OC Fair admission to include more entertainment, exhibits and family activities
OC Fair photo
COSTA MESA — Visitors to the 2026 OC Fair will have access to more entertainment, exhibits, animals, demonstrations and family activities included with the price of admission, fair officials announced.
The fair runs July 17 through Aug. 16 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa. This year’s theme is “Your Adventure Awaits.”
Fair officials said guests will find dozens of experiences included with admission throughout the day and evening, including live music, dance events, roving entertainment, animal attractions, hands-on demonstrations, exhibits and family activities.
Fair After Dark will transform Plaza Pacifica into a nightly celebration featuring swing dancing, country line dancing, Latin music, karaoke and DJ sets. Professional dance instructors will be available to help fairgoers learn new steps.
Roving entertainment throughout the fairgrounds will include OC Fair Foodie characters, Dragon Knights stilt walkers, Captain Tall Tale, the Red Light Brass Band and a strolling DJ.
Additional entertainment included with admission will feature Megan the Bubbleologist, community performances by local music groups and dance troupes, nightly live music at Baja Bar & Grill, Promenade Stage and Meadows Stage, Latin music and dancing at La Cantina, limited general admission seating at Action Sports Arena and a nightly performance of Taps at 6 p.m. at Heroes Hall.
The fair will also feature a Low Rider Show on Aug. 9 as part of its Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
Animal attractions will include the Aquatic Touch Tank in Explorium’s Sand and Sea exhibit, daily races featuring the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs, livestock judging and displays, the Great American Petting Farm, a farm fashion show and animals at Centennial Farm, including pigs, goats, cattle, chickens, rabbits, peacocks and sheep.
Guests may also see baby animals throughout the fair and the fair’s four-legged landscaping crew on the berm surrounding Pacific Amphitheatre, including goats, a llama, a mini donkey and a white livestock guard dog.
Demonstrations and hands-on activities will include llama competitions, milking demonstrations, culinary demonstrations, produce carving by Chef Ray Duey, home arts demonstrations, guided culinary crafts, cookie decorating, family activities and woodworking demonstrations.
The fair’s featured exhibit, “REWIND: VHS Comeback,” will celebrate retro pop culture with hand-painted movie poster reproductions, soundtrack displays, live-painting demonstrations, an ’80s vintage arcade and the Thrills & Chills speakeasy.
Additional exhibits will include produce and floral competitions at Centennial Farm, baking, quilting, woodworking, needle arts, table-setting displays, fine arts and visual arts competitions, featured artist exhibits and Heroes Hall Museum & Education Center exhibits, including “Echoes of Conflict: Remembering Vietnam” and “SAAAB Story.”
Family-friendly attractions will include Explorium’s Orange County Sand and Sea learning and play area, Cane’s Craft Corner guided crafts, food-themed contests, daily photo opportunities with the OC Fair Foodies, postcard-coloring activities for troops and veterans at Heroes Hall, the kids’ carnival area and daily performances by magician Frank Thurston.
Fair officials also announced that special ticket bundles and promotional offers have been extended through July 16. Guests are encouraged to purchase tickets early to secure preferred dates.
Tickets are on sale now for fair admission and performances at Pacific Amphitheatre, The Hangar and Action Sports Arena.
More information is available at ocfair.com.