Carnival & Fair News

Running June 12 through July 7th, the San Diego County Fair was two days shorter this year, but attendance was similar to last year's event, per fair chief communications officer Tristan Hallman. Daily attendance averaged close to 44,000 fairgoers; the highest numbers tended to land on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the days on which general admission was lower and more promotional events and pricing occurred. All in all, some 877,452 attended, with the fair's busiest day falling on July 3 when over 64,000 guests attended.

“It was a great year…It was a 20-day run,” Hallman attests, noting that “The overall attendance was down a little bit, but pretty much on par with how we were doing last year.” Fairgoers tended to stay longer than in previous years, Hallman relates, keeping food and drink sales and carnival rides busy.

Admission prices varied by day. Adult admission ranged from $20 to $25 at the gate and $16-$20 with advance purchase. Seniors and kids ages 6-12 were admitted for $17-22 at the gate, with $13-$17 ticket cost if purchased in advance. On Fridays, kids were admitted free, with those 5 and under admitted free for the entire run of the fair. Off-peak pricing was charged Wednesdays and Thursdays except for the July 4th holiday.



Hallman says the fair “focused heavily on the guest experience this year. We really wanted to make sure that all our guests felt like it was a comfortable, inviting, welcoming environment.”

Wednesdays and Thursdays were also Pepsi Pay-One-Price Ride Days, offering unlimited carnival rides until 8 p.m. with purchase of the wristband. Wristband pricing for those discounted days ranged $45-49 depending on when they were purchased. On other dates, the BlastPass ride credit package provided Fair Fun Zone Credits for amounts ranging from $20 to $100, with more credits available for riders the earlier the credits were purchased: 120 credits for $100 if purchased in March-early April and 80 credits for that price if purchased during the fair's run.

The independent midway was made available through multiple ride providers, including Talley Amusements and Ray Cammack Shows.

This year's theme was “Let's Go Retro,” which highlighted nostalgia from the 1950s through 1990s. A large-scale 20,000-square-foot exhibit was devoted entirely to the theme, which also made its presence known in contests, signage, and entertainment.

Despite the retro theme and many favorite returning attractions, there was plenty new for fairgoers to enjoy this year.

There were 18 new carnival rides in all; a larger Fair-Tastic Foods competition comprised of 37 foods, and new food stands, as well as the addition of the Taste of the Fair, which provided $5 food tasting selections from every food stand. Among the available tastes were those that highlighted the fair's retro theme.

Also new this year: a Native American Powwow, featuring a drum circle, dancing, and singing along with Native American treats such as fry bread. Saturday night musical experiences at The Sound were new as well. Priced at $30 including fair admission, the shows at The Sound focused on the interactive and experiential and included the multimedia Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular; Illuminate light and dance show; Lumia, a specialty act featuring video game-themed acrobatics and dance; and The Stickmen Project, featuring a percussive electronic musical duo and a masked DJ.



Speaking of music, there were a variety of free concerts performed on the Paddock stage, with tribute bands offering performances that channeled iconic musicians from Elvis Presley to The Bee Gees, The Doors, and Elton John. These performers provided a dynamic way to celebrate the music of the past.

Of course, there was lots more music to go around. The Toyota Summer Concert series included three sellout concerts on the Corona Grandstand Stage. Country crooners Old Dominion, hip-hop artist Ludacris, and Norteño banda Los Tucanes de Tijuana performed the sellout shows. On July 4th, the grandstand hosted a major fireworks display. The largest crowd was at Los Tucanes – 7,785 attended the performance in all. Pricing for the Toyota Summer Concert series varied by act, ranging from $55 to $90. Concert tickets included admission to the fair itself.

Also performing was the legendary Smokey Robinson and country rockers Little Big Town. More music abounded at The Asian & Pacific Islander Festival, Out at the Fair, Domingueando en la Feria, the EDM sounds of Electronic Fridays, and Reggae on the Paddock which were all included with fair admission.

