News Summary
The Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa attracted over a million visitors this year, featuring entertainment, delicious food, and family-friendly activities. New rides, live music, and unique culinary experiences were highlights of the month-long event, including a vast array of food options and engaging activities for all ages. The fair successfully managed attendance with a focus on guest satisfaction, ensuring a memorable experience for everyone.
Costa Mesa welcomed the 135th annual Orange County Fair from July 18 to August 17, 2025, where a record-breaking 1,162,872 visitors enjoyed a month of festivities. This year’s fair embraced the motto “Find Your Happy,” promising entertainment and culinary delights for all ages.
The event featured an impressive lineup of 345 local bands across various stages, providing music for every taste. Among the highlights were multiple food sensations, such as a semi truck’s worth of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos generously served as toppings for popular items including corn dogs, pickles, and French fries. The culinary team at Mom’s Bakeshoppe contributed significantly by baking 138,000 chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Additionally, there were notable sales figures with 10,000 bottles of chocolate milk purchased to support Centennial Farm’s agriculture education initiatives and over 8,900 pounds of Ten Pound Buns consumed.
This year also marked significant new attractions, including four new rides: Sound Storm and Frog Hop among them. Guests were delighted to explore an exhibit featuring original movie posters, adding cultural richness to the fair’s offerings. Other unique food items included bacon cotton candy on a pork belly stick, showcasing creativity in fair fare.
Notably, the fair featured fun activities for families, such as dance parties, pig races, and engaging magic shows. Fairgoers found themselves delighted by the various forms of entertainment available throughout the event, including tribute performances to popular music acts like Abba and the Bee Gees, as well as concerts featuring artists like Beck with the Pacific Symphony.
To manage attendance, new CEO James Canfield, who was appointed just last month, emphasized the importance of guest satisfaction over competing for attendance records. A cap of approximately 50,000 daily visitors was implemented, and tickets were available only online, priced at $13 on Wednesdays and Thursdays and $15 during weekends. Fair hours were set from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and extended until midnight on weekends, ensuring ample opportunity for enjoyment.
Parking options were designed with convenience in mind, with fees set at $15 for cars and motorcycles and $30 for buses and limousines. For additional accessibility, the OC Fair Express bus service operated on weekends, providing rides from various locations at a cost of just $2 each way.
In addition to the excitement surrounding food and entertainment, farm activities thrived, with 15 piglets born at Centennial Farm and fairgoers participating in agricultural education. The fair also featured 50,000 ears of corn shucked by the County Fair Corn Stars and a popular dish—6,000 Meatballs & Mozzarella on a Stick—from Chicken Charlie’s.
The 2025 Orange County Fair once again proved to be an exceptional family-friendly experience, combining thrilling rides, vibrant entertainment, and mouth-watering food, all designed to cater to the diverse interests of its attendees.
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Additional Resources
- NBC Los Angeles
- Google Search: Orange County Fair 2025
- Orange County Register
- Wikipedia: Orange County Fair
- ABC7 – Orange County Fair
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Orange County Fair
Author: STAFF HERE COSTA MESA WRITER
COSTA MESA STAFF WRITER The COSTA MESA STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at HERECostaMesa.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in Costa Mesa, Orange County, and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as the OC Fair, Concerts in the Park, and Fish Fry. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce and Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast, plus leading businesses in retail, fashion, and technology that power the local economy such as Vans, Experian, and South Coast Plaza. As part of the broader HERE network, including HEREAnaheim.com, HEREBeverlyHills.com, HERECoronado.com, HEREHollywood.com, HEREHuntingtonBeach.com, HERELongBeach.com, HERELosAngeles.com, HEREMissionViejo.com, HERESanDiego.com, and HERESantaAna.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into California's dynamic landscape.
