The Sonoma County Fairgrounds is a fairground and exhibition center located in

Santa Rosa, California Santa Rosa ( Spanish for " Saint Rose") is a city and the county seat of Sonoma County, in the North Bay region of the Bay Area in California. Its estimated 2019 population was 178,127. It is the largest city in California's Wine Country and ...

. It is where the annual Sonoma County

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

takes place and other events throughout the year.

History

Historically, the fairgrounds has held

horse race Horse racing is an equestrianism, equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, ...

s. Racing at the fairgrounds started in 1936. The Gravenstein Apple Show Classic was held at the fairgrounds, as part of the Sonoma County Fair, until 1938.

Facilities

The fairgrounds feature a horse-racing track and jockey club, a golf course, several open-air amphitheaters, and multiple buildings. The largest hall at the fairgrounds is Grace Pavilion a indoor arena which can seat 4,400 people. It houses exhibits during the fair and is used throughout the year for concerts, fights, and other events.

Annual events

There are a number of annual events that take place at the fairgrounds, including the Sonoma County Fair. The fair takes place each July and participants experience music, carnival rides, farm animals, food and horse races. The Sonoma Valley Harvest Fair is a wine festival. It takes place each October and attendees can partake in Sonoma wine and food. It also has a

grape stomping Grape-treading or grape-stomping is part of the method of maceration used in traditional wine-making.Clarke, Oz (2009). ''Oz Clarke's Pocket Wine Guide 2010.'' Sterling Publishing Company, Cheap, BA (2010). ''Mr. Cheap's Guide to Wine.'' Adams Me ...

contest. The Harmony Festival, which is in June, is a

new age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars consi ...

festival with psychics, food, and music. Starting in 2013, the Emerald Cup, an "organic

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

competition", started taking place at the fairgrounds, moving from its original location in Mendocino.

References

External links

* {{coord, 38.43, -122.70, type:landmark_region:US-CA, display=title Tourist attractions in Santa Rosa, California Fairgrounds in the United States