The retro theme was visually highlighted with the Let's Go Retro Challenge. San Diego residents shared old photographs, using their images to compete for prizes.

While some dishes followed the retro theme, there were plenty of new food items on the menu this year. However, the most popular eats included classics like ice cream, a giant turkey leg, and fried Oreos. An icon in his own right, returning vendor Chicken Charlie brought two new items to his bevy of deep-fried delights, both focused on a long-standing retro classic – the funnel cake. His new additions were a hot honey funnel cake chicken sandwich, and a deep-fried funnel cake hot dog.

Boba King brought another new-but-retro selection to the fair menu: Spam on a stick, Spam sliders, and even Spam fries. Farmer in the Del came up with a Dreamsicle pudding trifle, while Pat's Pizza brought a Mexican street-corn pizza to the table mixing up new eats with the retro theme. There were new but retro beverages, too, such as Vintage Velvet Sodas at Apollo's Greek and pink lemonade at Cali Papusa.

For those seeking a different sort of beverage, the fair held a speakeasy on the grandstand building's rooftop, called Destination Unknown. Fairgoers 21 and up could enjoy disco tunes and mirrored disco balls along with 2024's signature cocktail, Walking on Sunshine, featuring Malibu rum, Coconut La Croix, and a mix of fruit juices and fruity liqueurs. Adding to the fun: fairgoers were required to have a secret password to enter, which could be obtained via postcard handouts or from the fair's information booths.



Grounds entertainment included classics such as these animal-focused acts: The Swifty Swine Racing Pigs and the Extreme Dogs with their jumping and diving act. That 70s Bird Show featured trained singing, talking, and acrobatic parrots; and the Great American Petting Farm drew kids of all ages.

The fair also ran its popular Junior Livestock show and auction, with turkeys, pigs, cows, and sheep all on display and up for bidding. There were 245 animals sold during the auction, raising $657,565, an increase of $174,825 from last year's total sales.

Running on three June dates, The Charity Fair Horse Show presented stellar examples of the equestrian; Sky River Butterfly Farms gave fairgoers a fluttering interactive treat.

Additional and popular fun could be found at the fair's Motocross, Monster Truck, Demolition Derby, and Flat Track racing events. Presented by the Burn Institution, the Firefighter Demolition Derby included firefighting and safety demos on the fair's final day.

Naturally, a fair wouldn't be a fair without great exhibits, and there were plenty to be had, from photography to woodworking, crafts, and flower shows. Free lectures included everything from model shipbuilding to beekeeping and quilting. For those who wanted to do as well as learn, there were a variety of opportunities to create crafts, garden, or release ladybugs.

The more competitive fairgoers could undertake fun challenges such as scarecrow-building, scavenger hunts, and even zucchini car races.
Of course, a key attraction at the event was the carnival, divided into a Kids Zone and a section of rides and games for adults seeking fun and thrills. There were 49 carnival games and 70 rides in both areas combined. The Kids Zone, located inside the racetrack area, provided 28 kiddie rides.

Among the thrills were two large Giant Wheels, which combined drew 110,976 guests eager for a look at the midway from above; the gentle family coaster Crazy Mouse drew 65,640 riders; and the Raptor coaster, which was new this year, and the most popular new attraction, drawing 73,267 to experience the thrills. Other popular new rides included the Fast and Furious themed Overdrive and The Kraken's spinning giant swings. 61,941 carnival goers sought to avoid ride lines by purchasing Fast Trax.



As to carnival games, the balloon game was among the most popular, with 30,259 players seeking to pop those balloons; Skee Ball was also a big hit with attendees.

Carlene Moore, CEO of the 22nd District Agricultural Association which puts on the fair, sums up this year's fair-going experience by saying “The San Diego County Fair looked and felt better, cleaner, safer and more fun than ever before…in our third year back after an extraordinarily challenging two-year hiatus, we feel we have truly hit our stride and set a new Fair standard that we can build upon for years to come.”