Our Best Tips and Tricks for The OC Fair

From Friday, July 17 to Sunday, August 16 (closed on Mondays and Tuesdays), the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa will be transformed into a fun-packed festival to fill up your summer days. We’ve pulled together our best tips, money saving tricks, and insider information to help you have the best time ever at the fair this year.

Purchase tickets in advance. Limited daily capacity makes for a better experience for fairgoers, but it means that tickets aren’t available at the box office once the fair opens. Tickets are only available online. If you’re planning to attend on the weekends (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), adults are $18, seniors are $10, and kids from 6 to 12 are $9. For Wednesday and Thursday, adults can take the opportunity to save a few dollars and pay $13 in admission. Kids 5 years old and under are always free.

Daily parking at the Fairgrounds is separate and can be purchased onsite for $15 for standard-sized vehicles. Oversized vehicles, buses, and limos are $30.

What all is included in the ticket price? Tons of agricultural exhibits, hands-on activities, and animals (we love the Alaskan pig races!) that the Fair is known for, as well as roving performers and multiple stages of live music. Head to the Hangar for crowd-favorite cover bands, from Depeche Mode to Rod Stewart to Journey. Note that some cover bands do require a separate ticket, so be sure to double-check in advance. The Action Sports Arena is free with general admission if you’re in the mood for demolition derbies, monster trucks, and daredevil stunts.

Also included in the ticket price is Explorium’s Orange County Sand and Sea area, magician Frank Thurston, the Main Mall play fountain, the interactive exhibit REWIND: A VHS Comeback, and fine arts and produce competitions.

Don’t wait until the end of the season thinking it may be more relaxed—the last several days of the fair often sell out.

Rideshare is the way to go! It’s quicker and less stress than circling for a parking spot. That means more time to enjoy the fair.

If you do want to avoid the crowds, come to the fair early! It opens at 11am. Grab a breakfast burrito, fresh-baked cinnamon roll, or acai bowl as you sip your morning coffee and congratulate yourself on making it in before anyone else.

Better yet—turn it into an overnight stay. Stay at the Best Western Plus Newport Mesa Inn and walk to the fair. OC Hotel Costa Mesa or Hampton by Hilton Costa Mesa Newport Beach are a short Uber ride away from the Fair—or a longer walk for ambitious fairgoers. Hotels often sell out during the Fair, so book early. View all of Costa Mesa’s best hotels here.

Save money on Wednesday and Thursday, especially if you arrive between 11am and 1pm, when admission is only $11. The savings continue throughout each Wednesday and Thursday, with admission at $13 after 1pm.

OC Fair is offering an Every Day Passport for $60. Enjoy unlimited visits to the Fair, even on days that are sold out.

If you’d prefer not to spend $15 on the daily parking fee and save it for deep-fried tiramisu instead—consider the OC Fair Express bus that runs every thirty minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. The fare is only $2 for adults and children ride for free. Plus, it’s air conditioned and drops you off right at the entrance to the Fair. Sounds like a deal to us!

OC Fair is a celebration of Orange County’s agricultural heritage. From cattle to lima beans, agriculture was a driving force in the development of Orange County, and the Fair is a rare moment where we can get closer to our food production. Visit the Fair’s Centennial Farm, a year-round working farm, to meet animal educators, get up close and personal with exotic animals and barnyard favorites at the petting zoo, and cheer the pigs at the All-Alaskan Pig Races!

Remember: get your tickets in advance, go early, and carpool or rideshare. What are you looking forward to the most? See you at the Fair!