The Mid-State Fair starts this week. From food to rides, here’s what to expect
Yeehaw! For the 79th year in a row, the Mid-State Fair returns to Paso Robles for two weeks of concerts, carnival rides and cotton candy.
The fair starts Wednesday and runs until July 27. During that time, it’s slated to be open on Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight and from Friday to Sunday, the fair is open from noon to midnight.
Tickets are on sale now at midstatefair.com.
The opening ceremony for the Mid-State Fair will take place Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. at the main entrance of the Paso Robles Event Center. The first 100 guests will receive one complimentary admission ticket to the fair for any other day, a bag of kettle corn and a commemorative button, according to a news release.
Live music, bubble machines, performers and free carnival rides accompany the opening day at 2198 Riverside Ave. in Paso Robles.
Flags, decorations, exhibits, vendors and carnival rides are all going up this week, according to Mid-State Fair CEO Colleen Bojorquez.
“It’s starting to look a lot like Fair around here,” Bojorquez told The Tribune.
The Mid-State Fair’s theme this year is “Off to the Races!” — an ode to horse racing and its history with California horse racing, Bojorquez said.
“Each exhibit building has some information about horse racing in it, and you’ll see it throughout the grounds, but it’s going to be a really great fun fair,” she said.
What big events will be on for this year’s Mid-State Fair?
One of the most popular attractions is this year’s Michelob Concert Series at the Chumash Grandstand Arena, Bojorquez told The Tribune.
All headliners are performing at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are available for purchase online or at the fair box office.
The full schedule for the Grandstand stage is:
July 16, Flo Rida
July 17, Jon Pardi with special guest Callie Twisselman
July 18, 311 with special guest Iration
July 19, Cody Johnson with special guest Randall King
July 20, Viva La Quebradita
July 21, Red Clay Strays with special guest Kaitlin Butts
July 22, David Lee Roth
July 23, Bailey Zimmerman with special guests Dylan Marlowe and Drew Baldridge
July 24, Keith Urban with special guests Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins
July 25, Don Felder of the Eagles
July 26, Country Rodeo Finals
July 27, Monster Truck Takeover
Free concerts of local live bands will perform at the Frontier Stage, Mission Square, La Cantina, Island Stage and the Silo in the fairgrounds.
For the carnival rides and games, the fair continues to partner with Helm and Sons Amusements and is bringing 30 to 40 carnival rides.
The newest addition to the Mid-State Fair is an enormous diamond observation wheel, while favorites like Big Splash, Medusa and Blackout are returning to their spots. For the kiddos, Cub Country has smaller rides with them in mind.
As for the grub, new additions this year are pepper-jack-stuffed pickle bites, a French fry waffle burger, Dubai chocolate-covered strawberries, a vegan dog on a stick and pickle lemonade.
For the heat, the Mid-State Fair has misters along the midway of the fairgrounds for some cooling moments during the day.
“This year, our No. 1 complaint is that it’s hot,” Bojorquez said. “Then we added some misters to our Davies Park to just give some people a place of respite from the heat.”
The other events of the Mid-State Fair include over 800 livestock exhibitions, rodeo and horse show exhibits and exotic animal shows, according to Bojorquez.
To finalize the end of the fair on the next weekend, the Country Rodeo Finals and Monster Truck Takeover bring grand performances at the Grandstand Arena.
To make a schedule of the day’s events, visit the Mid-State Fair’s website at midstatefair.com/fair/daily-schedule.
This story was originally published July 14, 2025 at 11:04 AM.