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LA County Fair opens Friday
FOX 11's Koco McAboy takes us to the fair grounds hours ahead of the grand opening of the 2024 LA County Fair.
POMONA, Calif. (CNS) - The 95th Los Angeles County Fair will open its 16-day run Friday at Fairplex in Pomona with the theme of "Stars, Stripes & Fun," celebrating the county's communities.
With Los Angeles County being one of the most diverse counties in the nation, the fair aims to celebrate them all through song and dance, exhibits and foods -- from corn dogs to turkey legs, tacos to red beans and rice, plantains to funnel cake and more.
"County fairs are a community celebration, and county and state fairs across the nation reflect the unique characteristics of all their communities," said Walter Marquez, Fairplex's president and CEO. "We are excited to embrace Southern California's cultural mosaic with `Stars, Stripes and Fun."'
There will be providing more than 70 rides, 29 games and 20 food concessions in the fair's carnival conducted by Ray Cammack Shows, whose Read to Ride program for school-aged children affords parents the opportunity to scan a QR code and have their children write book reports in exchange for a carnival ride.
The fair's concert series begins Friday with the funk/rock/soul band War (Friday). Other artists set to perform include TLC (Saturday), Ramon Ayala (Sunday), Nelly and T.I. (May 10), Dustin Lynch (May 18), The Outlaws (May 25) and Los Tucanes de Tijuana (May 26).
LA County Fair. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
NextFest LA -- one of the nation's largest indie music festivals -- will be coming to the fair Friday through Sunday with emerging artists performing at various stages throughout Fairplex.
Latin-influenced entertainment, such as mariachi, banda, cumbia, and norteña music will be presented at Plaza de Las Americas.
Expo Hall 9 will take attendees back to the "good ol' days" of skates, Pac-Man and pinball with Skate-R-Cade. Guests can rollerstake for free, then play arcade games.
The Fairplex Garden Railroad will be celebrating its 100th anniversary, so attendees are encouraged to see the historic model train on display and the special 100 Years of Model Trains "Birthday Cake."
The Flower & Garden Pavillion's "We are LA" will be a tribute to what makes the county the bounty of culture that it is. The exhibition will highlight the "true stars" of the region -- the people that inhabit it and the beauty they create.
The Millard Sheets Art Center will host an exhibition from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art of famed Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo.
Attendees are also encouraged to view the Barnyard Pig Races, Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, and America's Great Outdoors event featuring reptiles and wild burros, a magic show and learn about the nation's state parks.
Returning this year will be Budweiser Clydesdales.
Tickets for fairgoers ages 13-59 purchased in advance online are $10 Friday, and $17 Saturday and Sunday. Tickets for the three Thursdays, May 9, 16 and 23, will be $16. Prices increase throughout the month with $19 May 10-12, $22 May 17-19, and $25 May 24-27.
Tickets for children ages 6-12 and seniors 60 and older purchased in advance online will be $12 throughout the entire run.
On opening day, Friday, the fair will operate from 5 to 11 p.m. For the remainder of its run, Thursday through Sunday and Memorial Day, the fair will be operate from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The fair will be closed Monday through Wednesday, except for its final day May 27.
Parking is $20 in advance online and $25 at the gate. RV parking is $40, located at Yellow Lot Gate 17.
Payment for parking, admission and concert tickets are cashless.
The fair 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.