Large turnout for 86th annual Big Hat Days, vendors see many customers stop by their shops

CLOVIS, Calif. (KFSN) -- The weather cooperated for day one of the 86th Annual Big Hat Days.

Thousands of people came out to Old Town Clovis for food, music, and fun.

Big Hat Days kicks off the rodeo events for April. Organizers said more than 150,000 people came to this event while contributing millions to the local economy.

Music, food, and people with their big, and often unique, hats came out for Big Hat Days on Saturday. Even one dog captivated visitors with his headpiece.

Natalie Lozeau just moved to Fresno within the last year. It's her first time checking out the Clovis tradition and she bought her own hat to get in the spirit.

"I wanted to see a bunch of super cool big hats," said Lozeau.

But that's not all Natalie came to see. The event spans 15 blocks of Old Town and features around 350 vendors.

"Pretty much every vendor you see they just have different things," said Lozeau. "It's been really exciting just viewing the shops."

This is Tina Moran's second year at Big Hat Days. Her shop, Sweet T's Treats is based in Clovis.

"Since we're local we want to come back here year after year," said Moran. "Not only is it great to see local people and people of the communities around, but because we are here, we want to be able to see our neighbors."

After Friday's wild weather, Moran kept a close eye on the conditions.

"It's actually cooler than normal for big hat days which is good for me," said Moran, "because then all my product doesn't melt. "

Moran started Sweet T's Treats with her daughter six years ago. While they continue to expand their brand outside of the Central Valley, it's important they keep that local connection with the community.

"Being able to market to our local people is really important to us because we started here.," said Moran. "We're from here, we're Valley born and bred."

The Clovis Chamber of Commerce said out-of-towners spend an average of $127 dollars a day on hotel and motel rooms, plus $52 dollars per day at the event.

Locals spend an average of $28 while getting to know the sellers and their products.

Organizers add that Big Hat Days brings in more than $17 million to the local economy.

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