San Diego County Fair

Report by Daria K.

San Diego County Fair is one of the biggest public events of the whole year. It takes place in summer at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Del Mar. Starting in the first week of June while the 4th of July weekend marks the end. It takes half an hour by car to get there. There is free parking as well as parking with cost from 10$ to 20$. Expect a lot of traffic on the weekends. The fair is really popular. Every year more than 1.5 million visitors attend. If you want to save money and avoid traffic, there is also the option to take public transportation. During the time of the County Fair there are some special services like shuttle busses and discounts. In this video, it is explained how it works: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=55&v=rkXMSxhqADE .

The admission to the fair is unfortunately quite expensive. It’s around 16$ per day for adults. But it’s possible to get discounts, for example with the app GROUPON. San Diego County Fair also offers a special deal. It’s called “best ticket ever”, it costs 26$ and ensures admission for the whole time of the Fair. It’s almost too good to be true. There is only one catch with it, the ticket has to be purchased before the official start of the Fair. What’s also good to know, is that on some days the Fair will be closed. The opening hours are usually from 10a.m. to 10p.m. on weekdays. On weekends, the Fair opens a little earlier and closes a little later, too. So called “fun zones” are open even longer. The County Fair has its own website. You can look up the exact details here: http://www.sdfair.com/

Each Year the Fair has a different theme. In 2016 it was “Mad about the fair”. It resembled Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Other Themes were for example “Out of this –world” in 2012 or “Music Mania” in 2009. Like every big Fair, around the world the San Diego County Fair has several amusement rides to offer. Unfortunately, the rides are not included in the entrance price. The ticket system works as follows: Extra coupons need to be purchased in order to take a ride. Each ride requires you to pay a special amount of coupons. One coupon costs around 0.75$. Rides start with 5 Coupons. Luckily there are several deals available which makes it cheaper the more coupons you purchase.

But in my opinion the Fair consisted of food for the most part. It can prove pricey but also very delicious. Food booths are everywhere within a wide range of things to choose from. Almost every nationality was represented. Greek Gyros, American Corn-Dogs, polish Bratwurst and Korean BBQ, just to mention a few.
I didn’t get the chance to check out one of the special events like live concerts that take place on the Fairground. They sometimes cost a little extra money, but in hindsight, I think it would be worth it.