How In The World Does The New York State Fair Calculate Chevy Court Concert Attendance?

Have you ever wondered how the Great New York State Fair calculates their free Chevy Court concert attendance? Here's their scientific and mathematical secrets.

Syracuse.com did some research on this topic several years back in 2017. It turns out, there isn't all that crazy of an answer how they get the number of people who attend: They count the people in the crowd. Yes, in a way:

They start the counting using the white state police towers that flank Chevy Court:

Crosby has the greater Chevy Court area broken down into a grid, with an estimate of how many people could fit in each area, based on an allotment of one square yard per person. The exact figures used for each area differ every year, due to layout changes."

The way the grids work is like this- There are seats for 2,700 people in the court. If the crowd is mostly standing, that could add an additional 500 to 800 people. They even break it down further at the Fair:

The grassy areas directly to either side of the seats? 1,700 people each. The courtyard by the Chevy Court Pavilion and Dinosaur stand can hold up to 9,250 people. The paved areas in front of the Center of Progress Building can hold 3,850 people, plus an additional 240 people at the Suds Factory Courtside Grill patio. Across the way, the paved area between the Dairy Products and Science & Industry buildings can hold an estimated 4,600 people."

By estimating the crowd in each section as a percentage of the maximum capacity figure, the final number is likely accurate within five percent. The power of math.

On average, it takes the crew around 20 to 30 minutes to count attendance. Once the show is over, the team of three crowd counters meet to compare their figures and announce their average as the official figure.