Carnival & Fair News

The San Mateo County Fair hit a landmark year in 2024 – it's 90th. Held in San Mateo, the fair featured a variety of new attractions and performances in its run June 1st through 9th from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the carnival from Butler Amusements spinning on for an extra hour.

Fair CEO Dana Stoehr stresses that the fair is a “time to celebrate,” and that this year provided “an even more exciting and diverse fair experience.”

The Great American Duck Race was among the fair's most popular new additions this year. Ducks raced on a water track, with attendees chosen at random to pick up and release one of the ducks into its own lane.

Also new this year: Toytopia. Held in Expo Hall, the large-scale interactive exhibit included an historical view of toys from past decades, both successful and not, with playable retro arcade games and an enormous Etch-A-Sketch among the fun items displayed. Expo Hall was also home to a large mural that celebrated diversity. It was created by artist Kookie Munstro. Also in the hall: the fair's popular Family Fun Zone, where kids could build with LEGOs, make moves using giant chess pieces, and play a variety of other games.

The returning All-Alaskan Racing Pigs continued to be a strong draw as well. For those seeking a larger-sized animal interaction, the Pacific Northwest Camels offered both rides and photo ops. And Fabian's Petting Zoo & Pony Rides was the winner of the fair's award for Commercial Vendor of the Year.  Naturally, there were plenty of AG and 4-H livestock exhibits on hand as well, including goats, sheep, llamas, chickens, steers, and pigs.

The fair hosted a variety of special events during its run. Opening day was also Pacific Island Day which celebrated the diversity of Oceania - Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga - through exhibits, demonstrations of cultural traditions, art, food, and music. In the fairgrounds' Sequoia Hall, the Beats of the Island exhibit was held only on the fair's opening day, as a part of the Pacific Island Day theme. Also in keeping with the day's theme, there was a performance by Iam Tongi, American Idol Season 21 winner.


Sunday, June 2nd was Family Pride Day, which included a morning raising of the fair's Progressive Flag. In the evening, the national headline musical act War took the main stage by storm.

The following Sunday, June 9th, was the fair's celebration of Hispanic culture with its Dia De La Feria event. The same date also marked Farmworkers Appreciation Day, an event that garnered awards for the fair in 2022. Musical acts included Banda ArKangel R-15, La Gran Sonora, and Banda Los Largos on the main stage. On the fine arts stage, fairgoers could enjoy Ballet Folklorico, Tonantzin, and Mariachi Media Luna.  

The fair's Safeway Concert Series featured acts on other fair dates, such as When Rock Was Young, an Elton John Tribute Band; Super Diamond – Neil Diamond Tribute; Queen Nation; and All-4-One.

Besides the musical events, fairgoers could also enjoy the return of San Francisco Bazaar, in its third year at the fair, which brought a curated handmade mini market dedicated to the promotion of agriculture, horticulture, the arts, and technology.

A bevy of contests took place throughout the fair as well, from pie eating, pizza eating, sushi eating, and funnel cake devouring events to scarecrow making and the fair's 90th Anniversary Cake Contest.

For those fairgoers not inclined to join food eating contests, but were hungry all the same, there were plenty of other choices to tempt the tummy. Among the new food concessions this year were Bun Bao, a purveyor of both savory and sweet stuffed buns, and Fresh Express, offering salads, sandwiches, and cake slices for grab and go, all at a less decadent nature than most typical fair food. But that doesn't mean the fair lacked for fan favorites, from Mrs. J.'s soft serve ice cream to Noel's Mexican Food, gyros from The Sleek Greek, and a variety of popcorn flavors offered by A Pop Above.  Chillin N Grillin BBQ served up tasty kabobs, while Fanny's Fabulous Funnel Cakes continued to be a strong draw for fairgoers.

This year's prize-winning food vendor was Space Age, crowned Concessionaire of the Year for its robust burgers and hand-dipped corn dogs among other fare. 

Fairgoers could also enjoy daily performances by the Silver Starlets circus workshop that were held in the fair's Fiesta Hall; while hands-on STEM projects were available at the P.I.E.F.E.S.T innovation exhibit; the Jugger Racing Team, the oldest racing club in California, presented a wide-ranging display of custom and classic cars and hot rods; and the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum presented its exhibition in the Event Pavilion.

Stoehr announced that the San Mateo County Exposition and Fair Association is now acting as the Fiscal Agent for the Grant received from the state by the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum & Learning Center, noting that “The Event Center staff and board has a longstanding commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, and have hosted the museum at [the] fair for the past decade…we are proud to be a part of something that enriches our community.”

Enriching the fair in a different way were a variety of strolling acts, including Hillia Hula Hoop, Louie Foxx's One-Man Side Show, and renowned balloon sculptor Dennis Forel.

Butterflies had fair attendees a-flutter at the Sky River Butterflies exhibit in the fairground's Fiesta Hall, offering opportunities for photo ops, feeding, and interacting. For those seeking more athletic challenges, the Fitness 19 booth provided rope challenges.  And those interested in the mechanical could enjoy watching the spinning action of a cotton candy machine on exhibit.

Of course, the fair's carnival remained king, with Butler Amusements presenting a separate kiddie carnival as well as the thrills and chills along its regular midway for older guests. Popular rides included the Viper, Yo-Yo, Zipper, and the Ring of Fire, which thrilled riders with its upside-down dangling of riders at the peak of the looped attraction. Fairgoers could also enjoy three classic Ferris Wheels, the popular kids coaster the Wacky Worm,  thrillers Typhoon, Cliff Hanger, and Butler's newest midway arrival, Khaos, which the company describes as “a sensational KMG Pendulum ride straight from the Netherlands.”  Also a hit was Area 51, a retheming of the Gravitron ride. There were 31 rides in all at the fair this year. Among the most popular games were the Balloon Bust and basketball toss.  

Butler assistant manager Jesse Brogue notes that the carnival, like the fair itself, “is always innovating. They have different displays, different entertainment…that's why it's so exciting.”

Although visitor numbers were not tallied at press time, all in all the fair's 90th year saw stellar attendance, and brought a variety of themed events, new attractions, and a bustling carnival midway to the fairgrounds this year. Last year's attendance hovered at around 120,000 guests during the run of the fair. The San Mateo County Fair has come a long way since it's days as The Little Garden Fair back in the 1930s.?

The fair ran daily except for Mondays and Tuesdays. Admission at the gate ranged from $5 for kids to $20 for adults; those under age 5 were admitted free. Carnival ride wristbands were priced between $35 and $42; fair parking ran $15-20 depending on the day.