OC Fair opens Friday July 12th - August 11

OC Fair “Acres of Fun”

July 12th- Aug 11th

The gates will swing open Friday at noon as the OC Fair welcomes guests in for Acres of Fun!

On opening day, parking and admission are free from noon to 3 p.m.

88 Fair Dr., Costa Mesa, CA 92626

More Info ocfair.com 

From a Buffalo Chicken Chimichanga at Chicken Charlie's (pictured right) to Fruity Pebbles Shrimp Po' Boy at Get Fried (pictured blow), there's sure to be an assortment of fried, savory goodness for all taste buds. The new stand coming this year is Papi's Puffy Tacos, and Tater Twister is bringing a whole bunch of toppings for tots. But don't forget dessert! New sweets this year include Cinnamon Maple Bacon Bombs at D&D Country Cinnamon Rolls, Puffle Cone Sundaes at Fabe's, a strawberries and cream Texas Donut and Banana Cream Pie Funnel Cakes at Dutchman's.

New foods coming to the 2019 OC Fair: • Salvadoran Pupusas – An OC Fair twist on the national food of El Salvador: masa grilled with cheese, beans and bacon topped with cabbage and salsa (Bacon-A-Fair) • Hot Cheetos and Cheese Turkey Leg – With nacho cheese (Biggy’s) • Slider Tower on a Stick – Beef sliders and tots (Biggy’s) • Beyond Burger – A meatless option (Biggy’s & Juicy’s) • Crunchy Hot Cheetos Caramel Apples (Candy Factory) • Buffalo Chicken Chimichanga – Tortilla containing mac & cheese, bacon and buffalo chicken, fried and topped off with buffalo ranch and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos (Chicken Charlie’s) • Fried Hummus – House-made hummus coated with flour and seasonings, served in a pocket of pita bread and topped with with sliced tomatoes and a sauce made of plain whole yogurt with tahini sauce (Chicken Charlie’s) • Pork or Brisket Mac 'n' Cheese Sandwich – Meats are smoked 8-10 hours (Chuckwagon) • Tex Mex Rangeburger – With pepper jack cheese and fried onion strings (Chuckwagon) • Tex Mex Tortilla Chips – With pork or brisket (Chuckwagon) • Hot Cheetos Baked Potato, giant plain baked potato with broccoli florets (Corn Star) • Cinnamon Maple Bacon Bombs – With cream cheese frosting (D&D Country Cinnamon Rolls) • Dole Pineapple Whip swirled together with Dole Strawberry Whip   • Banana Cream Pie Funnel Cake (Dutchman’s Funnel Cake) • Puffle Cone Sundae (Fabe’s) • Chili Cheese Fry-Topped Blooming Onion, Cheese Fry-Topped Blooming Onion (Fresh Frys) • Fruity Pebbles Shrimp Po’ Boy – Cajun-battered gulf shrimp topped with fruity pebbles and srirachi ranch sauce on a French roll (Get Fried) • Puffy Taco, Puffy Taquito (Papi’s Puffy Tacos – new stand) • Tacos Vampiros – Grilled concave tortilla topped with melted cheese, protein of choice, guacamole and topped with a second tortilla (Papi’s Puffy Tacos) • Waffle Pizza – Belgian waffle topped with marinara, cheese, pepperoni (Pignotti’s) • Lasagna Egg Rolls – With a choice of dipping sauces (Pignotti’s) • Pastrami Sandwich and Chili Cheese Fries (The Ranch) • Green Acres Fire Burger – All-natural Harris Ranch beef, ghost-pepper cheese, lettuce, jalapeños, spicy mayo and avocado on a potato knot bun (Tasti Burger) • Elote Dog – All-beef hot dog on a toasted bun topped with fresh-cut corn off the cob, pico de gallo, spices, shredded Oaxaca cheese and jalapeños drizzled with spicy mayo, a lime wedge and Mexican crema (Tater Twister) • The Smokestack – Tots topped with pulled pork, elote, Oaxaca cheese, spices and topped with fresh made crunch slaw, grilled onions, jalapeños and sweet and tangy BBQ sauce (Tater Twister) • Elote Fiesta Tots – Gourmet tater tots topped with with nacho cheese and fresh-cut corn off the cob, pico de gallo,spices, shredded Oaxaca cheese, jalapeños and drizzled with spicy mayo, a lime wedge and Mexican crema (Tater Twister) • Smokehouse Tots – Tots with coleslaw, pulled pork, brisket, sour cream, cheese and BBQ sauce (Tater Twister) • Truffle Parmesean Tots – Tots with garlic, parmesan, truffle oil, parsley (Tater Twister) • Buffalo Bleu Tots – Tots with buffalo chicken breast, blue cheese crumbles and bacon (Tater Twister) • Avocado Toast – Haas avocados, garlic, olive oil, lemon on a slice of signature 10 Pound Buns sourdough (Ten Pound Buns) • S’mores Big Skillet Cookie (Totally Baked Cookie Joint) • Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup in a Sadie Rose bread bowl; Mac 'n' Cheese in a Sadie Rose bread bowl; Shrimp Jalapeño Jammers (Who Fried the Cheese?)

