The Ventura County Fair is an annual event held each August in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, at Seaside Park, commonly called the Ventura County Fairgrounds. The fair includes an

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which breeding stock is exhibit ...

carnival rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

, food booths, and nightly concerts.

History

The first Ventura County Fair took place in 1874 at the end of the local San Miguel Days harvest festival with attractions that included

cockfighting A cockfight is a blood sport, held in a ring called a cockpit. The history of raising fowl for fighting goes back 6,000 years. The first documented use of the ''word'' gamecock, denoting use of the cock as to a "game", a sport, pastime or ente ...

, bullfighting and horse racing, as well as nightly balls. From 1877 it was held at Pierpont Bluffs, until 1891 when it was moved to

Port Hueneme Port Hueneme ( ; Chumash: ''Wene Me'') is a small beach city in Ventura County, California, surrounded by the city of Oxnard and the Santa Barbara Channel. Both the Port of Hueneme and Naval Base Ventura County lie within the city limits. P ...

. The Seaside Park property that includes the Ventura County Fairgrounds was donated to the county in 1909 by E. P. Foster, and the fair began to be held there from 1914. The fair was formerly held at the beginning of October, reflecting its focus on agriculture. In 1987 the event was moved to August in an effort to boost attendance by taking advantage of better weather. The fair attracts more than 300,000 visitors each year. The County Fair parade was held on the nearby Main Street in downtown near the opening day for many years, but the parade is no longer held due to budget concerns. During the fair, Ventura city police provide 24 hour security. The

Ventura County Sheriff's Office The Ventura County Sheriff's Office (VCSO), also sometimes known as the Ventura County Sheriff's Department (VCSD), provides law enforcement for the unincorporated areas of Ventura County, California as well as several cities within the county. ...

Mounted Enforcement Unit assists with horseback deputies. No fair was held in 1917–18 because of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 1942–45 because of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

and 2020–21 due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

Musical entertainment

Many notable artists and bands have played at the fair, including

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

, Jimi Hendrix Deep Purple, The B52’s, Smash Mouth, and Smokey Robinson.

References

External links

* {{authority control Ventura County, California Fairs in California Annual fairs Annual events in California Ventura, California Tourist attractions in Ventura County, California Festivals established in 1874 Agricultural shows in the United States