OC Fair & Event Center

PARKING: $ 7
*When you first enter the parking lot, you are asked if you’re attending Winter Fest OR if you’re going to the Swapmeet. The Swapmeet parking is FREE.
*Accepts ONLY CASH, including INSIDE WINTER FEST :(
**There are ATMs available, but there is a $ 3 Fee.
*You will pay $ 7 for NO GOOD REASON. You’ll realize this AFTER you pay because they are going to send you to the same parking lot area as the people who are going to the Swapmeet. So yes, you could have lied and said, «Swapmeet.» and saved yourself $ 7.
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TICKET INFORMATION:
*Ticket prices vary depending on whether you attend on a weekday OR weekend, AND whether you buy them online or onsite.
*It is SLIGHTLY CHEAPER to attend on a WEEKDAY AND BUY TICKETS ONLINE.
We went to Winter Fest on December 19, A Saturday, so it was more expensive:
We were 3 Adults + 1 Child (3 y/​o). We bought our tickets ONLINE so that’s what I’m adding here. Remember, it is MORE ONSITE.
TICKETS:
*Adult Ticket: $ 25 + $ 3 FEE = $ 28
*Child Ticket (Ages 4 – 12) $ 15 + $ 2.50 FEE = $ 17.50
Total for 3 Adults: $ 84
For my 3 year old child: $ 0
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WHAT DO YOU GET WITH YOUR TICKET ADMISSION (SEE PHOTOS AS WELL):
1)You get to ENTER Winter Fest. LOL
2)Unlimited Riding On Ice Tubing Summit (Must 42in or taller)
2A) My 3 year old was not tall enough for this.

3) You get on ONE carnival ride.
3A) After that, you need to buy carnival tickets. 1 sheet was $ 28.

4)You get to play ONE carnival game.
4A) After that, each game is $ 5.
*Website claims there are more than 30 games and rides, but that is UNTRUE. This was a small area, as in, your kid can’t get lost if he wanders off.
5)Reindeer Viewing and Feeding
5A) There were 2. It was a sad display. You don’t see them get fed and you can’t feed or touch them.
6) Meet and Greet Santa, see model train displays, craft making and games

6A) Sounds great, but isn’t. There were three train displays and they were all too high for small children to see. This Northpole area is supposed to be for CHILDREN. LOL Website says kids can conduct the trains, but that is UNTRUE. They are not allowed to touch ANYTHING. Craft making? I saw one table, which was for face painting. Games? Didn’t see this at all. Santa? I saw a line, but no Santa. Maybe he was on break?
7) Entry for Bounce Houses
7A) There were 2 small ones. Kids seemed to enjoy them. My kid didn’t use them since he hates taking off his shoes.
8) Daily and Nightly Entertainment (magic shows, concerts)
8A) The stage was empty. No signs to tell you @ what time anything starts.
And that’s it. That’s what your Admission Ticket gets you.
WANT TO PAY FOR PREMIUM STUFF? (LOL Why?)
*Ice Tubing Pass: $ 10 online/​$ 15 onsite
*Ice Skating: $ 15 onsite + $ 5 for Ice Assists (optional)
*Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristband: $ 20 online+ FEE/​$ 25 onsite +FEE
*Private Cabanas VIP: $ 99, per cabana, per session.
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DRINKING BOOTH:
*Coffee: $ 5
*They have powdered packets of Coffee Mate coffee creamer &
* Splenda
*Hot Chocolate $ 5.50
*Apple Cider $ 5.50
*Something else I can’t remember
FOOD:
Fattening Food. Didn’t buy. Sorry, no more information on this.
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Overall, I think this was too expensive. It sounded great online, which is why I thought, «It’s expensive, but sounds worth it.» The Winter Fest website made it sound like there were many actives for children, but they exaggerated that.
Keep in mind that I have only ONE child and since he’s 3, his admission into Winter Fest was free, but you need to PAY to really have FUN. LOL That’s not including the expensive food and drinks.
I can just imagine how much more expensive it would be for couples with two children (or more). It’s not even worth buying the Online Unlimited Ride Wristband ($ 20 + $ 3 FEE) because you’ll need one for each child and adult.
WANT TO SAVE MONEY?
*Do NOT take your spouse/​significant other
*Take your favorite child and leave the rest at home.
Or, don’t go. LOL
Hopefully, they improve Winter Fest in the future.

