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Location | OC Fair & Event Center 88 Fair Drive, Costa Mesa, California, United States |
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Coordinates | 33°40′0″N117°54′4″W / 33.66667°N 117.90111°W |
Status | Operating |
Opened | 1890, 1919, 1946, 2021 |
Closed | 1916, 1941, 2020 |
Operating season | Opens mid-July, concluding mid-August |
Attendance | 1 million+ |
Website | OC Fair |
The Orange County Fair, abbreviated as the OC Fair, is a 23-day annual fair that is held every summer at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, California. The 2024 OC Fair was held from July 19 to August 18, and the theme was “Always a Good Time!” [1] [2]
The fair first took place in the year 1890 and consisted of some minor exhibits in Santa Ana and a horse race. [3] From 1890 to 1894 the fair was run by the Orange County Community Fair Corporation, but was then taken over by the Orange County Fair Association, Inc. Early fairs mainly consisted of horse races and livestock shows, but around 1900 new carnival-like attractions were added and the fair become a yearly occurrence. The fair was located in Santa Ana, except for a brief interval after World War I, when it was moved to Huntington Beach. [3]
Starting in 1916, the fair was managed by the Orange County Farm Bureau. An Orange County Fair Board was elected in 1925, and the fair was moved to Anaheim with the addition of a rodeo and carnival. From 1932 to 1939, the fair was located in Pomona, California as part of a combined Orange, Los Angeles, and Riverside County Fair. [4] Following World War II the 32nd District Agricultural Association was formed by the state of California, and it took on the task of running the fair. The state purchased land from the Santa Ana Army Air Base and set some of it aside for use as a new fairgrounds. In 1949 the fair became a five-day-long event and was relocated to the old army base, which quickly became the permanent location. [5]
The city of Costa Mesa was incorporated in 1953 with the fair residing in its boundaries. The fairgrounds' 150 acres has been the home of the fair ever since 1949 and has expanded to an annual 23 day summer event. [6]
On April 27, 2020, for the first time in 75 years, the 2020 fair was cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; since 2021, hand sanitizers were installed within the premises, to prevent this and other diseases from spreading, plus social distancing & wearing masks are being adhered to. It was also cancelled in 1917–18 & 1942–45.
The Orange County Fair is the 9th-largest fair in the United States. [7] Since 2021, attendance is limited to 45,000 people per day. [8]
Year | Attendance |
---|---|
2023 | 1,048,181 [9] |
2022 | 1,055,173 [9] |
2021 | 1,055,770 [9] |
2020 | 0 [9] |
2019 | 1,393,482 [10] |
2018 | 1,470,636 [11] |
2017 | 1,334,000 [12] |
2016 | 1,344,996 [13] |
2015 | 1,301,445 [14] |
2014 | 1,337,167 [15] |
2012 | 1,300,000 [16] |
2011 | 1,400,280 [17] |
2010 | 1,135,536 [18] |
2009 | 1,070,061 [19] |
2008 | 1,062,673 [19] |
2007 | 1,090,653 [9] |
2006 | 924,315 [9] |
2005 | 1,058,192 [9] |
2004 | 963,984 [9] |
2003 | 881,596 [9] |
2002 | 898,197 [9] |
2001 | 843,347 [9] |
2000 | 808,810 [9] |
1999 | 724,561 |
1998 | 723,061 |
1997 | 785,944 |
The Fairground in Costa Mesa has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csb), that is nearly perfect for its many outdoor activities.
Climate data for Costa Mesa | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 64 (18) | 64 (18) | 64 (18) | 66 (19) | 79 (26) | 82 (28) | 85 (29) | 90 (32) | 86 (30) | 86 (30) | 68 (20) | 64 (18) | 68 (20) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 44 (7) | 50 (10) | 51 (11) | 54 (12) | 57 (14) | 60 (16) | 63 (17) | 64 (18) | 63 (17) | 54 (12) | 42 (6) | 38 (3) | 56 (13) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.60 (66) | 2.54 (65) | 2.25 (57) | .70 (18) | .18 (4.6) | .08 (2.0) | .02 (0.51) | .09 (2.3) | .30 (7.6) | .28 (7.1) | 1.02 (26) | 1.59 (40) | 11.65 (296) |
Source: Weather Channel [20] |
Orange County is a county located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, and more populous than 19 American states and Washington, D.C. Although largely suburban, it is the second-most-densely-populated county in the state behind San Francisco County. The county's three most-populous cities are Anaheim, Santa Ana, and Irvine, each of which has a population exceeding 300,000. Santa Ana is also the county seat. Six cities in Orange County are on the Pacific coast: Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Dana Point, and San Clemente.
