Carnival & Fair News

The Big Fresno Fair, with an estimated attendance of over 600,000, concluded its 12-day run October 12th. With an expanded 14 days of live horse racing and satellite wagering, which began before the fair itself commenced; a major carnival from Butler Amusements; and even a beer and wine festival with regional favorites, the fair offered a solid mix of new and returning attractions.

Fair admission was $15 for adults; $8 for kids ages 6-12, military, and seniors over the age of 62. Kids under age 5 received free admission. The fair also offered a free admission day for seniors.

Unlimited carnival ride wristbands cost $40 Monday-Thursday and $45 Friday-Sunday. Individual carnival ride tickets were $1; fast passes to avoid carnival ride waits were $15 weekdays and $20 Friday-Sunday.

The carnival was split between the Main Carnival and a separate Kiddie Land located inside the fairground's racetrack. Popular attractions this year included the Century Wheel, Spaceship, Wheel of Fire, Zipper, and Big Top Funhouse. Per Butler Amusements' Sean Butler, a new ride was also a big hit “the biggest, the baddest on the West Coast: The XXL, The King... goes up more than 150 feet in the air, it's taller that the giant wheel."



While the carnival drew crowds, so did the food vendors, including treats such as giant corndogs, chicken tacos, and from new vendor The Korean Shack, Flamin' Korean Corndogs, which drew 4,000 fairgoers eager to try this literally and figuratively hot treat. Also popular were gelato cones from Fabe's Gelato; lobster fries and fried pickles from Sharky's; burgers from Fryburger; and fried Oreos, deep-fried frog legs, hot honey funnel cake chicken sandwiches, and deep-fried drumsticks from Chicken Charlie's. Any leftovers were donated by Chicken Charlies to feed the Fresno community, working for the 7th year with Poverello House, which provides services and resources to those in need throughout Fresno.

Other top sellers included ice cream and fruit treats from Fruit Caboose; Fabulous Fanny's Funnel Cakes where strawberry, banana split, and original powdered cakes were their best sellers; made-from-scratch Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls and Cinnamon Maple Bacon Bombs.

Interim fair CEO Christina Estrada made food items as reasonable as possible for attendees, to offset the pain many have felt from inflation, noting that on Thursday, October 3 from 2 to 6, “Some of our participating concessioners offered bite-size food that fairgoers enjoyed for three dollars.” 40 food vendors joined in on small bite offerings in all.

Estrada also noted that the fair provided a wide range of free entertainment for fairgoers, from strolling grounds acts to musical and dance performers on community stages. Also free: the brand-new Aqua Pals Town, a fair experience with sting rays and sharks. There was a new leather working station in the Miners Town. And the Off-Axis Stunt show, also new, provided three thrilling stunt shows daily. Additionally, guests could enjoy free performances by returning favorite Alaskan Pig Races or take in the produce-carving expertise of Chef Ray, who carved more than 500 pounds of produce during the run of the fair. The Iron Mountain trash-to-treasure exhibit showcased 59 artworks that included elements of found or repurposed materials, also free to explore. Speaking of artwork, local muralists and students created 10 murals which were displayed on the fairgrounds.

The Pop! Culture Experience which made its debut at the fair back in 2021, featured a mix of new and returning vendors this year. Returning were retro and new video games and cosplay characters. New this year were STEAM exhibits including the Central Valley Robotics Presentation Booth, the Hot Wheels Race Tournament, LEGO Build Challenge, and a Digital Art Animation Studio. Each of these experiences were ready for fairgoers to experience at no charge. Fighterz Academy game design was also present, with new tech in game creation and VR on offer. The Pop! Cultural Experience alone drew close to 100,000 fairgoers, per Big Fresno Fair public relations.

Of course, there was livestock to enjoy too, including 32 new lambs born during the fair's run, as well as cattle, poultry, sheep, and even bees – in fact, 40,000 bees were displayed by the Central Valley Beekeepers. In terms of animal sales, the Livestock action brought in $1.19 million in sales.

In its 4th year, the Livin' Local Marketplace included some 36 local small businesses, 15 of whom were new to the fair this year. All told, the market brought in approximately $130,000 in sales.

Exhibit halls included Fine Arts & Photography, Home Arts, and Floriculture as well as numerous agriculture exhibits.

Ticketed concert events were also popular as a part of the Table Mountain Concert Series held at the fair's Paul Paul Amphitheater. George Thorogood and the Destroyers; Walker Hayes; Sugar Ray; Sheila E. with special guests Midnight Star; El Flaco vs. El Mimoso; The Righteous Brothers; Big Daddy Weave; 311; G-Eazy; Calibre 50 and Banda Carnaval; and Dwight Yoakam all performed at the event.

Ticket prices ranged from $50 to $30 for George Thorogood and The Destroyers; $40-20 for Sheila E.; and $32-18 for Big Daddy Weave.

Founded in 1884, the Big Fresno Fair is big for a reason: it's the 5th largest fair in the state of California and attendance is estimated this year at reach close to 600,000 guests passing through its gates. It's the largest annual event in the Golden State's Central Valley.

While the fair also relied on conventional advertising media to draw crowds, it's social media reach has greatly expanded between Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Twitter (X). The total reach for all fair social media was 23,374, 201, an impressive number.