The Illinois State Fair is an annual festival, centering on the theme of agriculture, hosted by the U.S. state of Illinois in the state capital, Springfield. The state fair has been celebrated almost every year since 1853. In 2016 there were more than 350,000 visits. This marked a sharp decline from the more than 700,000 visitors counted in 2008, when the fair had been the 13th largest state fair in the United States.