Ventura County Fair

Ventura County Fair
photo of Garden Street gate
Garden Street gate
Status active
Genre Agricultural show
Frequency Annually
Venue Seaside Park (Ventura)
Location(s) California
Coordinates 34°16′34″N 119°18′3″W / 34.27611°N 119.30083°W / 34.27611; -119.30083Coordinates: 34°16′34″N 119°18′3″W / 34.27611°N 119.30083°W / 34.27611; -119.30083
Country United States of America
Organized by 1874
Website www.venturacountyfair.org

The Ventura County Fair is an annual event held each August in Ventura, California, United States, at Seaside Park, commonly called the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

History

Ventura County Fair

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, bullfighting and horse racing, as well as nightly balls.[1] From 1877 it was held at Pierpont Bluffs, until 1891 when it was moved to Port Hueneme. The Seaside Park property that includes the Ventura County Fairgrounds was donated to the county in 1909 by E. P. Foster,[2] and the fair began to be held there from 1914.[3]

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.[1][4]

The fair attracts more than 300,000 visitors each year.[5] The County Fair parade is held on the nearby Main Street each year near the opening day.[6]

Musical entertainment

Many notable artists and bands have played at the fair, including The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix and Smokey Robinson.[7]


References

  1. 1 2 Ferro, Shaunacy (August 5, 2010). "A timeless affair". Ventura County Reporter. Retrieved 7 August 2015.
  2. ↑ Kalvin, Sarah (ed.). "About the Project". Fragile Sands. Retrieved 2015-08-07.
  3. ↑ Jackson, Glenda J. (2005). Ventura. Arcadia Publishing. p. 73. ISBN 978-1-4396-3095-2.
  4. ↑ Katz, Jesse (October 8, 1987). "Off-Track Betting Set to Begin at Fair". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  5. ↑ Thomas, Chuck (August 4, 2007). "An unauthorized history of the fair". Ventura County Star. Archived from the original on September 27, 2012.
  6. ↑ Kallas, Anne (August 16, 2016). "2016 Ventura County Fair draws record crowds". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  7. ↑ Kallas, Anne (August 10, 2016). "How the Ventura County Fair draws big names at no extra cost to visitors". Ventura County Star. Retrieved 21 August 2016.
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