The California Mid-State Fair (CMSF) has reported its 80th anniversary was a success, with a 12% increase in attendance from last year. The 12-day event, which ran from July 15 through July 26, drew 433,208 fairgoers.

Attendance and Entertainment

This year’s attendance marked a significant increase from last year’s 366,216 guests. Grandstand entertainment also saw a 9% increase, with 90,527 concertgoers. The total number of concertgoers, including the sold-out performance of Chris Stapleton, was 105,011, a 26.5% increase from last year.

Musical acts this year included Old Dominion, Ice Cube with Warren G, Lainey Wilson, Eric Church, Megadeth, Howard Jones with Wang Chung, Willie Nelson, Treaty Oak Revival, and Three Dog Night.

Food, Auctions, and Carnival

Food and beverage concessions saw a 3% increase, which may be due to the success of the new Happy Hour promotion. The Junior Livestock Auction generated a record-breaking $4.02 million in sales, with nearly half of that amount going towards Market Steers, Hogs, Lambs, and Goats. The Industrial Arts Auction brought in $203,150 for 59 projects.

The Helm & Sons Carnival reported a slight decrease in sales, but the ‘free carnival rides on Opening Day’ promotion was well-attended, and Carnival Wristbands hit an all-time high with 15,036 wristbands sold by local non-profits.

According to Colleen Bojorquez, CMSF Chief Executive Officer, ‘This year’s Fair had a special kind of magic… it felt like people were excited to be here.’ Planning is already underway for the 2027 California Mid-State Fair, scheduled for July 14-25, 2027.

Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.