Orange County's LGBTQ community goes all 'Out' during festival at the Fair

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Drag queen Jazlyn Slayer opens her act with some help from two dancers during Out at the Fair, an LGBTQ festival held Sunday at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa. (Spencer Grant)

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The festival, held for the first time at the OC Fair this year, featured an appearance from the Golden State Squares — an Orange County gay and lesbian square dancing club. (Spencer Grant)

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Performer Katalina De Isla collects a tip from an audience member during the festival’s “Glam Show.” (Spencer Grant)

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Event photographer Melanie Caborado, right, gives Tami Weiser, Shawn Whitlock and Jodi Whitlock a lesson in how to lively pose for a group photo. (Spencer Grant)

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Jazlyn Slayer mixes with an appreciative audience during the “Glam Show.” (Spencer Grant)

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Alex Haberle gets a temporary rainbow flag tattoo during the festival. (Spencer Grant)

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Out at the Fair attendees Robert Antanhrano and Victoria Campa cheer a performer. (Spencer Grant)

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Front-row admirers show their appreciation for Tequila Halston during the “Glam Show.” (Spencer Grant)

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The Golden State Squares give a demonstration of square dancing during Out at the Fair. (Spencer Grant)

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Tequila Halston wows the crowd during the “Glam Show.” (Spencer Grant)

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Rainbow flags for visitors to the Out at the Fair event. (Spencer Grant)

By Daily Pilot Staff

July 29, 2019 11:16 AM PT

No raindrops fell Sunday, but there were still plenty of rainbows at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa.

For the first time, the county’s signature summertime event hosted Out at the Fair, an official LGBTQ festival.

The festival featured an appearance from the Golden State Squares — a gay and lesbian square dancing club — and a “Glam Show” featuring drag queens such as Xotica Erotica, Jazlyn Slayer and Tequila Halston.

Rainbow flags — a symbol of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities — also were distributed for free.

Out at the Fair started in 2011 as an “unofficial gay day” at the San Diego County Fair and has since expanded to the California State Fair in Sacramento, the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque and fairs in Alameda, Marin, Santa Clara and Sonoma counties.

In May, the OC Fair Board voted to fly the LGBTQ pride flag at the OC Fair & Event Center year-round, following similar city council actions in Costa Mesa and Laguna Beach.

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Orange County’s LGBTQ community goes all ‘Out’ during festival at the Fair

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