About 10 million visitors attended Philadelphia’s 1876 Centennial Exposition, an earlier U.S. anniversary celebration. The recorded total was approximately 10.16 million visits during the fair’s six-month run.
The exposition opened on May 10 and closed on November 10, 1876, in Fairmount Park. Its attractions included enormous exhibition buildings, machinery, agricultural displays, international exhibits, and demonstrations of new products and inventions.
Attendance increased as the season progressed. September 28, known as Pennsylvania Day, drew about a quarter of a million people and was the exposition’s busiest day. Special trains, streetcars, and other transportation services helped bring visitors from across the country.
The attendance figure is a visit total, not necessarily the number of unique individuals. A person could attend more than once, and the figure also should not be confused with the number of participating countries or exhibitors. The scale helped establish Philadelphia as a major center for national commemorations.