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Live May 05, 2022
LA County Fair in 2008 | Photo courtesy of Omar Bárcena/Wikimedia Commons
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The Los Angeles County Fair opens Thursday at Fairplex in Pomona after being canceled the past two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, moving from its customary September dates.
“Because September temperatures have been so high the past few years, we had considered moving the fair dates to a time of year with a cooler climate,” CEO Walter M. Marquez said. “Fairplex was closed to the public for two years during the pandemic. This gave us the time to seriously consider the move and start the planning.”
The move was announced last May.
The fair’s theme is “Back to Our Roots” to mark the 100th anniversary of its inaugural edition. The fair will pay homage to its past with an exhibition in the Millard Sheets Art Center, featuring special archives from its and fair fans’ collections as well as artists’ interpretations of the fair’s centennial.
The Flower and Garden Pavilion is themed “Cheers to 100 Years,” celebrating the centennial through floral displays and vignettes. Livestock competitions with FFA and 4H students will return after a more than 15-year absence to honor the theme.
There will be more than 250 animals in the Big Red Barn, including 150 in the petting zoo, whose circumference has been enlarged, allowing more room for guests and animals. All of the fair’s animals are being provided by Cal Poly Pomona.
The fair’s other attractions include:
— a carnival with more than 60 rides, 30 games and a children’s area;
— the Schools’ Agriculture & Nutrition Fair with entries from schools throughout the county featuring agriculture and nutrition;
— eSports Gaming World, featuring dozens of personal computer and console gaming stations;
— the Haunt Supershow’s “100 Years of Horror” exhibit. The show also includes the Museum of Monsters, a haunt maze and horror-themed games; and
— the lowrider lifestyle exhibit, “The Culture of the Low and the Slow.”
An addition to the fair’s food offerings include a chicken sandwich dipped in cherry Kool-Aid with a whole pickle on top. Deep-fried pickles, Twinkies, Oreos and pineapples will also be available. There will also be vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.
The fair’s Concert Series begins Thursday with performances by the funk/rock/soul band War and El Chicano. Country pop singer-songwriter Brett Young and country singer Kip Moore will perform Friday. Two groups dating back to the 1970s will perform Saturday — the Village People and KC & The Sunshine Band. The Beach Boys will perform Sunday.
Other artists scheduled to perform are Lynyrd Skynyrd (May 13); Cole Swindell and Gabby Barrett (May 14); Juanes (May 15); a “Super ’70s Set” with The Brothers Johnson, Rose Royce, The Ohio Players, The Emotions & Michael Winslow (May 20); Lady A (May 21); La Adictiva, Original Banda El Limon & Alfa 7 (May 22);
The Spinners, The Stylistics and The Manhattans (May 27); ZZ Top (May 28); and Ramon Ayala (May 29).
Parking and admission are cashless with parking toll lanes and admission booths only accepting debit or credit cards. Entry is by cellphone or printed tickets. Vendors and concessionaires inside the fairgrounds may accept cash but use of cards is encouraged.
Fairgoers will receive discounts for purchasing tickets and parking in advance and online.
For fairgoers without credit or debit cards there are “Cash to Card” machines at Blue Gate and Yellow Gate entrances that can transfer cash to a card which can be used anywhere, not just at the fair. Cards can be loaded with any amount from $10 to $500.
Tickets good any day are $20 for adults ages 13-59 and $12 for children age 6-12 and seniors 60 and older when purchased in advance online; $23 for adults ages 13-59 and $12 for children age 6-12 and seniors 60 and older when purchased online on the day of entry; and $25 for adults ages 13-59, $15 for seniors 60 and older and $12 for children age 6-12 when purchased at the gate.
For restricted days, tickets are $15 for adults ages 13-59, $8 for children age 6-12 and seniors 60 and older when purchased in advance online; $18 for adults ages 13-59 and $8 for children age 6-12 and seniors 60 and older when purchased online on the day of entry; and $20 for adults ages 13-59, $10 for seniors 60 and older and $8 for children age 6-12 when purchased at the gate.
Restricted days are Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 12-15, 19-20, 26 and 30.
Children 5 and under are free throughout the fair.
Parking is $15 in advance online and $20 at the gate, with preferred parking $35 at the gate.
The fair will be open Thursdays through Sundays and Memorial Day. Its hours are 11 a.m.-11 p.m. throughout its run, which ends May 30, Memorial Day.
This is the 93rd edition of the fair, which evolved from a commercial- industrial show first held along the Southern Pacific railroad siding in downtown Pomona in 1921. It proved so successful that the businessmen who produced it held the first Los Angeles County Fair in October 1922.
The fair has been held annually at Fairplex since 1922, except from 1942-47, when the facility was being used by the U.S. Army, including as a prisoner of war camp for German and Italian soldiers and a relocation camp for Japanese Americans, and 2020 and 2021.
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