CALI Strong at the San Diego County Fair / Del Mar Fairgrounds 2016

Following the Ventura County Fair by only six short years, the San Diego County Fair was first started in 1880. Several of the state festivals from that period are still held today. It was merely an agricultural fair when it opened in 1880, and it went from place to place until it eventually reached its permanent home in Del Mar. Del Mar was chosen for its proximity to the 101 and the Santa Fe railroad line.

The name, San Diego County Fair, was not widely used to refer to the event until 2002. Before that, it had been called the Southern California Exposition, the Southern California Exposition and San Diego County Fair, and the Del Mar Fair. Some residents still make reference to it as the Del Mar Fair.

The trademark feature of the fair used to be a beauty pageant. It was an annual feature from 1936 to 2003. The winner was initially called the Queen of the Fair. Then winner’s title was changed to the Fairest of the Fair. It was discontinued in 2004 because of a legal squabble and the high cost of maintaining the beauty pageant.

The fair has had a theme every year since 1998. In 2015, it was “A Fair to Remember” and this year the theme is “Mad About the Fair“.  It is a grand-scale tea party featuring the renowned Lewis Carroll classic Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, fused with influences from steampunk, cosplay, great literature, wacky machinery, and all the fun and magic you have come to expect.

For the 2016 fair, attractions & exhibits include the following:

• Asian Festival -This 2nd annual, award-winning event is a celebration of Asian and Pacific Islander cultures, featuring music, dance and martial arts performances, as well as fashion and community-based organizations representing China, Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, India, Hawai’i, and Japan.
• Tea Time In Wonderland  – Every Sunday enjoy a proper Wonderland tea, and make a hat under the guidance of Charity Wings Art & Craft Center that you will take home.
• Mounted Shooting Western Competition – Brings together distinguished riders from beginner to pro divisions and turn the Del Mar Arena into a mecca of Western realism and traditional Americana.

From June 17th to June  19th 2016

The San Diego International Beer Festival has become one of the biggest beer festivals and competitions in the U.S.! With more than 400 beers from around the world to choose from, beer aficionados will enjoy hard-to-find specialty craft brews alongside local Del Mar favorites. Enjoy educational demonstrations with recognized industry professionals to food pairings prepared by So Rich Chocolates and Venissimo Cheese.

Organizers say there will be more than 100 food vendors sprinkled across the fairgrounds cooking up more than 1,000 different items. Some of the foods added to this year’s lineup include:

• French Toast Bacon Bomb
• Deep Fried Nachos
• Kool-Aid Hot Wings
• Fried Pizza
• Deep Fried Lemonade
• Hatter’s Mad Mash Up Burger
• Pink’s Madhatter Dog
• Lasagna Sandwich
• Waffle Sunrise Sandwich