Santa Ana is a city in and the county seat of Orange County, California, United States. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the second most populous city in Orange County, the 13th-most populous city in California, and the 65th densest large city in the United States. Santa Ana is a major regional economic and cultural hub for the Orange Coast.
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California, United States. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wayne Airport edge city, one of the region's largest commercial clusters, with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light manufacturing. The city is home to the two tallest skyscrapers in Orange County. The population was 111,918 at the 2020 census.
Orange is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. It is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the county seat, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before 1920. While many other cities in the region demolished such houses in the 1960s, Orange decided to preserve them. The small city of Villa Park is surrounded by the city of Orange. The population of Orange was 139,911 as of 2020.
John Wayne Airport is an international commercial and general aviation airport that serves Orange County, California, and the Greater Los Angeles area. The airport is located in an unincorporated area of Orange County, and it is owned and operated by the county. John Wayne Airport is surrounded by the cities of Irvine, Newport Beach, and Costa Mesa, although its IATA airport code is registered to Santa Ana, the county seat. Originally named Orange County Airport, the Orange County Board of Supervisors renamed the airport in 1979 in honor of actor John Wayne, who lived in neighboring Newport Beach and died that year. A statue of John Wayne was installed at the airline terminal in 1982.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the transportation planning commission for Orange County, California in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. OCTA is responsible for funding and implementing transit and capital projects for the transportation system in the county, including freeway expansions, express lane management, bus and rail transit operation, and commuter rail funding and oversight.
State Route 55 (SR 55) is an 18-mile (30-km) long north–south state highway that passes through suburban Orange County in the U.S. state of California. The portion of the route built to freeway standards is known as the Costa Mesa Freeway. SR 55 runs between Via Lido south of Pacific Coast Highway in Newport Beach and the Riverside Freeway in Anaheim to the north, intersecting other major Orange County freeways such as SR 22, SR 73, and Interstate 405 (I-405).
Freedom Communications, Inc., was an American media conglomerate that operated daily and weekly newspapers, websites and mobile applications, as well as Coast Magazine and other specialty publications. Headquartered at 625 N. Grand Avenue in Santa Ana, California, it was owned by a private equity firm, 2100 Trust, established in 2010 by investor Aaron Kushner Freedom's flagship newspaper was the Orange County Register, based in Santa Ana.
The Orange County Register is a paid daily newspaper published in California. The Register, published in Orange County, California, is owned by the private equity firm Alden Global Capital via its Digital First Media News subsidiaries.
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The OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC) is a 150-acre (0.61 km2) event venue in Costa Mesa, California. The site hosts over 150 events attracting 4.3 million visitors annually, and is home to the Orange County Fair, Centennial Farm, Costa Mesa Speedway, and Pacific Amphitheatre.
The Pacific Amphitheatre is an amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, Orange County, California. The amphitheatre is located on the grounds of the OC Fair & Event Center. It opened in July 1983 with Barry Manilow as the first performer. The venue currently operates from early July through early September, predominantly during the annual Summer Concert Series at the OC Fair. Since reopening in 2003, the venue has been independently managed and operated by the OC Fair & Event Center.
The Newport Pop Festival, held in Costa Mesa, California, on August 3–4, 1968, was the first music concert ever to have more than 100,000 paid attendees. Its sequel, billed as Newport 69, was held in Northridge, California, on June 20–22, 1969, and had a total attendance estimated at 200,000.
Costa Mesa Speedway in Costa Mesa, California, US, is a major motorsports venue credited with the renaissance of motorcycle speedway racing in Southern California. The 185 yards long track hosts both Solo and Sidecar speedway.
The Orange County Employees Association (OCEA), located in Santa Ana, California, is a public employee labor union in Orange County, representing about 18,000 employees. OCEA was founded in 1937.
626 Night Market is a regular night market located in the 626 area code region of San Gabriel Valley, northeast of Los Angeles. As of 2022 it is the largest night market in the United States.
Kona Lanes was a bowling center in Costa Mesa, California, that operated from 1958 to 2003. Known for its futuristic design, it featured 40 wood-floor bowling lanes, a game room, a lounge, and a coffee shop that eventually became a Mexican diner. Built during the advent of Googie architecture, its Polynesian-inspired Tiki styling extended from the large roadside sign to the building's neon lights and exaggerated rooflines.
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Santa Ana Stadium, also known as Eddie West Field or the Santa Ana Bowl, is a city-owned and operated 9,000-capacity American football and soccer stadium located in downtown Santa Ana. The field was named after Eddie West, a writer for the Orange County Register and tireless supporter of the Santa Ana College Dons and all Orange County sports.
The OC Streetcar is a modern streetcar line currently under construction in Orange County, California, running through the cities of Santa Ana and Garden Grove. The electric-powered streetcar will be operated by the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), and will serve ten stops in each direction along its 4.15-mile (6.68 km) route.