Monday, April 27, 2020 (9:52 am)

The OC Fair & Event Center Board of Directors voted unanimously today to cancel the 2020 OC Fair, one of the most anticipated and enduring summer celebrations in Southern California for 130 years. The Board considered ongoing guidance and updated information from State and County health care and government officials about the status of the coronavirus pandemic and the improbability that mass gatherings like the OC Fair could safely and responsibly take place this summer.

In addition to the regularly scheduled monthly meeting, the Board called a second April meeting specifically to review all options and discuss whether or not to move forward with the 2020 OC Fair. The action comes amid unprecedented community stay-at-home and social distancing orders and will protect guests, vendors and staff during the COVID-19 crisis.

“The decision to cancel the 2020 OC Fair was not taken lightly by the Board. As Governor-appointed representatives the Board has a responsibility to provide a safe experience to the community-at-large, the hundreds of people who depend on county fairs for their livelihood, fairgoers and OC Fair staff,” said Board Chair Sandra Cervantes. “While many of our guests have expressed extreme disappointment over the idea of the 2020 Fair being canceled, we strongly believe it is the right thing to do in this current situation. However, we will keep the spirit of the OC Fair alive with virtual fair concepts such as contests, competitions, entertainment and concessions to bring the fair experience to guests through ocfair.com and social media.”

The 23-day OC Fair welcomes more than 1.3 million fairgoers each year and has an estimated economic impact of $350 million annually. The Fair was canceled 1942-1947 during wartime, but otherwise has been a summer staple since 1890. Information on refunds for concert tickets and Super Passes that have already been purchased can be found at ocfair.com/refunds.

“We love the OC Fair as much as our guests do. And, while it’s disappointing that the Fair can’t take place this year, we fully support the Board’s decision,” said Michele Richards, OC Fair & Event Center CEO. “But please know OC Fair & Event Center will still be here to serve the community as we plan for the next OC Fair and the eventual return of our wonderful events.”

Friday, July 26, 2019 (6:06 pm)

The results are in for our Concessionaires Cup competition, which awards the best of this year’s OC Fair food.

Here are the category winners:

• Best-of-the-Best and Best New Flavor Winner: The Smokestack from Tater Twister’s
• Best Fried Food Winner: Puffy Taco de Carnitas/Asada from Papi’s Puffy Taco
• Best On-a-Stick/Bun Winner: Big Daddy Cheetos & Cheese Corn Dog from Biggy’s
• Best Specialty Food Winner: Shrimp Cocktail from Pepe’s Mariscos
• Owner’s Favorite Winner: Maui Chicken from Pineapple Express 
• Best Dessert Winner: Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting, Bacon and Maple Syrup from D&D Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls
• Best Beverage Winner: Dole Soft Serve Slush Float from RCS Nitro Treats

Friday, June 15, 2018 (8:43 am)

It’s a once-a-year experience, something that can only happen at the Fair – a food frenzy beyond compare. The midway magicians in mini kitchens are cooking up inventions like donut-shaped spaghetti, caramel-drizzled fries and ice cream floats made for mermaids.

All this and more will be served up when the OC Fair opens July 13 and runs through Aug. 12.

A sampling of new food items for 2018

• Peanut butter, jelly and Siracha funnel cake – Dutchmen’s Funnel Cakes

• Deep-fried cheese curds, mac & cheese bites, shrimp & cheese jammers, and more – New stand! Who Fried the Cheese?

• Deep-fried filet mignon on a stick – Chicken Charlie’s

• Spaghetti donut formed with pasta and topped with pesto, alfredo, carbonara or marinara – Pignotti’s

• The OC Crunch Cinnamon Roll featuring caramel, cinnamon crunch cereal and frosting – D&D Country Fair Cinnamon Buns

• Lasagna nachos with pasta chips and pesto, veggies, cheese, marinara and meats – Pignotti’s

• Pine and Swine sourdough bread with butter, garlic, cheddar and mozzarella cheese, pineapple and ham – Ten Pound Buns

• Caramel Crack Fries featuring French fries tossed in butter and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar then drizzled with salted caramel sauce and topped with whipping cream and sprinkles – Biggy’s

• Chili chamoy candy apple coated with sweet and spicy chili and tamarind flavors – Brander’s Candyland

• Unicorn cotton candy donut with sparkling strawberry glitter glaze, rainbow candy, bubble gum cotton candy – Texas Donuts

• Boba flavors include passion fruit, Thai, oolong, mango, jasmine and lychee – New stand! Holy Cao’s Boba Tea

• Shrimp/chicken Ramen burritos, deep-fried pineapple on a stick – Chicken Charlie’s

• Unicorn, Orange Dream and Mermaid Floats featuring cotton candy and rainbow toppings – Candy Factory

