Monday, January 14, 2019 (3:09 pm)

Help us evaluate our brands:

• OC Fair & Event Center
• Pacific Amphitheatre
• Heroes Hall
• Imaginology
• Centennial Farm

We have begun to evaluate out family of brands to determine current value in the marketplace and whether or not changes are warranted. We have grown and it is time to reassess.

In addition to our OC Fair & Event Center brands, the exercise will include discussions about our property partners: equestrian center, OC Wine Society, Orange County Market Place and Spectra.

Public participation is being sought during this process – community input is important as the fairgrounds looks toward the future.

The advertising firm IMW of Costa Mesa has been contracted to perform the brand assessment and to offer recommendations. They began with meetings with staff groups and a workshop with the board of directors. A meeting of property partners and stakeholders has also been scheduled.

The public is invited to participate in a branding assessment workshop – options are:

• • Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2-3 p.m. at OC Fair & Event Center OR
  • Wednesday, Jan. 30, 6-7 p.m. at OC Fair & Event Center

The OC Fair & Event Center is located at 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa. These workshops will take place in the administration building.

Those who are unable to attend one of the public meetings will have the opportunity to participate by completing an online survey that will be posted here following the workshops.

Please continue to check ocfair.com/branding and @ocfair on social media for the latest updates on this project.

A little about brands …

Brands are not just logos. A brand is more than what a product does or what it might communicate. Brands are the total perception of the entity’s “persona” in the marketplace, including an implied promise to customers that the facility and service will consistently meet their expectations. Brands evoke emotions. They delight us and make us feel that they are familiar and reliable. Branding differentiates a product from its competitors and creates added value for partners.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018 (3:33 pm)

News from the City of Costa Mesa:

The city was selected to receive a 2018 Project of the Year award from the Southern California Chapter of the American Public Works Association (APWA) for the Arlington Drive Improvements Project.

The project included roadway improvements, a new concrete multipurpose trail along the south side of Arlington Drive, a new underground storm drain system and vegetated bioswale, and roadside beautification including new landscaping and water efficient irrigation systems.

The APWA is the professional association of public works leaders throughout the United States and Canada, with the Southern California chapter covering Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The rewards program recognizes public agencies for their outstanding projects and programs and shares good ideas from such projects.

Get more news and information from Costa Mesa City Hall.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018 (11:27 am)

SACRAMENTO (Nov. 20, 2018) – Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today announced the following appointments:

Natalie Rubalcava-Garcia, 39, of Anaheim, has been appointed to the 32nd District Agricultural Association, Orange County Fair Board of Directors. Rubalcava-Garcia has been chief operating officer at the Orange County Business Council since 2018, where she was vice president of investor relations from 2016 to 2018.

She was associate publisher at the Southern California News Group in 2016 and held several positions at Freedom News Group from 2007 to 2016, including vice president of freedom sales operations and director of sales strategy and senior advertiser marketing and research analyst at the Orange County Register. Rubalcava-Garcia was audience insights analyst at ImpreMedia from 2006 to 2007 and held several positions at the Los Angeles Times, including market and planning research analyst from 2004 to 2006 and advertising operations lead coordinator from 1996 to 2004.

She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of La Verne College of Law. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Rubalcava-Garcia is a Democrat.

Andreas Meyer, 35, of Irvine, has been appointed to the 32nd District Agricultural Association, Orange County Fair Board of Directors. Meyer has been associate general counsel at Chapman University since 2017.

He was university counsel in the Office of the General Counsel at the University of Southern California from 2011 to 2017 and an associate at Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher from 2009 to 2011. Meyer is a member of the Orange County Bar Association, Orange County Lavender Bar Association and Equality California.

He earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. This position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no compensation. Meyer is a Democrat.

View official announcement.

Monday, November 19, 2018 (12:10 pm)

Costa Mesa, Calif. (Nov. 19, 2018) – The OC Fair has announced three more shows coming to Pacific Amphitheatre during the 2019 Toyota Summer Concert Series. Tickets for these shows – and the previously announced “Weird Al” Yankovic show – go on sale Saturday, Dec. 1, at 10 a.m.

Justin Moore
July 14, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets start at $40

Country music singer-songwriter Justin Moore returns to the Pacific Amphitheatre on July 14 to celebrate his upcoming album. The recently released song, “The Ones That Didn’t Make It Back Home,” gives listeners a taste of what’s in store, adding to his collection of hits like “You Look Like I Need A Drink,” “Til My Last Day” and “Small Town USA.”

