Costa Mesa

2025 OC Fair is open for its 23-day whirlwind of fun, food, blue ribbons and more

The grills are fired up and attractions are swirling people through the air already for the 23-day OC Fair that’s expected to bring in a million-plus guests.

Lesli Becerra, center, and Helen Garcia, right, celebrate ringing a duck at a carnival game during the opening day of the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, CA on July 18, 2025.
(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Fair-goers during opening day at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa, CA, on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

OC Fair 2025: Here’s what you need to know to pay, play and park

Design and Decor Supervisor, Mathew Willmann is OC Fair’s core designer responsible for concept and themes. He works on the Promenade, a cavernous three-story area with an “Orange County Sand and Sea” theme. “It’s an exhibit that highlights our coastline,” he says on Monday, July 7, 2025. “Featuring some surprises,” he adds. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

His happy place is at the OC Fair where he creates artistic flair

Goats hang out at the petting zoo while they wait for the OC Fair to start next week in Costa Mesa, CA, on Friday, July 8, 2022. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

18 free fun things to do at the Orange County Fair

By Marla Jo Fisher

July 19, 2025 at 7:55 a.m.

Yes, going to the Orange County Fair can be pricey, but you can also focus...

Riders on the Sky Ride pass over the kids carnival rides at the OC Fair in Costa Mesa on Sunday, July 17, 2022. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Frumpy Mom: What to expect at the Orange County Fair

By Marla Jo Fisher

July 17, 2025 at 7:54 a.m.

It's like buying a house. Just know that you're going to spend way more than...

Food booths begin to light up against the sky as the sun sets over the OC Fair at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa on Sunday, July 30, 2023. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)

OC Fair 2025: $5 food options return

By Carolyn Burt

July 15, 2025 at 6:16 p.m.

Fairgoers will be able to purchase affordable bites at the fair each day until 4...

Bacon Nation’s bacon cotton candy on pork belly stick (courtesy of OC Fair); chocolate Dubai strawberry cup (courtesy of Dominic Palmieri), lobster mac and cheese cone from Chicken Charlie’s (courtesy of Charlie Boghosian)

OC Fair 2025: Here are the wild new foods coming this year

By Brock Keeling

July 14, 2025 at 9:55 a.m.

This year's theme, "Find Your Happy," is a clear directive for you to discover new...

OC Fair-goers have hair-raising fun as they get whipped around on a ride Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Orange County Fair tickets are now on sale

By Marla Jo Fisher

July 1, 2025 at 4:28 p.m.

Admission to the fair is limited this year, so many days typically sell out in...

The furniture maker Joybird is open at the South Coast Collection retail center in Costa Mesa. The retailer opened its first Orange County showroom on June 5. The company has 12 U.S. locations. (Photo courtesy of Joybird)

Status Update: Joybird opens in Costa Mesa; statewide program fixes leaky auto A/C, almost for free

By Samantha Gowen

June 30, 2025 at 12:26 p.m.

Income-eligible customers can get 90% of repairs cost covered by a fund made of unclaimed...

Students in the Orange County Young Curators (OCYC) program examine the placement of Mindy Shapero’s “All the edges at the same time all the time” in the exhibition, Piece of Me—titled after Britney Spears’s 2007 hit song in Costa Mesa, CA, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. The paid after-school program comprises fifteen high school juniors and seniors from across the county and meets biweekly at OCMA to learn about curatorial practice and all facets of arts administration. As part of the program, the teens have curated their own exhibition drawn from OCMA’s collection through a Gen Z lens. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Teens curate part of OCMA show on adolescence past and present

By Theresa Walker

June 27, 2025 at 8:29 a.m.

Teens learned the ins and outs of curation and then pulled their own choices from...

Costa Mesa

Featured