Carnival & Fair News

Known as both the Santa Barbara County Fair and the Santa Maria Fair, in part because of its location at the Santa Maria Fairpark, this year's event expanded its traditional five-day run into an eight-day schedule spanning two consecutive weekends.

The fair ran July 3-5 and July 8-12, giving guests more time to enjoy the event's growing lineup of attractions.

Admission was priced at $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $10 for youth, with children age 5 and under admitted free. On July 4, a special $4 admission promotion brought solid crowds. Another special was offered July 3, when $20 included both fair admission and an unlimited ride carnival wristband from midway provider Helm & Sons Amusements.

Regular unlimited ride wristbands were $35 during the presale period, while a wristband combined with a Fast Pass was $55. Helm & Sons also offered a $55 game pass and a $55 food bundle in advance. The food bundle included four corn dogs, four fountain drinks and a bucket each of popcorn and cotton candy.

According to interim fair CEO Todd Ventura, expanding the fair was part of a planned effort to lengthen the event while also tying into the country's 250th birthday celebrations surrounding July 4.

The expanded schedule was “a vision our board and our carnival operator, Helm & Sons, worked with us on collectively for the betterment of our community,” Ventura said.

The split schedule also gave youth livestock exhibitors time between portions of the fair to bring their animals in for the second half of the event. The opening weekend did not include livestock exhibits, instead focusing on exhibits, carnival rides and Independence Day festivities.

Guests during both portions of the fair could visit Brad's World Reptile exhibit, cheer on the All Alaskan Racing Pigs and cool off aboard the Big Splash Flume. The Helm & Sons midway featured a mix of attractions including The Insomniac and Wave Swinger, while a separate Kiddie Land featured attractions such as Cool Bear for younger attendees.

The midway featured 15 more rides this year, bringing the total to 52 rides and games, according to Helm & Sons. Ventura said the carnival company also brought several new and larger rides to the fair.

Helm & Sons reported that opening weekend was “incredible.” The company promoted the fair extensively online and held carnival ride and wristband giveaways at Central Coast locations, including the Pismo Beach Pier, in the weeks leading up to the event.

The expanded midway was joined by a larger food concession lineup, with 48 vendors participating this year. New offerings included the Wild West Cinnamon Roll Wagon; Grand Burgers; Mega Dogs, serving corn dogs and extra-long loaded hot dogs; and Unicorn Apples, featuring a variety of candy apples.

Fair favorites including funnel cakes, deep-fried Oreos and lemonade also returned, while adult fairgoers could take part in regional wine tastings.

Entertainment was another major component of the fair. Free concerts included performances by 1990s alternative rock favorite Everclear and country artists Rodney Atkins and Dylan Scott. Two Fiesta Days concerts featured Latino artists including Jaripeo, Banda, Clave Privada, Banda Maguey and Los Caimanes De Sinaloa.

Exhibits included floriculture, produce, photography, art and home arts. Younger fairgoers could also enjoy a petting zoo and pony rides.

Several physical improvements greeted visitors this year, including a new, more accessible entrance gate and an additional public parking lot at the rear of the fairgrounds. Self-service ticket kiosks helped reduce admission wait times, while admission prices were lower than in 2025.

Attendance had declined in 2025. While final attendance figures for this year were not available at press time, Ventura described crowds as “steady.” The fair operated three additional days this year while also offering lower admission prices.

Ventura said organizers worked to make “intelligent changes, to make the experience better and give the larger community an opportunity to come enjoy the fair.”

While overall attendance figures were unavailable, results from the Junior Livestock Show and Auction were strong. The auction raised $2,521,233.85, approximately $600,000 more than in 2025, despite the number of animals entered remaining the same as the previous year.

Livestock exhibits included rabbits and cavies, poultry, swine, sheep, goats and beef cattle. A Santa Maria-style beef barbecue helped conclude the event, while agricultural exhibits highlighted regional crops ranging from strawberries to wine grapes.

Ventura believes this year's fair provides a strong foundation for the future.

“Our board has given good input and is really on a collaborative push to make things better. We've got some great partnerships with the City of Santa Maria, and the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce has been really big for us,” he said.

Fair officials plan to discuss whether to continue the expanded two-weekend format in future years. Selecting a permanent CEO is also on the agenda. Ventura may or may not remain in the position, but said he enjoyed this year's fair and credited its success to the broader community.

“Without our community... 100% we couldn't do it, so just feeling very grateful,” he said.