Orange County 136th Fair - Costa Mesa, California 2026

We went to the Orange County Fair, Costa Mesa, California. This is one of our annual past times for decades. The Fair comes to the Orange County Fairgrounds for the middle of July to the middle of August. It is a popular summer event with residents in the Southern California area.

This year the Fair was 136 years old. It started as a community fair in 1890, but since 1949 it has been held at its present location, aptly named the Orange County Fairgrounds. It covers 150 acres of land that was once the Santa Ana Army Air Base (SAAAB) during World War II. The state purchased the property in 1949.

My favorite event used to be the Peking Acrobats; they were daredevils and were very entertaining. I also like the photography competition; one year I submitted some photos for judging. They did not win any prices but were good enough to be chosen for display. That was good enough for me. The Rodeo was another event at the top of my list, but that has been discontinued.

This year the main exciting event was the Nerveless Nocks Daredevil Circus who perform nail biting acts on very tall poles and ride motorcycles around in an enclosed spherical steel-mesh cage. They were assisted in their performance by “crazy” BMX bicycle performers. We visited all the major exhibits, including the photos, livestock and agriculture.

We spent most of the day there, like we always do, arriving at 12:15 PM and leaving at closing time of 10:00 PM. We enjoyed the day.Body text here