Abbotsford's Agrifair over the weekend was a hot-ticket event in more ways than one.

On Saturday and Sunday temperatures soared to plus 30 C, with the midway having to be shut down for a time due to the extreme heat.

However, the hot weather didn't diminish the fun people had at the 102nd year of the five-day country carnival, said Agrifair general manager Pamela Brenner.

Extreme weather of any kind does tend to impact attendance at the fair, said Brenner.

"It's a bit of a toss up when it's hot like that. People think about the lake over the fair, but then they show up in the evening," she said.

Midday crowds on the fair grounds were a bit thin, especially during the peak of the heat on Sunday, but they turned out in good numbers in the evening to enjoy the Mighty Fraser Rodeo, midway and concerts.

"We had quite a few people on the grounds on Saturday despite the heat, and a good turn out for the pancake breakfast in the morning," she said.

"And all the concerts, especially Starfield on Sunday night, were well attended."

People often turned up early, got their hand stamped and returned as the temperature dropped later in the day, Brenner added.

The company that operates the rides for the midway felt the temperatures were to too high to run the machines during the day on Sunday, she said.

"There were the risk of burns from the metal to people on the rides," she noted.

Total gate attendance hasn't been tallied yet, but organizers are expecting it will be around the same as last year with about 36,000 attending the fair.

RBaker@abbotsfordtimes.com

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