Went on sunny/​rainy day 2 of first week (adult/​child online season pass-​2 weeks). No crowds-didn’t need the fast past for slides (daily wristbands). Great Local venue with no snow/​rain/​hot sun to get in my way. All you can eat innertubing slides is the big thing. No need for snow gear unless you need it for rain or falling on ice. I would have rated 4star, if schedule/​map was posted.
Parking $ 7. Went on a Saturday AM, swapmeet included – Nice.
If Rain – not too many places to eat indoors except the 2 coctail places. Rides and games were completely empty at 7pm.
Allergy Foods tried: Kettle Corn (Non dairy/​gluten/​nuts per sign) to right of ice rink, nonspicy blandish large bone pozole (9.00) & teriyaki chicken rice bowl (12.75 very very small) to left of ice rink. (Other food booths – pizza, corndogs, big bad bbq kabobs/​ribs, funnel cake, tacos/​tamales, sandwiches)
Pros:
Indoor Slides – 15 large and 6 small innertubes with handles on fast pass side. Seemed right for a light day, but seems to me they’d need more for a heavy crowd? Speedy slide for an adult like me, slower if you’re a tot. Ice slide, but not wet. Non fast pass side was light too.
Indoor Ice Skating Rink – $ 15 extra. huge plasticky with thick sheet of ice (son said perfect cause other plastic floor is no fun), but movie needs subtitles w/​nowhere to sit (with noonsunlight – cannot view screen). $ 5 assist penguins. Bring Gloves.(payphoto ops/​mini donuts/​sandwiches/​coctails here too)
Free game/​free ride-​Be sure to get a blue colored card at entrance (found out later). If you win game, you get a candy cane, not a stuffed animal. Nice variety to choose from.
Indoor Northpole tent (not that many attractions): Free model trains, pay events (photos with santa, caricatures, live tshirt screenprinting for purchase, facepainting, make xmas cards (cost?)
Reindeer – Cool to see and feed 2 reindeer.
Cons: Small event, but great for families with small children. Cannot plan ahead for this event. Food/​map/​entertainment sched not listed on website.
Entertainment: is all on one stage – no schedule times listed out front. Only saw the female duo of chainsaw ice sculptors – entertaining 30 minutes. 15 min breaks between the acts. Unfortunate that kids who love magic or ice sculpting could not come to the stage at the right time. Need more planning people!!!

I’ve been here for several different events (from mma events, repticon and animal expos, the farmers market, the OC Fair, etc.). I just left the Repticon expo (one of my favorite events to go to). There’s TONS of parking but generally each event has its own gate where you need to park.
The farmers market is kind of blah… they close super early on Sundays (they were packing up at 1pm) so get there early.
All the events I’ve been to have been appropriately staffed and everyone I have had interactions with have been very nice.
Food wise I don’t have much to say as I really only look for vegan or very healthy/​organic vegetarian food… there isn’t any. I wish there were healthier options available. As a «family friendly» place, I would think they would offer something on the healthier side instead of promoting gluttony and fried foods. I would bump this up to 5 stars if that were the case but alas…
I definitely recommend coming here though and check out the events they have here year round.

