County Fairs Homepage

Heading To The Fair(s)...

We go every year and sometimes many times... Super fun!A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. Activities at fairs vary widely. Some are important showcases for businessmen in agricultural, pastoral or horticultural districts because they present opportunities to display and demonstrate the latest machinery on the market.

Fairs are also known by many different names around the world, such as agricultural show, carnival, fete or fête, county or state fair, festival, market and show, etc. Flea markets are sometimes incorporated into a fair.

Orange County

Sue at the Orange County Fair

San Diego County

Paul at the San Diego Fair

Ventura County

Ventura Fair is easy to get to on the train

Orange

The fair first took place in the year 1890 and consisted of some minor exhibits in Santa Ana and a horse race. From 1889 to 1894 the fair was run by the "Orange County Community Fair Corporation," but was then taken over by the "Orange County Fair Association, Inc."

Early fairs mainly consisted of horse races and livestock shows, but around 1900 new attractions were added and the fair become a yearly occurrence.

At that time the fair was located in Santa Ana, except for a brief period after World War I, when it was moved to Huntington Beach.

Starting in 1916 the fair was managed by the "Orange County Farm Bureau."

An Orange County Fair Board was elected in 1925, and the fair was moved to Anaheim with the addition of a rodeo and carnival.

Following World War II the "32nd District Agricultural Association" was formed by the state of California, and it took on the task of running the fair.

The state purchased land from the Santa Ana Army Air Base and set some of it aside for use as a new fairgrounds.

In 1949 the fair became a five day long event and was relocated to the old army base, which quickly became the permanent location.

The city of Costa Mesa was incorporated in 1953 with the fair residing in its boundaries—it has been the home of the fair ever since.

San Diego

The fair began in 1880 as an agricultural fair. The location moved from place to place for several years until finally settling on the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 1936.

In 1954, the fair's name changed to the Southern California Exposition and San Diego County Fair.

In 1970, this was shortened to the Southern California Exposition.

The fair was again renamed in 1984 to the Del Mar Fair, which lasted until 2002, when the original name was reinstated, although it is sometimes still informally referred to as the "Del Mar Fair" by locals.

Ventura

Incorporated in 1866, the city of San Buenaventura (usually referred to as Ventura) is the county seat of Ventura County, California. Ventura has a population of 106,744.

Ventura is accessible via U.S. Route 101, California State Route 33, and California State Route 126.

Ventura's fairgrounds are also the home of the Ventura County Fair, and over the years has hosted such acts as Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, and Smokey Robinson.

County Fairs