Carnival & Fair News

The San Diego County Fair just ended its long and successful run at the Del Mar Fairgrounds this year. The 20-day event rant June 11 through July 6th and was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

This year's theme was Summer Pet-Tacular, and it drew a daily average of between 43,000 and 44,000 guests, for a cumulative 874,263 attendees, slightly down from last year.


General admission to the fairgrounds varied by day of the week, with ages 13-61 ticketed at $16 in advance and between $20-$25 at the gate; seniors ages 62 and up were priced at $13 in advance, $17-$22 at the gate; youth ages 6-12 were admitted for $13 in advance and $17 day of the event, with free admission for youth every Friday except July 4th. Kids under the age of 6 were admitted free on all days. Season passes for all 20 days of the fair started at $65.

The carnival offered Blast Pass packages, ride credits that could be purchased in advance in amounts of $20, $50, or $100. Earliest buyers received the most credits for rides within these price categories. Buyers of the $100 package received 120 credits if the pass was purchased prior to April 30th; 100 credits if purchased between May 1st and June 10th; and 80 credits if purchased between June 11 and July 6th. Also available was a Pay One Price Ride Wristband, available for $50 in advance, $55 during the fair's run; pay one price ride days were valid for a single Wednesday or Thursday during the fair.

Rides were provided by a mix of operators including Helm and Sons, Talley Amusements, and Ray Cammack Shows (RCS).   RCS brought the tallest traveling ride to the fairgrounds, the Titan, a massive “booster” style ride built by Mondial.   Also popular were the Zipper, The Raptor Coaster, Overdrive, and the new-this-year The Thunderbird a high-flying swing ride built by Dutch ride manufacturer, Lamberink.  Among other attractions, Helm and Sons offered a major new treat wagon, Sugar Bear, where ice cream, cotton candy, and popcorn joined funnel cakes and gourmet candy apples. Talley Amusements' Fabbri Fast Trax mega slide, was one of their more popular attractions. There were some 70 rides in all with ten of them new to the fair this year. The midway also contained 49 games from various operators.



A series of themed days were held during the fair's dates as well, such as the Asian and Pacific Islander Festival, Native American Heritage Day, Out at the Fair, Gospel Day, the fair's first K-Pop Festival, and Bluegrass Day. Out at the Fair celebrated its 13th year at the fairgrounds, where the event began, it is now a staple at eight additional fairs throughout the country.

The 150-year-old fair has been drawing families annually for decades according to fair spokesperson Tristain Hallman, who said that “It really kicks off the summer in San Diego County …We really work hard to capture people's imagination.”

According to the fair's CEO Carlene Moore, “Fair season is the most joyous time of the year - a time when we get to celebrate our community, with our community.” She credits the fair's mix of new ideas and concepts as well as first rate, diverse entertainment, and the stellar weather for the event's strong turnout.

The pet theme in particular seemed to resonate with guests, including a massive 20,000-square-foot exhibition of “Pets Rock: Live on Tour, presented by Kahoots, which invited guests to view the world through the eyes of pets. Also a part of the exhibition were educational talks, a mini-Kahoots pet store, and adoptable animals from San Diego Humane Society. Over the course of the fair, some 42 pet animals were presented for adoption, and half of them found homes. 



Then there was the pet-themed entertainment, including Corgi and Wiener-dog races; Dock Dogs and Flyball competitions, puppy yoga sessions, and an evening event with famed dog trainer Cesar Millan. The Great American Speedway Crazy Animal Races event featured goats, sheep and pigs racing for prizes every day of the fair. And, 917 pet owners participated in the Pet-Tacular Photo Challenge, with the Grand Prize winner Erica Diamond and her dog Akira.

A special pet-centric event even took place prior to opening time on the morning of July 5th, when dog owners and their doggos were invited to a Fun Run and Walk on the grounds.

There were plenty of value deals this year, including Foodie Fridays with 50% off Fair-Tastic Foods finalist items from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays in June; carnival games offered for a reduced four credits per game from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. also on June Fridays, and discounted ticket sales to military families and from purchases made at Albertsons and Vons stores. 

And there were many new exhibits and experiences, including the new artisan-focused San Diego Marketplace that even included a tattoo parlor in the mix of shops. Also new was Farm 2U, with information and displays focused on food, flowers, and new culinary information and cooking events.

Entertainment was immersive and fun, with concerts and events booked onto the Corona Grandstand Stage every evening of the fair's run – a first since 2019. There were two sellouts: Zedd, an EDM show; and hit country performer Jon Pardi. The latter brought in 8,300 guests. Purchased concert tickets included same-day fair admission. Other performers included Foreigner, Collective Soul, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ziggy Marley, and Third Eye Blind. 

 “Domingueando en la Feria” Sundays concluded weekly with Spanish-language bands on the Grandstand stage.

Then there was food – and plenty of it. The third-annual Fair-Tastic Foods Competition saw Farmer in the Del win People's Choice for the venue's Super Volcano Fries. Still popular after 48 years in San Diego was the Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls stand, which sold over 7,000 of its brand-new Tres Leches Cinnamon Rolls. Over 4000 Meatball Mozzarella Sticks were sold by Chicken Charlie's, while some ten thousand gallons of lemonade and over 30,000 turkey legs were consumed during the fair. 



The Junior Livestock Auction drew 105 buyers this year, with 268 animals sold and over three hundred young participants. The Grand Champion Steer was sold for $10,215, part of a total $664,128 in sales, an increase over last year's amount raised during the Junior Livestock Auction.  

New last year, Summer Nights at The Sound returned for this season offering everything from a screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show with original cast member Barry Bostwick to two nights of the Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular and the “Taylor Shines” Laser Spectacular; a hypnosis-improv comedy show featuring famed hypnotist Asad Mecci and “Whose Line is it Anyway” star Colin Mochrie; EDM duo Big Gigantic; and comedian Tumua Tuinei. Tickets were included in same-day fair admission.



The fair also brought a taste of the fair to the kids, families, and the staff of Rady Children's Hospital this year, surprising patients with some fair fun including entertainers, treats, and a photo booth.

“That's what the Fair does best, bringing joy to the lives of all San Diegans,” Moore stressed.