-
Monday, February 5, 2018 (10:01 am)
Tickets on sale now for entertainment at the 2018 OC Fair
The 2018 OC Fair starts July 13 and goes through Aug. 12. But don’t wait to buy tickets to the performances happening on all 23 nights of the Fair!
Here’s what’s on sale now:
Straight No Chaser with special guest Jon McLaughlin at Pac Amp, July 8 (Tickets start at $27.50)
Rumours – The Ultimate Fleetwood Mac Tribute Show at The Hangar, July 13 (Tickets start at $17.50)
Dead Man’s Party – The Oingo Boing Tribute at The Hangar, July 14 (Tickets start at $17.50)
Firefall and Poco at The Hangar, July 15 (Tickets start at $20)
Kool & the Gang with special guest Village People at Pac Amp, July 18 (Tickets start at $30)
Elton – The Early Years – A Tribute to Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road at The Hangar, July 18 (Tickets start at $17.50)
Steve Martin & Martin Short with Steep Canyon Rangers and Jeff Babko at Pac Amp, July 20 (Tickets start at $55)
Brett Eldredge with special guest Honey County at Pac Amp, July 29 (Tickets start at $45)
On sale Saturday, Feb. 10:
Monster Truck Destruction Tour at Action Sports Arena, July 25-29 (Tickets start at $17.50)
Posted in Entertainment, OC Fair
-
Thursday, December 21, 2017 (4:10 pm)
Shop award-winning competition catalogs
Did you know? You can purchase catalogs featuring award-winning photography, fine arts and more featured at the OC Fair!
2017 OC Fair Photography Competition Awards
This book features Best of Show, Division Winners and First Place in Adult, and Best of Show, Division Winners and Best of Class in Young Adult. Also, learn all about the judges.
Paperback: $15
2017 OC Fair Woodworking Competition Awards
This book features Best of Show, Division Winners and First Place in Adult. Also, learn about the judges, featured artists and more.
Paperback: $15
2017 OC Fair Fine Art Competition Awards
This book features Best of Show, Division Winners and First Place in Professional and Amateur, and Best of Show, Division Winners and Best of Class in Young Adult. Also, learn about the judges, featured artists, and exhibits on display at the 2017 OC Fair, including Kiel Johnson’s Garden Variety.
Paperback: $15
Shop the 2017 and 2016 collections on Amazon at amzn.to/2BOvTX8.
Bonus
Use smile.amazon.com and set Centennial Farm Foundation as your charity, and a percentage of your purchases will benefit the foundation behind our farm!
Posted in: Competitions
-
Friday, December 15, 2017 (1:26 pm)
Cirque du Soleil coming to OC Fair & Event Center
For the next 10 years, Cirque du Soleil will raise the Big Top of its touring productions at OC Fair & Event Center for its Orange County engagements.There are five shows slated through 2028, the first being LUZIA, which will be performing from Feb. 21 through March 18, 2018. Tickets are now on sale at www.cirquedusoleil.com/luzia.
Cirque du Soleil and OC Fair & Event Center formalized the 10-year contract at today’s Board of Directors meeting. The Montreal-based theatrical company was last at the Fairgrounds in 2015 with KURIOS – Cabinet of Curiosities.
“This partnership with Cirque du Soleil gives us an amazing opportunity to bring spectacular shows to Orange County through 2028,” said Kathy Kramer, OC Fair & Event Center CEO. “We are fortunate to have the ideal space, plenty of parking and a wonderful audience that appreciates entertainment of this caliber.”
The iconic tent will be erected in the eastern portion of the Fairgrounds. This is the fifth time that Cirque du Soleil touring shows have been held at OC Fair & Event Center; each of those productions was part of an individual, single-year contract.
“The OC Fair & Event Center is an outstanding site for our Big Top touring shows as it is well-known and perfectly located in Orange County,” said Jörg Schlegel, director of tour development at Cirque du Soleil.
View video of LUZIA at https://youtu.be/anIIJ6JumZI.
Posted in: Entertainment, OC Fair & Event Center
-
Thursday, December 14, 2017 (1:52 pm)
2018 OC Fair theme announcement!
The 2018 OC Fair theme invites Fairgoers to embrace simple joys, get back to basics and “Free Your Inner Farmer.” The theme was announced today for the Fair which will run July 13-Aug. 12, 2018.This is the second 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” salutes all the people involved in raising and enjoying the fruits of agriculture. The 2019 Fair theme will focus on land and the environment.
“We are going to have a great time with our ‘Free Your Inner Farmer’ theme,” said OC Fair & Event Center CEO Kathy Kramer. “It really speaks to what we all love about the annual OC Fair – animals, uncomplicated summer fun, making memories and reconnecting with our agricultural roots.”
