California State Fair

I love going to the state fair!Since COVID and moving away from Sacramento, I haven't had the chance to go to the state fair in a few years. This year I was able to take my boyfriend for his first time and I think he enjoyed it more than me!Everyone is well aware of the negatives for the fair: its held in the hottest month of the year (ugh!), the price is going up on everything (parking, food, admission, food, drinks, rides) and the exhibits are dwindling. We started the day early and went straight to the CBD stand. I had a bad back at the time and I am still waiting for surgery on my knee. I haven't tried any CBD therapy for this yet so it was neat to be able to test it out at the state fair. We went to the wine garden, watched some of the cooking shows to enjoy samples and AC, got some fair foods to share, and walked through the candy exhibit. The monorail was broken down for half the day but we were able to ride it before leaving. For my expectations, I got what I planned for. It can be pricey and hot but it is cool to experience and get exposed to new things.

7/16/2024Life is too short to stop the family tradition of going to the fair as a family..Weather was perfect.. probably the best in all the years of attending..Really happy that both my boys were able to go!Arrived after 11:30 and the parking was starting to fill up.Easy peasy, with the pre- purchased tickets and glad I kept my clear back pack..Some were turned away because they didn't have a clear bag..Happy to see the camels and live stock..New addition of the seals and capybara-!!Really kind of disappointed- with the food-Deep fried zucchini was coated with so much batter and the same with the corn dog-..The best was the deep fried pork chop on a stick..Chocolate cheese curds were okay- Curly fries could have been fried more as well..Tried the Balance Me out coffee stand.. marzipan cold brew was delish!My boys enjoy going to the exhibits and seeing the merchandise vendors..Oh yes- the famous cinnamon rolls!..I think I'll stick with the classic original/.. rolls- bacon maple was more greasy bacon fat-..Looking forward to another and better year..

My family and I look forward to the fair every year! We went early this morning and stayed for...7 hours! We started at the exhibits - candy, animals, cannabis! So much to look at! The new animal exhibit this year was our favorite - they had a Capybara, Kookaburras, Alligators and even Reindeer! The cannabis exhibit allowed for attendees to purchase and partake - a first this year! They even offered CBD Slushes which were great to enjoy while walking around!So much food - Turkey Legs (so good, but pricey at $25!), Raclette Sandwiches (will have to try next year!) and even our new favorite - Cinnamon Rolls! Holy cow - a must try! We unfortunately didn't try nearly half of the food we wanted to try, but the options are endless.Lots of rides too - I love that they separate the adult rides from the kid rides. We could stay in this area all day especially with the long lines. They also have horses, a petting zoo, camels, face painting, a garden area...you can even learn about the CA High Speed Rail. The list goes on and on!The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because everything is sooooo expensive! I feel like the cheapest thing I bought all day were the actual fair tickets. Still looking forward to attending next year though!

California know how to party!! Sacramento is home to the California State Fair so making the annual pilgrimage to Cal Expo is a must.This year the family and I waited until the last day to go. And oh man am I glad we did! It was the coolest day since it had been opened at a breezy 87 degrees. My favorite bites I had were the fried zucchini, corn dog of course, dole whip (strawberry), loaded asada potato, and finally a corn dog covered in hot Cheetos dust/crumbs. I was at first very skeptical of the Cheeto covered corn dog my son (14 years old) ordered but after having the last few bites I was happy to discover the mad idea is a big hit! The batter on the fried zucchini was a big hit. The loaded baked potato with asada with huge and full of cheese, sour cream, chives and meat, all toppings I chose and boy did they deliver! This hefty potato cost me $22 but I'd order it again no hesitation.The live animal exhibits are always fun and my son loves petting the different ones in the big barn. We make great memories every year and this was no different. The state fair includes a lot of walking but if you're able to go I suggest it! There are people out there who no longer can for many reasons (health or money) so take the family and enjoy it while it's here.

A fun outing with the family. It's hot as it always is these days. The fair opens at 10am on the weekend. We arrived before 9:30 and got a great parking spot in the shade. They had some new exhibits. A building that went into the fundamentals of animation. It even taught you how to draw a ball and make it bounce. It also showed old school cartoons such as scooby doo.Another building had exotic animals that people used to have for pets and other rescued animals and now a preservation group looks after them. There were alligators, kangaroos, reindeer, otters, bald eagle, and others. The reindeer had fuzzy antlers.The candy building was back with selfie opportunities.In one of the buildings they had a kids area. Giant bubble wand, giant checkers, foam pit, ect.