Turkey leg covered in nacho cheese and Hot Cheetos

Green Acres Fire Burger

Cinnamon Maple Bacon Bomb

Avocado Toast

Fried Hummus

Salvadoran Pupusas

NEW THIS YEAR

Daredevils & Wheels – A wild, live-action stunt show at Action Sports Arena July 18-22, this outrageous spectacle features the Globe of Death steel ball, Vortex of Doom aerial platform raceway and a motorcycle high wire.

Fair food – Those who have been saving up those calories for their summer Fair treats can choose from chocolate pasta, a spaghetti donut, the pineapple-and-pork "Pine and Swine" sourdough bread, frozen Reese's cream pies, deep-fried filet mignon on a stick, spicy fried cheese curd chips and Bomb Pops in a cup.

Gigantic farmers: Bounty of the County – Three 16-foot-tall murals by artist John Cerney honoring local farmers and ranchers will greet fairgoers at the three main gates of the OC Fair. Plus, human-scale displays showcasing California's own farm stars share video stories with guests at the click of an app.

Craft Bar – Farm-to-bar mocktails (and cocktails after dark) will include hand-picked garden ingredients sure to refresh and inspire (and locally crafted spirits from San Clemente's Drift Distillery).

Peterson Farm Brothers – Real-life singing Kansas farmers turned YouTube sensations will give Fair guests a unique view of real life on a farm in 2018 - and you can even sing along.

Bravemind exhibit at Heroes Hall – Opening in June, this new exhibition will show how a virtual reality technology from USC is helping veterans overcome PTSD in the real world.

Culinary Crawl – This guided tour takes fairgoers through a mini version of OC's curated culinary offerings, from a Patisserie to a Charcuterie, featuring insider info and tastings. Free tours will be held four times daily.

Selfie pop-up museum – Stay tuned for details on this only-at-the-OC-Fair pop-up selfie experience that will celebrate the unique and Instagram-worthy fun of the Fair. The exhibit is set to open on July 20.

RETURNING FAIR FAVORITES

Junior Livestock Auction – Saturday, July 21, at the Livestock Show Ring. See ocfair.com/junior-livestock-auction for details.

OC Brew Hee Haw craft beer festival – Saturday, July 14, and Sunday, July 15. Get tickets at ocbrewheehaw.com.

OC Fair Fun Run 5K – Sunday, Aug. 5. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of the summer's funnest 5K! Register at ocfair5k.com.

Also coming back for more summer fun: All-Alaskan Racing Pigs, Peking Acrobats, comedy hypnotist Mark Yuzuik, The Conjurer, Russell Brothers Circus, Frank Thurston, Explorium and more.

DEALS

We Care Wednesdays – Offering free Fair admission with donation on Wednesdays until 3 p.m. See ocfair.com/deals for donation details.

