The biggest crowds in New York State Fair concert history include a mix of country, hip-hop and rock — with a few names appearing in the top 25 twice.
Country star Lainey Wilson set a new NYS Fair record with 53,200 fans at Suburban Park in 2023. It’s the largest audience in Syracuse concert history, too, surpassing The Who’s Carrier Dome audience of 47,319 in 1982.
Megan Moroney drew a staggering 47,000 attendees to Suburban Park on Monday night (Aug. 26), the second-largest in NYS Fair concert history. The country singer, who opened for Kenny Chesney earlier this year, rewarded fairgoers by changing the last line of her hit song “Tennessee Orange” to “I’m wearing Syracuse Orange for him.”
“47000 of y’all in NY on a Monday night thank you so much,” Moroney wrote on TikTok afterwards. “THANK YOU my emo cowgirl heart is FULL.”
Update: Rapper Flo Rida drew the fourth biggest NYS Fair concert crowd of all time with 42,000 fans on Thursday (Aug. 29) as he performed hits like “Low,” “In the Ayer,” “Club Can’t Handle Me,” “Wild Ones” and “My House.”
The rest of the top 10 largest concerts in NYS Fair history include rappers Nelly (43,000 in 2022), A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie (40,610 in 2018), Ludacris (39,400 in 2023) and City Girls (39,000 in 2022); classic rock bands Foreigner (38,000 in 2022) and Steve Miller Band (36,900 in 2015); and pop trio AJR (36,397 in 2021). Nelly and Ludacris made the top 25 twice, along with REO Speedwagon (34,000 in 2023 and 30,511 in 2021).
How do they calculate attendance at NYS Fair concerts?
Attendance is estimated by the New York State Fair using a formula that largely centers on estimating crowd sizes in various sections of Chevy Court and Suburban Park, and then adding them up.
NYS Fair officials break up each venue into a grid system, tallying the number of people in the seating areas, grassy areas around the seats, the courtyard and paved areas by the Chevy Court Pavilion and the space that curves around the pond at Suburban Park. At least three staffers do the counting, accounting for circ*mstances such as traffic that may force some concert-goers to be late, and they compare figures during or after the second half of a performance.
Fair concerts are not ticketed, but they can still get a good estimate. Then-acting director Troy Waffner told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard in 2018 that estimating the crowd in each section as a percentage of the maximum capacity figure leads to a final number that’s likely accurate within five percent.
Why do some artists draw bigger crowds than others?
Is Megan Moroney more popular than Bruno Mars? Is AJR more famous than TLC? Popularity is certainly a factor in drawing big crowds, but there’s more to it.
The weather is always a factor. Former *NSYNC singer Joey Fatone and Backstreet Boys member AJ McLean performed together on opening night of the 2024 New York State Fair, but it was cold and rainy, so it’s not surprising many fans stayed home. The top five most-attended concerts, on the other hand, all had perfect conditions.
Sometimes the schedule makes a big difference. The NYS Fair gets bigger crowds on weekends, so a Saturday night show is more likely to draw a huge audience than a Tuesday, for example. If there’s another big show across the way at the Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview (or other major venues in Upstate New York) that same night, competition can also limit how many people attend.
The NYS Fair can also dilute crowds by booking too many shows of one genre, like classic rock or country. If there’s only one or two big shows in your genre of choice, you’re more likely to make sure that’s the day you go to the NYS Fair. Moroney is easily the biggest country star of this year’s lineup.
Timing also counts. Bruno Mars was booked for the 2011 NYS Fair shortly after releasing his first album, and by the time he took the Chevy Court stage in front of a then-record 35,000 fairgoers he had four top 10 hits. Lainey Wilson’s star power rose dramatically from opening for Morgan Wallen at the Amp in 2022 to winning multiple awards and appearing on TV’s “Yellowstone” when she headlined Suburban Park in 2023; her booking fee increased seven-fold since Triangle Talent contracted her that the spring, then-Fair director Sean Hennessey said last year.
The price is right
All New York State Fair concerts are free with admission to the Fair, which is $8 this year and free for children 12 and under and seniors 65 and older. That’s a fantastic deal for music fans — the average concert ticket price was $123.25 for the top 100 tours in the first quarter of 2024, according to industry publication Pollstar.
As a result, the NYS Fair becomes a destination for fans from other states. One Moroney fan held up a sign saying she drove five hours just to see the country singer perform.
“This is the first state fair I’ve ever headlined,” Moroney told the audience Monday. “So this is an exciting night for me and, you know, I just want to take a second to say that I appreciate y’all so much. I mean, the posters that you all have made, I see y’all in the T-shirts, and y’all are just making me feel incredibly welcome. And I want y’all to know that the love is extremely reciprocated.”
25 largest crowds in New York State Fair concert history:
No. 1: Lainey Wilson — 53,200 at Suburban Park in 2023
No. 2: Megan Moroney — 47,000 at Suburban Park in 2024
No. 3: Nelly — 43,000 at Chevy Park in 2022
No. 4: Flo Rida — 42,000 at Suburban Park in 2024
No. 5: A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — 40,610 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 6: Ludacris — 39,400 at Suburban Park in 2023
No. 7: City Girls — 39,000 at Chevy Park in 2022
No. 8: Foreigner — 38,000 at Chevy Park in 2022
No. 9: Steve Miller Band — 36,900 at Chevy Court in 2015
No. 10: AJR — 36,397 people at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 11: Bruno Mars — 35,000 at Chevy Court in 2011
No. 12: REO Speedwagon — 34,000 at Suburban Park in 2023
No. 13: ZZ Top — 33,875 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 14: Nelly — 33,713 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 15: Migos — 31,900 at Chevy Court in 2017
No. 16: Ludacris (tie) — 31,500 at Chevy Court in 2018
No. 16: Florida Georgia Line (tie) — 31,500 at Chevy Court in 2013
No. 18: Chicago — 31,200 at Chevy Court in 2016
No. 19: Nas — 30,750 at Chevy Court in 2015
No. 20: REO Speedwagon — 30,511 at Chevy Park in 2021
No. 21: Dropkick Murphys — 30,200 at Chevy Court in 2019
No. 22: TLC (tie) — 30,000 at Chevy Park in 2022
No. 22: Sonny & Cher (tie) — 30,000 at Empire Court in 1972
No. 22: Lady A (tie) — 30,000 at Chevy Court in 2010
No. 22: Yung Gravy f/ bbno$ (tie) — 30,000 at Suburban Park in 2023
Note: Megan Moroney and Flo Rida bumped some previous top 25 concerts out of the list. No. 26 is Earth, Wind & Fire with 29,900 at Chevy Court in 2017; No. 27 is Train with 28,563 at Chevy Park in 2021; and No. 28 is Lynyrd Skynyrd with 28,400 at Chevy Court in 2017.
All attendance figures provided by New York State Fair. Concerts at Suburban Park and Chevy Court are free with admission to the fair. (Note: Chevy Park was renamed Suburban Park in 2023.)
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