11am. Opening time on a Wednesday. Easy parking, $15, and a pleasant walk to the main gate. Security was enforcing the clear bag requirement and measuring size of bags brought in. Saw numerous folls walking back to their cars to divest themselves of bags. Silly note: pack a folded tote bag into a gallon size ziploc. Then, once in the fairgrounds, use said tote bag. We then headed for exhibits, a la home arts, aka fiber arts, etc. Got waylaid at the Cantina for refreshments: a Michelada for her and a virgin margarita for me. Stopped by the Bonney cooling station, which has benches and huge swamp cooler fans. Very refreshing!

July 14, 2024 -- It's been unbearably hot in Sacramento. Days of triple digit weather. The weather can make or break your day at the fair. Fortunately, on our "Day at the Fair", we had overcast skies with cooler temperatures. Yay!! If you plan ahead, you can get a pretty sweet deal by purchasing a "Fun Pack" in advance. The Fun Pack was only available to purchase up to July 11 (the day before opening day). It was well worth the advance purchase. We received: 4 Single-day General Admissions, 4 Ride Tickets (each good for one ride in the Carnival or on the Monorail), and 1 Parking Pass for $54.49. So quite a good deal!We also arrived right at gate opening time (10 am), and were pleasantly surprised that it was not as crowded as we thought it would be on a Sunday.It is so hard not to compare the fair to prior years (the good old days), but we enjoyed our time. I think what we miss most of all are the county exhibits. We enjoyed the High Speed Rail Exhibit, but the Rustic Charm Marketplace Exhibit was just home-crafted stuff for sale, and the Candy Maze Selfie Experience was mainly candy for sale. We enjoyed the wine garden, as we always do, as a chance to sit and relax, listen to music and sip some wine. This year's wine garden did not have flights, although you could try 3 wines before choosing the one you wanted to buy. VERY CONFUSING though was the "glass" price. The wine menu shows the bottle price and the glass (plastic cup) price. After trying 3, you were asked if you want a glass (you're thinking, yes a glass, not a bottle). But then they pour your wine into a "State Fair glass" which is $15 (not including wine). We saw this happen to a number of people, who then paid $48 for 2 glasses of wine in a "souvenir" glass. The wine staff should have been more up front about the "souvenir" glass price. Not cool....We always like to ride the monorail, but it was not working and was under maintenance all day. So we used our carnival ticket to ride the Ferris wheel. Overall, we had a fun time and enjoyed our day.

Get out to the California State fair. The weather is fabulous and there is so much to do... Lots of live music, beer gardens, wine gardens, reptile show a seal show, petting zoo, kids area, horse show. The County buildings are nice and cool , lots of food to choose from. Lots of shows to watch... Spend the day I promise you won't be disappointed. If you are over 60 it is $12 to get in bring a clear backpack and bring a small purse ....large purses will not be allowed. you can bring in your own drinks as long as the water lids have not been open and bring your own food if you are on a budget ...parking is $15 but if you go early, you may be able to get parking on the street... Give yourself at least 4 to 5 hours of fun time, I myself like the whole day. Enjoy :) Sacramento is the capital of California and let's make this fair a winner.

Went with my friends and had a blast!! I went Tuesday 7/23/24. We got to see FloRida preform and it was awesome. It was relatively hot which sucked but there was a huge spread of rides to ride ranging from mild to intense. There was a lot of activities and things to do other than rides. We got to see animals, other performers, and local art work. Only downside is how pricy it can get. Different stands range for the price of a bottle of water going from $3-5. $44 for an unlimited ride wristband and $16 for admission as well as $15 for parking which is $75 on its own. P.S, if you're under 18 or don't have a ID you'll be denied access to the park! So be sure to bring those ID's ya'll!!

I really enjoyed the fair this year! (But it was very expensive)There were so many attractions that range from rides to wine tasting, local and world wide entertainment, to cannabis, live stock and food! The traffic flow was organized and easy. (Parking $15)The crowd was well maintained and felt safe. (Entrance $16- adult. Minors must be with an adult. Clear bags only policy) There were so many food and beverage options but the price points for were very high. (Ice cream cones $8, fries $17, turkey legs $24, small froze margaritas $17, etc.)The concert lineup is good (Zapp, Digital Underground, Patti Labelle, and Mickey Guyton to name a few). There's an option to get complimentary entrance to the concert. If you arrive about an hour or two before the show, the staff provides wrist bands for the comp seating area.They have a new car exhibit and small stages featuring local talent spread through out the fair grounds. There were places to get henna tattoos, take pictures and to view new or old school cars (like impalas and caprice classics).After so much fun I had this year, I'm planning to return next year!