The official theme was presented today to the OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors. Michele Richards, VP of Business Development, shared artwork and the creative brief on the theme at the board meeting.
Year two is all about people – the farmers who raise our food, the workers who harvest it, the folks who cook and bake and the people like us who enjoy eating.
Whether you’re a backyard gardener, a culinary experimenter or a farmers-market fan, there’s a farmer in all of us. And the OC Fair gives us the opportunity and permission to let our farmer flag fly.
Whether you have a curiosity about where food really comes from and people who bring it to our tables, or a desire to disconnect from the artificial and reconnect with the natural, or maybe an appreciation for timeless joy in the great outdoors, the OC Fair frees that inner spirit and connects us as a community.
It’s about back-to-basics family fun and making lasting memories. The OC Fair is a place where joy has no age limit. It’s where we can roam free under the sun, moon and stars – no matter who we are.
So whether you want to shake hands with a working farmer, watch kids clamber on farm equipment, feel the earth between your fingers as you learn to plant your own garden or enjoy the simple pleasure of learning to cook a farm-fresh meal, the 2018 OC Fair invites you to “Free Your Inner Farmer.”
Hooray for the farmer in all of us!
HOURS
OC Fair admission and parking prices will not increase in 2018. General admission will remain $12 for Wednesday-Friday and $14 on weekends, senior and youth tickets are $7 every day. Parking is $10. Military service members and veterans always get in free and can purchase up to six half-price general admission tickets for friends and family.
The Fair will be open Wednesdays through Sundays from noon to midnight and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, July 13-Aug. 12, 2018.
DISCOUNTS
Popular discounts and promotions will also be back for the 2018 OC Fair including the opening day Tree ‘Til 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 children age five and younger is always free. A full list of deals and discounts will be posted on ocfair.com.
JOBS
The 2017 OC Fair attracted 1,334,753 Fairgoers and brought in $34.5 million in revenue. This year, 1,456 seasonal employees worked at the Fair and a similar number will be hired in 2018. Employment opportunities are posted at ocfair.com/jobs.
SUPER PASS
OC Fair Super Passes, which provide admission to all 23 days of the Fair, are on sale now 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 and ticket sales for Fair entertainment will start in January.
Concessionaires are now cooking up new concoctions to reveal at the 2018 OC Fair; details to come.
-
Wednesday, November 15, 2017 (3:44 pm)
What’s happening along Arlington Drive?
Arlington Drive Improvement Project Here is an update from the City of Costa Mesa:As construction begins on new Arlington Drive Improvement Project, Public Services announced that grading, roadway and storm drain construction is scheduled to started Nov. 27 and will continue through March 15, 2018, closing the south half of Arlington Drive from Gate 5 at OC Fair & Event Center /west end of TeWinkle Park to Newport Boulevard.
Only westbound traffic will be allowed in this area, but two-way traffic on Arlington Drive between Fairview Road and Davis Magnet School will be maintained.
Residents are asked to please take a detour around the project site and use alternate routes for eastbound travel. City staff appreciates the public’s patience and cooperation while the project is under construction.
Read our Q & A
Q: What is going on with the construction on Arlington Drive, along the perimeter of OC Fair & Event Center?A: The City of Costa Mesa Public Works Department is putting in a new storm drain system and improvements to the roadway and the land on the south side of Arlington Drive.
Q: Do these improvements include a sidewalk next to the Fairgrounds?A: Yes. There will be a concrete multipurpose trail and new landscaping, including a new bio swale.
Q: What is a bio swale?A: It is a system that removes silt and debris from runoff water using drainage inlets and vegetation. This keeps water from heavy rains from overburdening storm drains.
Q: How long will the trail be?A: It will run from Fairview Road to Newport Boulevard and the bio swale runs from gate 7 at the fairgrounds to Newport Boulevard.
Q: Who can use the trail?A: The trail will be open to the public and can be used for walking and biking.
Q: Will there be trees again along Arlington Drive?A: Yes. There will be new landscaping, including trees next to the Fairgrounds perimeter, between the trail and the bio swale and next to the street.
Q: Will water-efficient irrigation systems be installed for the landscaping?A: Yes.
Q: When will the project be done?A: Construction is anticipated to be completed in March 2018. The OC Fair opens July 13.
Q: Why is this project being done?A: According to the city, the current bio swale and roadway conditions had deteriorated and the drainage systems were not handling the capacity needed to keep the area properly drained.
Q: Who is actually doing this work?A: This is a City of Costa Mesa project. The Orange County Water District has completed the work to relocate its main distribution line. The City of Costa Mesa has contracted with Sully-Miller Contracting and Kabarra Engineering to do the rest of the work on the project including the new underground storm drain, trail, road improvements and landscaping.