NEW! Overalls Day – Free your inner farmer by wearing overalls and get free admission on Thursdays until 3 p.m.

Kids Day – Kids 12 and younger get in free all day every Thursday.

Carnival Fun – Get unlimited ride wristbands for $35 each on Wednesdays and Thursdays (sold until 4 p.m., valid until 8 p.m.)

$3 Taste of Fair Food – Sample food items available for just $3 each, every Thursday until 4 p.m.

Best Deal Ever – Get half-price general admission ($7) and enjoy the carnival for half the tickets to ride on Saturdays and Sundays until 1 p.m.

NEW! Sunday Fun Day – Get half-price general admission ($7) and a $35 unlimited ride wristband (sold until 1 p.m.; valid until 4 p.m.) for ultimate family fun.

MUSIC

The Toyota Summer Concert Series at Pacific Amphitheatre will feature headliners such as Steve Martin and Martin Short, Brett Eldredge, Willie Nelson and Alison Krauss, Trevor Noah, The Psychedelic Furs with -X- and The Fixx, and so much more. Plus, several pre-Fair and post-Fair shows have been added to the summer season, including two nights of Stray Cats.

Full lineup: pacamp.com

Over at The Hangar, the best in tribute bands will top off the night every Wednesday through Saturday with acts like Journey Unauthorized, Zeppelin Live, Hotel California and BOSTYX. Plus, The Hangar will feature Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez, Foghat, Ozomatli and Firefall with Poco.

Full lineup: ocfair.com/the-hangar

FAIR BASICS

2018 OC Fair theme: "Free Your Inner Farmer"

Dates: July 13-Aug. 12, Wednesday-Sunday

Hours: Wednesday-Friday, noon-midnight; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-midnight

Admission:

Wednesday-Friday: $12 general, $7 senior (60+) and youth (ages 6-12), free for children 5 and younger

Saturday-Sunday: $14 general, $7 senior (60+) and youth (ages 6-12), free for children 5 and younger

Parking: $10 cars, $20 buses and limos.

Free offsite parking and shuttle is available Saturdays and Sundays from Experian in Costa Mesa; shuttle runs 10 a.m.-1 a.m.

OC Fair Express: Catch the bus from one of nine locations through O.C. on Saturdays and Sundays for $4 round trip, and get a $4 Fair admission coupon. Seniors ride for $1.50 round trip.

Titan, the largest traveling booster ride in the U.S., will make its California debut and 32 lucky fairgoers will get the chance to be the first riders. Special tickets will be handed out at Blue Gate as the Fair opens.

Titan rockets riders 17 stories into the air experiencing 4G acceleration and speeds of up to 60 mph, making it the most spectacular ride in the carnival. Now, the tallest ride in the Fair, it is 30 feet taller than La Grande Wheel XL, and it weighs 280,000 pounds.

The OC Fair boasts 68 rides and 58 games, giving fairgoers tons of summertime fun. Ray Cammack Shows (RCS), the Fair's carnival and midway provider, brought three new rides this year in addition to Titan. Ice Jet in the main carnival is a spectacular polar bobsledding adventure and Circus Train and Tea Cups are sweet additions to Kidland.

"RCS and OC Fair remain the leaders in providing these high-capacity and high-adrenaline rides for our patrons, and we're celebrating 25 years this year of partnership," said Chris Lopez, RCS vice president. "We are happy to offer these new rides for thrill-seekers and little future thrill-seekers. Titan is an example of the newest, safest and most exciting rides out there."

There are many great ways to save on rides and games.

The FunPass app enables fairgoers to purchase passes, reload passes, check the value and view purchase history. FunPasses can be shared between family and friends. Visit ocfair.com/carnival for more information.

Unlimited Ride Wristbands are available on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays for $35. (Wristbands include one ride on Titan, all other rides are unlimited.) There is also half-price general admission and carnival rides are half the tickets to ride from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. See ocfair.com/deals for more information.