The 2013 Ventura County Fair has something in common with the 137 celebrations held before it: everyone, no matter how young or how old, is going to have a wonderful time! The 138th Annual Ventura County Fair opens Wednesday, July 31 and runs through Sunday, August 11 at Seaside Park.
The theme of the 2013 fair is “Boots, Barns and Banjos,” but it is the displays, the carnival, Livestock Auction (Santa Paula 4-H and FAA often dominate the competition), commercial vendors, live entertainment and the food - lots and lots of food - that bring hundreds of thousands people back year after year. The fact that the fair overlooks the ocean and attendees enjoy almost constant breezes makes the celebration one of the most unique in the nation.
The fair will open at 11 a.m. daily except Saturdays, Sundays and Seniors & Persons with Disabilities Day (Tuesday, August 6), when it will open at 10 a.m. Exhibits close at 10 p.m.; commercial exhibits close at 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday only. Admissions are allowed until 10 p.m.; the fair closes at 11 p.m. and the carnival closes between 11 p.m. and midnight.
The still low price makes the fair a great bargain for the entire family - from the baby to great-grandmother: adults 13 and older are $12, Children 6-12 $9, seniors 65 and older $9, and children 5 and under and “Super Seniors” (100 years and older) are admitted free!
On the Carnival Midway each ride takes four (4) tickets or more, but there are terrific bargains with the “Pay One Price” Carnival Wristband Days: August 1, 5, 6 and 8. On Carnival Wristband Days purchase a wristband until 6 p.m. for $25 to ride unlimited until 7 p.m.
The fair also offers special admission days: opening day July 31 is Dollar Day, with $1 entry until 3 p.m.; Youth Day is Friday, August 3, when kids 12 and under get in free all day; Seniors & Persons with Disabilities Day opens at 10 a.m. Tuesday, August 6 when those 62+ and persons with disabilities get in free; and Feed the Need “Fair Cares” Food Drive is also Thursday, August 1, when you can purchase an adult admission ticket and donate five cans of food for FOOD Share before 3 p.m. and receive a free return ticket good for admission August 5-8. Military Appreciation Day is Thursday, August 9, when military with a current valid ID get in free all day.
And speaking of free, the fair offers great entertainment all day and all night long, although one event - Motorsports (August 1 and 2 at 6 p.m.) - does have a $5 charge for adults, 12 and under free with paid adult.
Free grandstand entertainment includes top-flight concerts that include Billy Currington (Friday, August 2, 7:30 p.m.), the fabulous Styx (Saturday, August 3, 7:30 p.m.), Ramon Ayala (Sunday, August 4, 3 p.m.), and Hunter Hayes (Monday, August 5, 7:30 p.m.). Pop sensation Air Supply (Tuesday, August 6, 1 p.m.) will remind you how to be “Lost in Love.”
You’ll have to watch for the “Private Eyes” from perennial favorites Daryl Hall and John Oates when they see you and you see them (Tuesday, August 6, 7:30 p.m.). Also appearing are 3 Doors Down (Wednesday, August 7, 7:30 p.m.), Plain White T’s (Thursday, August 8, 7:30 p.m.), and disco favorites Kool and the Gang (Friday, August 9, 7:30 p.m.).
The famed PRCA Rodeo will offer thrills for the whole family (Saturday and Sunday, August 10 and 11, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.).
There will be no Metrolink service to this year’s fair, but plenty of places to park for free shuttle service. Remember: on-site parking accommodates fewer than 2,000 vehicles and the charge is $10 per vehicle. Free shuttle service is provided daily during the fair from 10:30 a.m. until 11 p.m. from the six off-site parking locations. On weekends and Seniors & Persons with Disabilities Day shuttles start at 9:30 a.m.
Free parking and free shuttles to the fair run continuously at County Government Center off Telephone Road in Ventura, in Lot E and Lot F; Ventura High School Larrabee lots off Poli Street in Ventura; corner of Schooner and Harbor Blvd. across from the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Ventura Harbor; Pacific View Mall in Ventura; VUSD Parking Lot, W. Stanley Ave at Hwy 33; Oxnard Performing Arts Center on Hobson Way in Oxnard (except Saturday, August 10); and The Collection at RiverPark in Oxnard.
Additional Parking is $10 at State Beach Parking Lot, but the shuttle is free. At the Marriott Ventura Beach Hotel the shuttle is also free, but there is an $8 parking fee.
For more information about the 2013 Ventura County Fair call 805-648-3376 or visit
www.venturacountyfair.org.
