Wednesday, April 15, 2020 (3:34 pm)

The OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors has scheduled a meeting on April 27 to discuss whether or not to cancel the 2020 OC Fair amid coronavirus pandemic concerns. The meeting agenda is here.

This meeting is in addition to the board’s regularly scheduled monthly meeting which will be held on April 23. The meeting agenda is here. 

Public input is invited and encouraged at all OC Fair & Event Center board meetings. Video and audio feeds of the meetings will be available and members of the public may also attend in person with social distancing precautions in place. Information on how to participate in the meetings will be posted on the public meetings page prior to the meeting date.  

Friday, April 10, 2020 (9:49 am)

OC Fair & Event Center leadership is in communication with state, county and city agencies regarding the use of the fairgrounds for emergency purposes during the coronavirus pandemic.

We have received an updated notice that 10 temporary trailers will be delivered today, April 10, to the corner of parking lot G, nearest Gate 10, for potential emergency housing. These trailers were requested by the City of Costa Mesa from the State of California to assist with housing if needed for unsheltered residents who may have risk factors that make them vulnerable to COVID-19. It is not yet known if or when the trailers will be utilized for this purpose. The trailers will be placed in a secured area.

Also, three buildings in the Main Mall area of the fairgrounds are being considered for emergency medical use. The Orange County Health Care Agency has assessed the property and is considering it to assist with hospital overflow. Details about how the facilities will be utilized and who will occupy them is not yet known. If the buildings are put into use, the area will be secured. The timetable is also in the works as coordination continues.

“Fairgrounds all over the state are being called into service to assist their communities and we are happy to do our part in helping Orange County through this pandemic,” said Michele Richards, OC Fair & Event Center CEO.

Thank you for your continued support as it is determined how the fairgrounds will be used to assist our community during this unprecedented crisis.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020 (12:40 pm)

We are sad to announce the cancellation of our Homebrew and Wine Competitions slated to be part of the 2020 OC Fair. These competitions are important to our program and we look forward to their return in 2021.

For further information about the Commercial Wine and Home Wine Competitions, see a note from OC Wine Society’s president Bill Redding.

At this time, we will continue to plan for the annual Fair and accept entries for other competitions.

Thursday, April 2, 2020 (9:00 am)

Wednesday, April 1, 2020 (10:02 am)

Centennial Farm, which is currently closed to the public, sure does miss its after-school program, class tours and visitors. 

But in the meantime, we are doing what we can to help our community by donating produce to OC Food Bank. Our hard-working farm staff has harvested several pounds of carrots, different types of lettuce and more.

The farm staff is also making sure the livestock at Centennial Farm continues to be fed and cared for. Most of the rest of OC Fair & Event Center staff is working from home while the fairgrounds are closed.