Friday, July 22, 2022 (4:12 pm)

OC Fair fans have been waiting all year for the return of summer’s best party – and they know how to get the best value out of their visit. Here are some awesome things that are free with Fair admission.

For a full OC Fair schedule, visit ocfair.com, or download the 2022 OC Fair app. Advance tickets are required – no fees – and capacity is limited.

ENTERTAINMENT
Comedy hypnotist Mark Yuzuik – nightly in Plaza Pacifica
The Magic of Frank Thurston – daily in OC promenade
Roving entertainment including Dragon Knights Stilt Show, Red Light Brass Band and Ellas mariachi group (limited run) – daily throughout the fairgrounds
Community entertainment featuring local music groups, dance troops and more – daily on three stages
Tupua Polynesian dance group – nightly in Plaza Pacifica
Live music – nightly in Baja Blues
Latin music and dancing – nightly in Hussong’s Cantina
The Hangar and Action Sports Arena – performances accessible via standing room (or via paid ticket for reserved seating)
Performance of Taps – 6 p.m. nightly at Heroes Hall

ANIMALS
All-Alaskan Racing Pigs – daily in Plaza Pacifica
Animal judging and displays – daily in Livestock
Great American Petting Farm – daily near Green Gate
OC Fair’s resident animal educators including pigs, goats, cattle, chickens, rabbits, peacocks and sheep – daily at Centennial Farm

DEMONSTRATIONS
Cow milking – daily in Millennium Barn
Food preservation, chef’s tips and more – daily in OC Promenade/Culinary
Camel dairy – limited run in livestock
OC Vaulting horse acrobatics – limited run in livestock
Wine talks and pairings – daily in The Courtyard
Crafts and handmade goods – daily in Home Arts & Collections Gallery

EXHIBITS
Produce and floral competitions – daily at Centennial Farm
Woodworking, quilting, table setting, baking and more – daily in Home Arts & Collections Gallery and OC Promenade/Culinary
Cal Fresh exhibit featuring the state’s crops – daily in OC Promenade
Fine arts and visual arts competitions – daily in Visual Arts Gallery

KID STUFF
Explorium Fun on the Farm learn & play area – daily in OC Promenade
Food-related contests for kids – daily in OC Promenade
Photos with OC Fair Foodies – daily throughout the fairgrounds
Color postcards for troops & veterans – daily at Heroes Hall

For more ideas on what to do & see at the OC Fair, visit https://ocfair.com/oc-fair/things-to-do/

Things to know before you go

The Fair will be open Wednesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays (Wednesday, Thursday) and 11 a.m. to midnight weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
General admission is $12 on weekdays (Wednesday, Thursday) and $14 general admission on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). Tickets for seniors 60+ and kids 6-12 are $7 all days.
Parking is $10 for cars and motorcycles and $20 for buses and limos.
Tickets are on sale now and must be purchased in advance with no fees on ocfair.com. Fairgoers should make sure to get tickets for special days and group adventures now, with limited capacity days could sell out (in 2021 17 out of 23 days sold out).
Performances in Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena during fair-time include same-day Fair admission. Tickets are on sale now. For more information visit ocfair.com.
Unlimited ride carnival wristbands are back this year for $49. The one-day wristbands can be used Wednesdays and Thursdays, must be purchased or redeemed by 5 p.m. and include unlimited rides and two free games; guests can ride and play from 11 a.m. till 8 p.m.
Carnival ride and game tickets can also be bought online now and are $1.25 each. Tickets required for each ride range from two to 14 tickets and games require between two and eight tickets each. For more information on this year’s rides and games, visit our website.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022 (4:26 pm)

On June 23, the OC Fair Board reviewed a presentation from CEO Michele Richards on the mid-year state of the Fair.

The report covered the agency’s budget process, our place in the fair industry, bringing mission and values into focus, engaging the community, new business development, transparency, technology, workforce development, the financial outlook and opportunities and challenges.

View the 2022 State of the Fair presentation.  

Tuesday, June 21, 2022 (2:54 pm)

Today we held auditions for our new Foodie, and this was one of our favorites – we hired them on the spot!

We thought it’d be the perfect way to introduce our Lemon’s name. *drumroll*

Meet SUNNY!!

This year, Sunny will join his Foodie friends Olivia (the Orange), Arturo the Churro, Cornelius and Strawberry Jan every day at the OC Fair.

THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our naming contest on social media – we had 250+ votes! John Lemmon came in real close, and there were lots of votes for Twist/Twisty and Drop/Lemon Drop.

Some of the write-ins were also pretty great. We got tons of variations of Squeezy, Zesty, Lemony and Lemonade. Some of you went with citrus themed, suggesting names like Pucker, Sour and Tart. Others went literal with names like Meyer and Bonnie Brae. Lots recommended we name the Lemon after famous people or characters such as Miley Cytrus, Lemon Stefani, Jack Lemon, Liz Lemon LuluLemon and even Pikalemon. A few gave the Lemon fun last names like Bigfair, McLemonFace and Picket. We especially enjoyed the creative ones like Nomel (lemon spelled backwards) and the French-sounding Sunny Le Monet.

Don’t forget to say hi to Sunny this summer at the OC Fair!

Thursday, June 16, 2022 (5:30 pm)

The OC Fair Commercial Wine Competition is the largest California-only wine competition and is in its 46th year. Only the best winemakers and winery principles were invited to be a part of the 17 panels of up to five judges who blindly tasted 2,516 wines June 4-5.

Fran Gitsham, the president of Orange County Wine Society and host of the event, was in charge of this massive production powered by 300 volunteers. “The flow” is how Gitsham referred to the system of how the wines were judged.

First, the bar-coded wines were poured in sequence by stewards, who delivered them carefully to each table. Once a judging table completed their tasting, they waved a green “pick up glasses” sign, signaling the stewards to retrieve the glasses and walk them to a side room to be cleaned for the next wines. At the same time, their judging forms were picked up and taken to the data validation and entry room. The data was then verified using computerized lists, and by the end of the day they had complete reports of the day’s judging. This was repeated until all wines had been judged.

Results for the 2022 Commercial Wine Competition are now available at winecompetition.com/results/2022. Plus, the wines will be available to purchase by the glass at the annual OC Fair in the Courtyard. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2022 (3:53 pm)