Teetee Thompson is an OC Fair fan, she’s been going annually the last several years, but in 2024 she decided to be one of the first guests, with her husband and daughter, to walk through the gate on opening day.
In fact, she was the first in after the ribbon cutting Friday morning to open the fair’s four-week run in Costa Mesa – the excitement among the eager fairgoers thrilling, she said.
“I feel like a kid again.”
Thompson and her family have come every year for the past four years, but this year is extra special because their visit was on opening day and her daughter, Leelee, 12, won her first large prize, an oversized Kool-Aid plushie.
“He comes for the turkey leg. I come for the drinks,” Thompson said of her husband. “She likes to play the games. This is what she comes for.”
Thompson said she saves up every year just for the fair.
“You only live once. I mean, why not? Come play games,” she said. “Chill. Eat. Walk around. You see all the people. It’s a vibe for me.”
The OC Fair is expecting to host more than 1 million people over its 23-day run through Aug. 18 – it is closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
READ ALSO: What you need to know about tickets, a parking increase and getting in
Tustin resident Jann Rowe said she grew up visiting the fair every year – for 40 years now. There’s so many fair must-sees that bring her back, she said.
“Just that small group of my husband, myself, my friend, Michelle, and her husband, Blaine, that’s the core memory,” Rowe said. “It’s like we’re memory-making. And then we always laugh about stuff we did the year before.”
Competitions are a fair tradition. Every year folks show off their skills, whether that be in photography, woodworking, culinary arts or table setting, in the hopes of taking home a blue ribbon and bragging rights.
Their entries are on display in several buildings around the fairgrounds, including the centrally located OC Promenade, where fairgoers often stroll through looking at the creations while beating the heat, and often make their way across to another building where all the shopping happens.
“When we come, I like the arts, but I also love the carnival of products. It’s probably my favorite thing,” Rowe said. “The older I’ve gotten, the more I enjoy going to the carnival of products.”
Rowe shared her fair itinerary as she perused the visual arts competition exhibit. “And then I think just wandering the fair, people watching.”
A.J. and Georgian Parker of Upland made their way to Costa Mesa for just that. A.J. Parker said the two don’t leave the house much these days since they are caretakers of Georgian’s mom, but Friday they happened to have the day to themselves. They saw an OC Fair segment on the news, put on their shoes and said, “Let’s go.”
“It’s supposed to be about 105 degree today,” where they live, A.J. Parker said. “Here is only 91 degrees. That was the decision-maker right there.” He laughed while taking a bite of his double-cheeseburger with glazed donuts as buns.
Although they are regular LA County Fair attendees, it has been at least 10 years since the couple has made it down to the OC Fair, the last most memorable trip being when the two saw Jeff Dunham live, they said. Every time, and this year is no exception, shopping is the highlight.
“I’m not a big shopper, but I like to shop here,” Georgian Parker said. “I like gadgets and they always have unique items here.”
That’s true. In the fair’s shopping areas, visitors can find everything from barbecuing grills to massage chairs and charms for their Crocs to permanent jewelry.
But for Donavon Gutierrez, 16, of Yorba Linda, and Jesiah Greathouse, 17, of Fullerton, the OC Fair is all about the thrills.
As the two got off the Joker 360, a pendulum ride that swings into the sky 172 feet above ground while spinning, they were already making a game plan for the next rollercoaster.
The fair introduced two new heart-pumping rides this year: the twisty-turvy Overdrive that spins at a high speed, and Heidi, a rollercoaster that takes riders up 42 feet before it quickly descends while spinning. Perfect for the thrill-chasers. On a more tame note, though, there is also a new Enchanted Castle walkthrough experience.
Michele Richards, CEO of the OC Fair & Events Center, said another must-do at the fair is visiting the animals at the Centennial Farm and in the livestock area.
“The junior livestock auction, the animal exhibits, the farm, really speak to our agricultural roots,” Richards said.
At the Centennial Farm, fairgoers can see a variety of livestock and crops on display, there are milking demonstrations and the OC Beekeepers and other gardening organizations are on hand for chats.
“My favorite thing is watching little kids discovering the fair for the first time or seeing an older couple holding hands, walking, or young love,” Richards said. “I sometimes measure the success of the fair by how many kids get dragged out of here kicking and screaming, ‘I don’t want to go.’”
Planning for the fair is a year-round project – some thinking is already underway for the 2025 fair – and Richards said opening day is seeing all that work pay off in the happy faces around the fairgrounds.
“We kind of have a formula. We usually rely on bringing back 80% of the traditional things, because those are the things that make memories, that families and groups of friends want to come back and experience every year. Then 20% is new because we want to give people an opportunity to make new memories as well,” Richards said. “It’s just the culmination of a lot of hard work, a lot of creativity, and a lot of love for this fair on the part of our staff that makes it come together every year.”