The OC fair has always been one of my fav things being an OC girl. The past few years I wasn’t living here so I finally got to go this summer! Unfortunately, I could only go once this year since my summer has been so packed. Nonetheless, it was an amazing time!
Parking is 10 dollars and general admission is 12 dollars. There’s a pretty big line to buy tickets but it goes by fast. Also, they check purses so don’t try anything funny ;) or try but don’t get caught lol. Traffic is sucky so be prepared for that. The parking lot is huge so don’t worry about finding parking. I got there on a Friday night around 7:30 PM and found parking easy.
The first thing my friend and I did was grab beers! So yummy and nice and cold. The glasses are huge too! It depends what you get but our beers were 12 dollars. I think only Budweiser was 10 dollars.
The food is always so yummy! I can never decide what to get. First we got nachos which were about 10 bucks. But it was a lot! We then get fried pickle chips which were 8 bucks. You can pick what sauce you want I got the chipotle but wish I got ranch instead. Still so yummy! I wish I had gotten more food, but I decided I wanted to drink more on this particular night ;) it was a long week okayyyy!
Most of the vendors take cards but the first beer spot didn’t. They do have ATMs though. I’d say bring some cash but most places do take cards.
There was music playing, kids running around, people on rides and playing games. It’s soooo fun! I really really enjoy the fair if you haven’t noticed already. I’m sad it’s the last weekend :(
See you next year OC fair :)

I haven’t been the OC Fair in years. It was time to revisit the wonders of deep fried everything,
If you go early on a Saturday or Sunday and buy your ticket before 11:00 am, the price is a mere $ 3.00. A bargain. Parking? $ 10.00. Not a deal.
People gnawing on turkey legs does not appeal to me. After walking the food midway and evaluating the grossest of the gross, I opted for the deep fried kosher dill pickle with peanut butter. I don’t know if that violates any kosher dietary laws, but it was fanfreakingtastic and I loved it. The peanut butter was all melty and stuff on the pickle. Plenty of salt to escalate my blood pressure to the red zone. The MU ate the deep fried White Castle burger. Since we don’t have the authentic White Castle burger stands here, we hoped for the best. Nope. Just a defrosted White Castle submerged in batter.
We walked through the exhibits and were hassled in the shopping zones by people selling the same crap that you see at the OC swap. A ceramic plate to grate garlic for $ 20? ARE YOU INSANE? I bought the same thing — without the toxic lead seasoning — at Chef Toys for $ 1.00.
The Ice House line was far too long and we have no patience. As the day dragged on, dodging strollers and wagons pushed by aggressive OC helicopter parents lost its luster. The biggest disappointment was that the only animals to see were goats. I was there to view pigs and their prominent, uhhh, manliness. I guess I should have checked the schedule before we went. Such is life.
It’s out of my system. I can wait another decade or two before I return.

Had a great day today at the OC Fair. Only 3 bucks to get in between 10am and 11am… and you can always come back later that evening as long as u get stamped.
We went for the food… there were bacon wrapped hot dogs, bacon wrapped turkey legs, bacon cheese bites, bacon dipped in chocolate, deep fried kool-​aid, deep fried coffee, deep fried Klondike bars, deep fried Snickers, and best of all… a Krispy Kreme Triple Cheeseburger! Basically a heart attack in a box! But we rode our bicycles there so we were able to cancel out some of those ridiculous calories. Also got to watch the cutest little pigs race around a track!
All in all it was a good day! Totally recommend this place for anyone! Don’t forget your sunblock ;)

