The New York State Fair is moving to three concerts daily this year, canceling afternoon concerts at Suburban Park due to low attendance.
“After the 2023 Fair, the Fair determined that the 2 p.m. shows at Suburban Park were not as well attended as its afternoon shows at Chevy Court,” the New York State Fair said in a provided statement. “As the Fair works to provide an improved experience for fairgoers, the Fair decided that it was best to focus resources instead on the afternoon concert at Chevy Court only and our evening shows and bring in bigger acts for those concerts.”
The 8 p.m. concerts at Suburban Park and the 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. concerts at Chevy Court will continue as usual.
Afternoon concerts at Suburban Park last year included Steven Page, Tonic, Rebecca Black, Slick Rick, Boys World, Danielle Bradbery, Claire Rosinkranz, Elvie Shane and Hairball.
Despite the low attendance at afternoon Suburban Park shows, the most attended concert in New York State Fair history was broken last year when country singer Lainey Wilson performed opening night at Suburban Park to a crowd of more than 50,000.
The rising country star will perform in Syracuse again at the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview on June 24.
The statement from the New York State Fair also reasoned that Chevy Court lends itself to being a more family-friendly venue with “plenty of shade during the afternoon hours as opposed to Suburban Park.”
Three performances have been announced for the 2024 fair: Kidz Bop Live will perform at 1 p.m. at Chevy Court, R&B duo TLC will take the stage at Suburban Park for an 8 p.m. performance, and Brian Kelley of Florida Georgia Line will also perform at Suburban Park at 8 p.m.