What had 75,000 turkey legs, 350,000 pieces of bacon and 1.34 million guests? This year’s OC Fair
Attendance at the Orange County Fair — and perhaps the cholesterol level of some guests — went up this year, with officials saying the 126th annual event drew the fourth-most visitors ever.
All told, 1,344,976 attendees followed the advice of this year’s theme and got their “fair face on” during the 23-day event in Costa Mesa, which began July 15 and ended Sunday.
That’s a 3.3% increase over 2015 and reverses a two-year trend of declining attendance at the summertime staple. It’s still below the all-time high of more than 1.4 million visitors during the 2011 fair.
“This year’s fair had a great vibe and energy,” Kathy Kramer, chief executive of the OC Fair & Event Center, said in a statement Monday. “We enjoyed nice weather on average, and our fairgoers seemed to really love the changes we made with layout and programming. Our customer service ratings were exceptional, and we’re proud to have produced this great community event.”
Fairgoers packed venues such as the Action Sports Arena, The Hangar and the Pacific Amphitheatre — 32 performances and other attractions sold out during the fair’s run, officials said.
People also packed their stomachs with decadent treats offered by the fair’s food vendors.
Hungry visitors mowed through 75,000 turkey legs from Juicys, 40,000 deep-fried Oreos and 13,000 waffles and chicken on a stick from Chicken Charlie’s, 3,000 chile relleno pretzel burgers from Tasti Burger, 10,000 French Toast Bacon Bombs from Bacon A-Fair and 6,000 bacon-wrapped pork bellies on a stick from Biggy’s Meat Market.
Yes, it turns out people going to the fair really like bacon. About 350,000 pieces were munched, officials said — an average of more than 15,000 per day.
Guests also whetted their appetites for rides — the Sky Ride, La Grande Wheel, Euroslide, Wild River and Rave Wave were among the most popular — and tried their hands at various games. Players won more than 400,000 carnival prizes this year, according to fair figures.
Craftier attendees used nearly 250,000 feet of yarn and about 2 tons of clay during projects and demonstrations.
Fair officials collected donations of more than 28 tons of canned food, about 37,000 pounds of clothing, 76,000 children’s books and thousands of school supplies.
Planning is already underway for the 2017 OC Fair, which will run July 14 through Aug. 13.
“Next year, we will continue the focus on integrating agricultural programming and education into the OC Fair experience,” Kramer said.
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OC FAIR ATTENDANCE
2016: 1,344,976
2015: 1,301,975
2014: 1,337,167
2013: 1,374,633
2012: 1,349,627
2011: 1,401,267*
* Highest attendance on record
Source: OC Fair & Event Center
Twitter: @LukeMMoney