Ah, the OC Fair. Perfect place to indulge in a variety of fried foods that seem to get wilder and wilder each year, to see some farm animals up close and personal, and to spend way too much money trying to win a giant pikachu to impress your SO. People always say that fairs in general are great ways to spend a ton of money on things that are not worth it… and while true, if you’re careful in planning out your visit, you don’t have to spend much money at all!
Step 1: Go to the OC Fair website and check out their discounts page. They have a variety of discounted/​free entry deals for practically every day. I personally took the OC Fair Express on Friday ($ 4 round trip), which gave us coupons for $ 3 entry to the fair. And guess what? You don’t have to pay for parking! Since it was Friday, they also had a special $ 2 Taste of Fair Food going on from 12 – 4. You can bet we filled up on those little nibbles. Some were totally not worth it (looking at you, single deep fried pineapple ring…), but in general it’s a good way to try a lot of food with smaller portions.
We didn’t splurge on games or rides, but if you so chose, go for the unlimited rides wristband ($ 30), or go when games and rides are $ 2. They can really add up without you noticing. It was super hot, but luckily there were a lot of cooler indoor activities you can browse… most notably the ice museum. Though there are a lot of shows that cost money, there are also plenty that are free. Looking at all the vendors was fun, and the free petting zoo had so many cute animals, including a wallaby.
Reminder: you can bring in your own snacks and beverages (factory sealed), if fair fare isn’t your thing. We forgot to bring our own hydration, so we bought a soda from the restaurant inside the fairgrounds and they had FREE refills!
If you want to go all out, you definitely can. But if you need to be frugal, that’s no reason for you to not get the full experience and have just as much fun. I love the OC Fair and I’ll be back year after year.

Screw the diet, forget the gym, put away that scale and loosen up those buttons, it’s that time of the year again, the Orange County fair is here!
It’s a gluttony celebration and the ultimate destination for adventurous foodies to overindulge. Come prepared to drop dollar bills quicker than you would at a stripclub. By the end of the night, you’ll be leaving with an empty wallet and chances are, in a food coma.
Butter me up and call me a biscuit! Having waited 11 long grueling months for the OC fair to return to Costa Mesa, there was no limiting myself on the amount of deep fried madness I would be devouring.
MY GRUB:
— Lobster balls on a stick $ 16.00
Nice chunks of lobster meat breaded and deep fried. It was melt in your mouth goodness.
— Turkey leg wrapped with bacon $ 21.00
2lbs of turkey of 1 lb. of bacon. The turkey was very meat and flavored in the dripping juices from the bacon, it was delicious. It comes with a hefty price tag but IMO worth it.
— Deep fried frog legs with fries $ 12.00
There was no shame when it came to eating Kermit the frog. He tasted just like chicken. The seasoning had a good little kick and served fresh out of the fryer. It was pretty good.
— Grilled pork chop on a stick $ 16.00
It was just average and nothing special about it. For the price, I expected a larger portion.
— Fried Starbucks $ 8.00
Who comes up with this stuff? It’s a deep fried donut with coffee grounds. Soft, airy and delish.
— Deep fried twinkies $ 8.00
I’m obsessed with Twinkies as is, drop it in gallons of oil and it becomes even more amazing.
— Deep fried pecan pie $ 8.00
Pecan pie on a stick drizzled with chocolate sauce and powder. If the pie itself had more flavor, It would be have been better but it was still good.
— Strawberry funnel cake $ 9.00
Perfect softness of the cake with a bit of crisp then topped with powdered sugar, whip cream and lots of strawberries, nothing compares to fair funnel cake.
After consuming thousands of calories and putting my arteries into shock, we headed over to the carnival rides and games. The cost for tickets were $ 100 for 200 tickets, $ 50 for 100 tickets and $ 20 for 40 tickets. All rides and games required tickets, each one varies. Too cute to puke we avoided the rides and played games instead winning a few stuffed animals.
Giant slides, a ferris wheel, swinging swings, the fun zone, face painting, pony rides, live animal stock, a rodeo show, the options for fun were endless.
Before heading out, feeling pretty brave I stopped by the Snake house. I pulled the PG-​13 version of Brittany Spears having a full grown python wrapped around my neck, all for sake of having one picture taken.
TIP:
Visit the petting zoo after you’ve finished eating. Petting a pig or trying to do a selfie with turkey while your eating a turkey wrapped bacon just sounds wrong.
PRICE:
Adults $ 12.00
Kids– $ 7.00
Seniors– $ 7.00
Military– Free with ID
PARKING:
General $ 10.00
VIP $ 20.00
After three hours of fun, we left $ 300.00 less in our pockets and weighed 5 more lbs. when we walked in but there was no putting a pricetag on Happiness! How I LOVE the OC Fair! This is one event definitely not to be missed.