Monday, January 5, 2026 (12:22 pm)
OC Fair ranked No. 9 in North America, top in state
Coming in at No. 9 on the list of North America’s top 50 fairs in 2025, the OC Fair ranked above all other California fairs in an annual list published this month by the industry site carnivalwarehouse.com.
Each year Carnival Warehouse ranks the top fairs, including Canadian expos and events, based on attendance.
In 2025, the OC Fair’s theme was “Find Your Happy” and 1,162,872 guests did just that. Attendance increased from 1,137,555 in 2024 when the OC Fair ranked No. 13 in North America.
The OC Fair has been using a limited capacity attendance model since 2021, with a cap on the number of admission tickets available each day of the 23-day event.
Six other California fairs were on the 2025 top 50 list:
- San Diego County Fair – No. 19
- California State Fair (in Sacramento) – No. 25
- Los Angeles County Fair – No. 26
- Big Fresno Fair – No. 35
- Alameda County Fair – No. 42
- California Mid-State Fair – No. 49
The 2026 OC Fair will be held July 17-Aug. 16 and the theme is “Your Adventure Awaits.”