The Big E addresses crowd concerns with new layout and pricing

WEST SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - The first full weekend of The Big E is complete, and we’re getting answers on attendance numbers to find out if the new layout of the fairgrounds is making a difference on the crowds.

Even though Monday is a weekday, a lot of people still came from far and wide to visit this famous fair.

The Big E is not reporting their attendance numbers daily as they have done in previous years, so you’ll have to wait until the seventeen days are over before we can share any records with you. But it is still commonly known that pending the weather, the weekends are typically much busier than weekdays, and that was something we heard firsthand from many fairgoers Monday.

One of those patrons was Rashad Hyacenth, a first-time visitor all the way from Trinidad and Tobago. He was here in West Springfield on a work trip with the Hartford Athletic and told Western Mass News if it wasn’t for this employee outing, he would have actually preferred the big crowds on the weekend: “It’s better for us that we came on a Monday because it isn’t as busy… If you obviously want to have a more family setting with the kids, you come on the weekend for sure.” Another patron we spoke to was Jack Griffin, a Springfield resident who takes one of the 17 fair days to visit all by himself and meet some new people. This year, he gravitated towards a weekday visit. “Today’s a lot easier than the weekends, there’s a lot less people, so you can get around a lot quicker.” Said Griffin.

Hyacenth is right, but The Big E is certainly putting some more emphasis this year on weekday fun. Monday, they featured their “bargain bites” where you can get select foods throughout the fair for only $3. Between music acts and discounted tickets, the Eastern States Exposition is really pushing for visitors to come Monday through Thursday.

The Eastern States Exposition pushing for some more weekday visitors, posting the following warning to their website: “We recommend coming to The Big E on weekdays if you are looking for a more relaxed experience. If weather is good on weekends, you can expect large crowds and traffic delays.”

Gene Cassidy, CEO and President of the Eastern States Exposition echoing that sentiment by sharing with western mass news exactly how ticket sales played a big role in crowd control. “We engineered our ticket sales this year so that we would try and lighten up the fairgrounds on the weekend and it worked really successfully.” Said Cassidy.

But still, he does not plan on reporting any attendance numbers at this time. He claims that one of the biggest draws of The Big E is the people: “People want to be here together, so we will report attendance at the appropriate time.”