• Big Skillet Cookie, an oversize chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup – Totally Baked Cookie Joint

• Toppings bar for cinnamon buns including cherry pie filling, Mini M & M’s, salted caramel and maple bacon frosting – JP’s Old West Cinnamon Rolls

• Poke and sushi bowls, orange chicken burritos – Eddie’s Asian-Inspired Cuisine

Returning favorites

BBQ chicken, grilled corn, tri-tip, burgers, hot dogs, tacos, turkey legs, Hawaiian chicken bowls, grilled vegetables, corn dogs, ice cream, shaved ice, smoothies, shakes, fruit bowls, waffles, crepes, flavored lemonade, spicy cheese curd burgers, beef tallow fries, buffalo chips and cheese curd chips and more.

Vendors include: Tasti Burgers, Tasti Chips, Pink’s Hot Dogs, Biggy’s, Juicy’s, Noel’s Mexican, Corn Star, Apollo’s Greek, Carmelot, Pepe’s Mariscos, Crutchee’s Ice Cream, Enzo’s Pizza, Fresh Frys, Fried Affair, Hussong’s Cantina, Hot Dog on a Stick, Planet Popcorn, Mucho Crazy Nachos, Mustards Café, Old West Cinnamon Rolls, Texas Donuts, Vinny’s Pizza and more.

Don’t forget: $3 Taste of Fair Food on Thursdays! 

Get a sampling of food and treats for only $3 each every Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Fun-sized samples include funnel cake, tri-tip, lemonade, cinnamon rolls, tacos, gelato, cotton candy and more.

Posted in: Food, OC Fair

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 (11:34 am)

If you know Carnival Eats, you know Noah Cappe doesn’t mess around when it comes to fair food. He travels around the country visiting various fairs and carnivals, trying out the most outrageous, the biggest and the tastiest foods he can get his hands on.

And on the new episode of Carnival Eats – a TV show on the Cooking Channel – you’ll see food from your favorite fair: the OC Fair! 

Noah was at the OC Fair with his crew during the 2017 season, and he tried all kinds of good stuff. The premiere episode, which airs Thursday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m. on the Cooking Channel, will feature the Unicorn Leg and deep-fried pizza. Yuuuuum.

Also, keep an eye out through all of Carnival Eats’ Season 5 for more OC Fair appearances. 

Friday, July 7, 2017 (4:53 pm)

Farm to fork. Artisan crafted. Locally made. Small batch. These words don’t just define a food revolution, they hint at what you’ll find in the culinary exhibits and demonstrations at the 2017 OC Fair.

Steal away from the midway for a little while to discover artisans who bring the “Farm Fresh Fun” theme to life. Taste award-winning California olive oil. Sample locally made kombucha. Learn how butchers, bakers and local booze makers are changing the way things are crafted in Orange County and beyond.

The culinary team at OC Fair & Event Center has curated a lineup that showcases top local chefs, TV celebrities, cookbook authors and local businesses to help Fairgoers get a taste of what that food revolution is like.

Let’s take a look at what and who you’ll find at the Fair in the OC Promenade Culinary Arts Building:

Pies: Karen Uyeda is a passionate fair attendee and previous OC Fair Blue-Ribbon Winner for her pies. She launched Sweetcie Pie and her business has flourished. Learn her pie-making secrets. July 19, 3 p.m.

Spirits: Brian and Robin Christenson launched the very first craft distillery in Orange County, Blinking Owl. These locavores and grain nerds will teach how they mill, ferment and distill barrel aged whisky and more. They have a great local story to tell. July 22, 3 p.m.

Paella: Junior chef Isabella Vegh is a member of 4-H and a previous triple Best of Class Winner in Preserved Foods and Winner of the Youth Spam Competition. Isabella will demonstrate how to make authentic Paella Valencia. July 20, 5 p.m.

Butchery: Chef Noah Blom of ARC Restaurant, Restaurant Marin and The Guild will give a primal cut butchery demonstration and he’ll share his best tips. Aug. 2, 5 p.m.

Meat: Executive Chef Melissa Cortina, of Bavette’s Meats and Provisions, attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and learned at the hands of master Italian butchers. She will answer questions about buying, using and preparing meat. Aug. 13, 5 p.m.

Bread: Cortina will be joined by former Blue Man Group performer Don Kohler who will demonstrate how to make unique Icelandic geothermal rye bread in your home kitchen. Kohler is now star of Hallmark Channel’s The Home & Family Show. Aug. 13, 5 p.m.

Beer: The first and only non-GMO, vegan-friendly beer, Dr. Jekyll’s Craft Beer, is produced by Tom Costa, an avid home brewer of more than 25 year. Learn how to bring craft beer into the kitchen and onto the plate. Aug. 6, 3 p.m.

