Mid-State Fair is back with concerts, food and rides. How will it be different?
The California Mid-State Fair returns to Paso Robles on Wednesday after last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic, and there’s good news for fair lovers: Most of their summertime favorites will be there, as usual.
That means lots of fried treats, carnival rides and games, grandstand and free concerts, and kids showing their animals.
This year’s fair officially opens with a ribbon cutting at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Paso Robles Event Center’s main entrance.
The fair will be open from 4 p.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday and noon to midnight Friday-Sunday.
This year, things will look “pretty much normal,” although fair-goers may see a few differences from events in years past, said Tom Keffury, Mid-State Fair spokesman.
Here’s what visitors can expect from a coronavirus-era Mid-State Fair.
Will there be fair attendance limits? What about COVID testing, vaccines and masks?
The Mid-State Fair won’t have any crowd limits or vaccine requirements, and organizers will not enforce mask-wearing, Keffury said.
“We are following the county and state recommendations to a T,” Keffury said in an email. “The state does recommend that if a person is not vaccinated, they should wear a mask or obtain a negative COVID-19 test, and so that is our position as well.”
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Will the fair have its usual food stands and rides this year?
The fair will have slightly fewer ride and food stand offerings to allow for things to be less crowded and more spread out, Keffury said.
“We have all attractions we normally do — carnival, shopping, music, exhibits, kids/animals, food/beverage, livestock and horse shows, concerts — but perhaps 80-85% quantity of (a) normal fair,” he said. “Something for everyone. No major attractions eliminated, but a little less quantity and a little more spread out than in 2019.”
For example, if the fair had 40 rides in the past, it will offer 32 this year, Keffury said. And the same will be true for food stands.
“(It) could be noticeable to some, but the bottom line is that we want people to feel comfortable and safe,” Keffury said.
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What about the grandstand concerts? Will there be shows every night?
The fair’s famous concert lineup will be slightly smaller, but shows will be “fun, relaxed and spread out,” Keffury said.
“No one expected California to ‘open’ so quickly,” he said. “So most all big artists booked their tours on the East Coast and South, coming to California later in the year — so not here in July. “
Fair organizers also began planning the concerts when San Luis Obispo County was still subject to California’s coronavirus reopening restrictions, which would have required reduced capacities at shows.
The Chumash Grandstand Arena can hold up to 15,000 people, but fair organizers couldn’t book artists that would sell that many tickets, he said. The top-selling artist is currently country group Little Big Town, which is performing on July 30.
“We spread out the grandstand seats — offered (general admission) tickets, which would allow concert-goers to sit wherever they wanted,” Keffury said. “Again, we wanted people to enjoy the concerts without feeling like they had to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with a stranger. They have that freedom now.”
Who’s playing the grandstand this year?
Fair organizers on Monday had to cancel the opening night Bret Michaels concert after members of the singer’s touring entourage were possibly exposed to COVID-19.
Here are the rest of the musicians performing grandstand shows during the fair:
- July 22: Dwight Yoakam
- July 23: Big & Rich
- July 28: Uncle Kracker
- July 29: Pancho Barraza
- July 30: Little Big Town
- Aug. 1: Jason Derulo
How much do fair tickets cost, and where can I purchase them?
Fair admission tickets cost $12 for adults and teens ages 13 and older, $9 for children ages six to 12 and $11 for seniors ages 62 and older. Kids 5 and under are free. To buy tickets, visit midstatefair.com/fair.
Parking at the fair’s main lot is $20, but it can fill up quickly. This year, lighting in the lot will be improved after a PG&E crew covers the sensors on the streetlights on Wednesday to ensure they stay on at night. In the past, ambient light from the fair tricked the parking lot lights and prevented them from turning on.
Helm and Sons Amusement is offering unlimited ride wristband packages that range in price from $30 to $95. To purchase wristbands, visit midstatefair.com. Closed-toe shoes are required on the carnival rides.
This story was originally published July 20, 2021 at 1:20 PM.
