The Santa Barbara Fair and Expo opens at 4 p.m. today at the Earl Warren Showgrounds and runs through May 1.
The theme this year is “Meet Me at the Fair.”
The Earl Warren Showgrounds management said it’s excited to present this year’s full fair experience including: carnival rides and games, children’s carnival rides and games section, farm animals, exhibits, food contests, entertainment such as live music and popular fair food.
“We are so excited to have the full fair back this year. The fair is an iconic and important event for the community as evidence that hosting a fair is the only state mandate for the showgrounds,” the showgrounds told the News-Press in an email.
This year’s theme is intended to bring back nostalgia. The family fun includes more than 30 carnival rides that twist, twirl and spin. The fair also will feature entertainment such as live music, adorable farm animals, a petting zoo and delicious fair food. You can see all the creative projects made by youth and adults of all ages and skill levels in the exhibit halls.
In addition to music, entertainment during the expo will include dancing and magic. The livestock area will include goats, alpacas, chickens, bunnies and other animals. There will also be interactive displays highlighting livestock and agriculture.
The Earl Warren Showgrounds is a self-funded state agricultural district whose revenue comes from event rentals by third parties as well as the Santa Barbara Fair and Expo, The Haunt and the Santa Barbara National Show, according to Ben Sprague, the Earl Warren Showgrounds CEO. He said the district is in its best financial condition in decades.
Adult entry for today’s fair is $8. The cost for children 6 and up is $4. Entry for children 5 and under is free.
A one-day unlimited ride wristband is $30.
The event is open today and Thursday from 4-10 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (On each day, the exhibit halls are closing before the carnival.)
Attendees can park at La Cumbre Middle School or Bishop Diego High School and ride a free trolley.
For more information, visit www.earlwarren.com/fair-and-expo or call 805-687-0766.
email: kzehnder@newspress.com