Happy Together Tour
July 21, 8 p.m.
Tickets start at $25

Back by popular demand, the Happy Together Tour returns to Pacific Amphitheatre for another great year of classic hits and everyone’s favorite oldies. The 2019 tour will include The Turtles, Chuck Negron (formerly of Three Dog Night), Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Buckinghams, The Classics IV and The Cowsills.

Viva El Mariachi at Pacific Amphitheatre
Aug. 4, 6 p.m.
Tickets start at $17.50

Mariachi gets a bigger stage during the 2019 OC Fair with a festival at Pacific Amphitheatre. Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez has performed at the OC Fair for more than 20 years, typically on The Hangar stage. The 13-member band is being joined on Aug. 4 by Ana Barbara, Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles, and Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar.

“Weird Al” Yankovic (previously announced)
Aug. 8, 8 p.m.
Tickets start at $27.50

“Weird Al” Yankovic will perform fan favorites on Aug. 8 as part of the Strings Attached Tour – a high-energy rock and comedy show featuring costumes, props, a video wall and a full orchestra. “Weird Al” is best known for his hilariously irreverent parodies of hit songs, including “Eat It,” “Like A Surgeon” and “Tacky.”
Tickets to these shows will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster and include admission to the 2019 OC Fair. More performances and action sports at the Fair will be announced in the coming months. Sign up for pre-sale emails at ocfair.com/newsletters.

Super Pass holders can purchase tickets to select Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena performances at a two-for-one discount. The 2019 Super Pass is a season pass that includes admission to all 23 days of the OC Fair, as well as several exclusive discounts, and will go on sale Friday, Nov. 23, at ocfair.com/superpass.

The 2019 OC Fair is July 12-Aug. 11, open Wednesday-Sunday.

Thursday, November 15, 2018 (4:03 pm)

COSTA MESA (Nov. 15, 2018) – The 2019 OC Fair theme celebrates the county’s agricultural roots and invites fairgoers to enjoy “Acres of Fun.” The theme was announced today for the 2019 OC Fair which will run July 12-Aug. 11.

This is the third year of a three-year initiative to focus OC Fair themes on agriculture. The 2017 theme was “Farm Fresh Fun,” a nod to agriculture products. “Free Your Inner Farmer,” the 2018 theme, saluted all the people involved in raising and enjoying the fruits of agriculture. The 2019 Fair theme focuses on land and the environment.

“We are very excited to show our guests how to have ‘Acres of Fun’ this summer at the OC Fair,” said Kathy Kramer, OC Fair & Event Center CEO. “We love showcasing agriculture and educating the public about our rich heritage – it’s our mission and our passion. I look forward to having a great Fair that helps fund our community give-back programs and provides terrific family fun.”

The official theme was presented today to the OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors. Michele Richards, VP of Business Development, shared the concept and artwork at the board meeting.

The OC Fair staff is working with concessionaires to offer new value-priced menu options in 2019 in addition to the $3 Taste of the Fair specials.

Other popular discounts and promotions will be back, including the opening day Free Till Three deal, the Read and Ride program for children and We Care Wednesdays offering free admission and a carnival ride to fairgoers who bring donations for local nonprofits. There will also be seniors days, kids days and discount days for carnival ride wristbands. Admission for veterans, members of the military and children age five and younger is always free. A full list of deals and discounts will be posted on ocfair.com.

The Fair will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to midnight and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays July 12-Aug. 11, 2019.

The 2018 OC Fair attracted 1,470,636 guests, breaking the previous record set in 2011. The Fair also broke the single-day attendance record when 86,334 fairgoers arrived on Saturday, July 28. This year, some 1,500 seasonal employees worked at the Fair and a similar number will be hired in 2019. Employment opportunities are posted at ocfair.com/jobs.

OC Fair Super Passes, which provide admission to all 23 days of the Fair, are slated to go on sale Nov. 23 at the lowest prices that will be offered, $30 for general admission and $23 for youth and seniors. Prices will increase on March 1 and again on June 1. Super Passes come with two-for-one discounts on select shows at Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena along with discounts on food and an offer to purchase additional Fair tickets for only $10. The passes are sold at ocfair.com/superpass.

Announcements for Fair entertainment have begun and tickets go on sale starting Dec. 1 for Pacific Amphitheatre concerts, Action Sports Arena shows and acts coming to The Hangar. For more information, visit pacamp.com.

Concessionaires are now cooking up new concoctions to reveal at the 2019 OC Fair; details to come.