94 entries in the kickoff parade. It’s among the most ever, though falls short of the all-time record of 120.
Regarding safety and security, Mulligan reported zero major incidents.
While the 157th Boulder County Fair continued the traditional elements of a county fair, it also saw several new additions. These included off-site parking with a free shuttle and The Backyard — a fenced-in green space where adults can relax and kids can play. Other unorthodox appearances at the fair included hot-air balloons, jugglers, unicyclists, and even a velociraptor.
Looking ahead:
Most of the meeting, however, was spent discussing potential improvements. Topics ranged from hosting more activities at the fairgrounds on the Saturday of the kickoff parade, more availability for 4-H animal spectating, and increasing signage for parking options. The latter was especially concerning — Fair Board President Chase Walstad mentioned that one non fair-sanctioned parking lot was attempting to charge unsuspecting vehicles $15 to park. For reference, all fair-sanctioned parking is free.