Fermented food: Fairgoers can learn about the health benefits of lacto-fermentation from Dr. Yasmine Mason of Fermentation Farm, and try a free sample of kombucha. Daily

Seasonal: Chef Ernie Alvarado, pictured above, of Urbana is bringing Farm Fresh Mexican-inspired dishes to the table. Find out how he has mastered the use of seasonal produce in his creations. July 22, 7 p.m.

Sweets: Chef Stéphane Tréand will showcase his incredible talents by creating a highly technical sugar sculptor showpiece. July 30, 5 p.m.

Produce: Robert Schueller of Melissa’s Produce is known as Produce Guru. Become one of his followers and increase your knowledge of fruit and vegetables. July 21, 2 and 4 p.m.

Here’s a list of featured culinary events and demonstrations.

The 2017 OC Fair is July 14 through Aug. 13 and will offer 23 days and nights of entertainment, food, rides, shopping, exhibits and more. The Fair is open Wednesdays through Fridays from noon to midnight, and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to midnight.

2017 OC Fair media guide: bit.ly/17ocfairmedia
2017 OC Fair promo photos: bit.ly/2OCFair17photos
Food photos: bit.ly/17ocfairfood
Promo videos: bit.ly/17ocfairpromovideos

Press credential requests: bit.ly/ocfairpress

Wednesday, July 5, 2017 (4:52 pm)

You can feel the anticipation growing every summer in Orange County. The waiting is intense. The Ferris wheel goes up and mouths start to water. You hear the question everywhere: What crazy foods are coming to the OC Fair?

Last year, 50% of Fairgoers surveyed said their favorite part of the Fair is the food. Fried, sugary or savory – and sometimes all three at once – the delectable edibles are some of the big stars of the OC Fair. So here’s a spotlight on the new and daring bites coming your way when the Fair opens July 14.

NEW FOOD AT THE 2017 OC FAIR

Unicorn Nitro Pop, a cotton candy ring around a colorful cup of kettle corn and whipped cream, submerged in liquid nitrogen (also available: Nitro Whip) – RCS Cowboy Kettle Corn

5-pound barbecued pig leg; bacon-wrapped Brussels sprouts, grilled on a stick with olive oil and rolled in parmesan cheese; pineapple on a stick, wrapped in bacon, grilled and rolled in parmesan cheese – Bacon A Fair

Fried peanut butter meatballs, luau chimichanga, pupu chicken, Krispy Kreme ice cream chicken sandwich – Chicken Charlie’s

Fried octopus on a stick, deep-fried ravioli on a stick – Pignotti’s Pasta

Flamin’ Hot Cheetos on several items: pizza, Big Daddy corn dog, cheese fries, corn in a cup or on the cob –Enzo’s Pizza, Biggy’s and The Corn Shack

Chocolate chip cookies that come in a cone or a bucket – Cathy’s Cookies

Corn dog with spicy buffalo sauce, served with bleu cheese dressing – Don Crutchfield corn dog stands

Unicorn pineapple bomb and unicorn freeze – D&D Country Fair Cinnamon Buns

Cowboy sundae (with beans, beef and more) – Chuckwagon

Gelato donut sandwich – Fabe’s

Mini donut sundae – Mini Donuts

Maui Cowboy Ghost Pepper Cheeseburger – Tasti Burger

Non-dairy Dippin’ Dots – JK Dots

Sonoran hot dog and a CA burrito – Noel’s Mexican Foods

Kung pao chicken, chow mein and more – Eddie’s Asian-Inspired Cuisine

Australian Battered Potatoes, celebrating its 30th anniversary, will feature their specialty with a new spicy chipotle sauce

RETURNING FAVORITES

BBQ chicken, corn and more; burgers, hot dogs, fries and more at Juicys; Hawaiian chicken bowls; grilled corn and vegetables; several different ice cream stands, including ice cream cookie sandwiches; shaved ice and smoothies; waffles and crepes; and more.

Other vendors include: Pink’s Hot Dogs, Biggy’s Meat Market, Ten Pound Buns, Corn Star, Apollo’s Greek, Carmelot, Pepe’s Mariscos, Crutchee’s Ice Cream, Enzo’s Pizza, Fresh Frys, Fried Affair, Hussong’s Cantina, Hot Dog on a Stick, Planet Popcorn, Mucho Crazy Nachos, Mustards Café, Old West Cinnamon Rolls, Texas Donuts, Vinny’s Pizza and more.

$3 TASTE OF FAIR FOOD

Get a sampling of all this fun food for only $3 each every Thursday from noon to 4 p.m. Fun-sized samples include funnel cake, tri-tip, lemonade, cinnamon rolls, tacos, gelato, cotton candy and more.