Thursday, December 21, 2017 (4:10 pm)

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)

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)

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)

Arlington Drive Improvement Project 

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.

A: Yes. There will be a concrete multipurpose trail and new landscaping, including a new 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.

A: It will run from Fairview Road to Newport Boulevard and the bio swale runs from gate 7 at the fairgrounds to Newport Boulevard.

A: The trail will be open to the public and can be used for walking and biking.

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.

A: Yes.

A: Construction is anticipated to be completed in March 2018. The OC Fair opens July 13.

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.

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.

(10:44 am)

The OC Fair Visual Arts Competition receives about 6,000 entries each year submitted by artists from Orange County and throughout Southern California. Types of art include woodworking, painting, ceramics, sculpture, photography and graphic arts.

The OC Fair is often the first exhibition experience for an artist. The thrill of being selected for exhibition and then winning an award nurtures, encourages and inspires artists, instilling confidence in their creativity.

Each year, the OC Fair purchases a few of the exhibited entries to add to the permanent collection. There are more than 150 pieces of artwork in the collection dating back to the 1970s. The collection focuses on the traditions, people, life and beautiful landscapes of our region, state and country. Most of the artists in the collection are Orange County residents.

The exhibit will be on display at the Fullerton Arboretum’s Orange County Agricultural and Nikkei Heritage Museum through Dec. 3, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, noon-4 p.m. For more information, visit fullertonarboretum.org.

To enter artwork for the 2018 Fair, go to  ocfair.com/competitions to find details in the OC Fair Visual Arts Competition Guide that will be available in April.