Carnival & Fair News

Despite record high temperatures, including 11 days that topped 100 degrees, the California State Fair drew quite a crowd, with attendance up 10% in 2024, and attendees numbering over 649,000. Thirteen air-conditioned exhibition buildings on the fairgrounds and multiple cooling stations helped guests beat the heat and celebrate the fair's 170th year. The event ran July 12-28, 17 days packed with returning favorites and many new experiences.

Fair admission this year was priced at $16 for adults, $12 for seniors ages 62 and up, and $10 for kids ages 5 to 12. Kids under age 4 were free. Seniors paid only $10 for admission every Friday. Those savvy enough to purchase advance entrance tickets received a $2 per ticket discount. Attendees who brought 5 non-perishable food items to the fairgrounds received free admission before 3 p.m. on Mondays, while Tuesdays brought free fair admission for kids 12 and under, and $2 carnival rides all day for every attendee. A tasty discount was provided on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with every fair food vendor offering a $4 food item for Taste of the Fair, which ran between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.
    
Along with air-conditioned exhibit halls and cooling stations, fairgoers also chilled a bit by consuming copious amounts of lemonade – over 40,00 lemons were squeezed to slake thirst. Food and beverage sales were robust all around, bringing in a gross of over $10 million dollars. That's a lot of lemonade and corn dogs – 28,000 in all, not to mention a major amount of classic top sellers such as funnel cakes, deep fried Oreos, and jumbo turkey legs. Fairgoers also enjoyed brand new food offerings such as fried potato on a stick, a deep-fried Monte Cristo sandwich, and build-your-own options ranging from an ice cream sundae to a charcuterie board. Other deep-fried treats were also a hit, such as deep-fried peaches and KitKat and Snickers candies.

California State Fair and Cal Expo CEO Tom Martinez relates that the fair was “thrilled to have achieved such remarkable numbers especially with food and beverage sales, surpassing recent records and setting new benchmarks for future fairs. The overwhelming response from the public is a testament to the perseverance and dedication of everyone involved in making this event a success.” He noted that he looks forward to the fair's “continued growth and modernization."

The carnival, provided by Butler Amusements, also thrived, with the closing weekend drawing a record amount of carnival sales for a single day, some $634,000 worth, a number that was as thrilling as the rides offered. Over the course of the event, fair attendees enjoyed riding Butler attractions for over a total of 1 million rides. New this year at the fair, the show's new KMG XXL ride alone drew more than 60,000 riders, and the White Water flume was ridden over 65,000 times.



Carnival tickets were priced at $1 per ride, with unlimited ride wristbands available for $39 on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and $44 Friday through Sunday. The carnival company sold more than 100,000 fast passes, too, an add-on that costs between $10 and $15 depending on day.  

Separate from the carnival, the fair's popular monorail ride was offered for $5 for all riders over the age of 4.

All in all, Martinez says that this year's fair was truly “historic.”

And speaking of historic, this year marked the first time for a state fair to host a Cannabis Lounge, where fairgoers 21 and up could buy, and consume, cannabis in a 30,000-square-foot consumption lounge. The lounge was managed by Embarc Cannabis. Products from California-based growers and brands were on offer. Returning for its third year was the fair's Cannabis Exhibition and Competition where exhibiters presented and had judged their products in categories such as quality and sustainability.

Other new experiences included traveling animal attractions such as the Sea Lion Splash, the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs, and the Wild Things Adventure, an exhibit promoting conservation and featuring wildlife ranging from alligators to capybaras and exotic birds. Approximately 100,000 visitors enjoyed Wild Things.

Of course, livestock animals were also a furry focus, with almost 3,500 sheep, goats, pigs, llamas, and dairy cattle exhibited in all.

New exhibits varied from large-scale board games such as Chess, Scrabble, and puzzles provided by Mind Works to a High-Speed Rail exhibition detailing the state's new transportation plans. A new exhibit from Animation Academy detailed careers in animation. Also new: a theatrical experience based on the life of artist Frida Kahlo, titled El Bus de Frida.



New competitions were on hand as well: an Art Battle presented artists who worked to “create a masterpiece” to music; grill masters competed on BBQ bests, with Oden's Kitchen from Rosedale, Calif., taking first place.

Additional competitions this year included the fair's returning food festival competition, with winners including California Ice Company's Apple Pie Sundae, which received Best of Show; Balance Me Out winning first and third place in the drinks category with Kings Lemonade and a Mazapan Latte, respectively. Pepe's won third place in the Cold Sweets category for a unique watermelon wedge wrapped in a fruit rollup, dipped in chamoy, and sprinkled with Tajin and lime juice.

Other events that took place throughout the fair's run included the Best of California Brewfest; Out at the Fair; the California State Floral Association's competition and classes; and a free admission day on July 24th for military, veterans, and first responders, which was enjoyed by 3500 fairgoers. There was also a gospel festival, and Save Our Water Day, which touted conservation principles.

Also returning and popular: the candy-themed photo ops of the Candy Maze Selfie Experience, a Youth Mariachi Competition, with the winning team from San Diego performing with the renowned Mariachi Los Camperos; Drag Queen Bingo during Out at the Fair, and Friday-Sunday horse racing held at the Michelob Ultra Racetrack Grandstand. Fireworks lit up the night sky every Friday and Saturday. Food related events included tasting classes featuring wine, beer, olive oil, cider, and mushrooms, food and cooking demos, and a pie eating contest.

The fair did not lack for musical performances, either. Nightly concerts provided 700 free seats, with reserved seating available for $25. Performing artists ranged from All-4-One and Vanilla Ice on opening night, to Wilson Phillips, War, the Queen Nation cover band, Patti LaBelle, Flo Rida, The Beach Boys, Bush, UB 40, and Viva El Mariachi. Seven concerts were sell-out shows; the very top-attended performances were Bush, The Beach Boys and country singer Cole Swindell. On the final night, Lupillo Rivera performed to a standing-room crowd.



Fair staff reported promotional use of both traditional television, radio, and print media, along with social media efforts, the latter of which were doubled this year. Over 55-million impressions were made by fairgoers sharing their memories across Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms; late night host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel mentioned the new cannabis lounge on his social media, creating viral attention and major mainstream media coverage. All in all, there were over one billion – yes, billion with a “b,” impressions made online about the fair from both social media and traditional media viewed.

Regardless of the steamy hot weather, the California State Fair proved to be more than cool to fairgoers in the Golden State.