A guide to the 2023 Santa Clara County Fair

Here’s what you can expect at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds from Wednesday, July 26. to Sunday, Aug. 6.

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Get ready for a full-scale 2023 Santa Clara County Fair.

Photo via Santa Clara County Fair

Are you ready for fried food, farm animals, live painting, and thrill rides? Great — the Santa Clara County Fair returns to the fairgrounds Wednesday, July 26-Sunday, Aug. 6.

This year is especially important, because unlike the past three years (disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic), all the traditional fair fun is returning.

Step right up and catch a glimpse of what the 2023 Santa Clara County Fair has in store.

🎟️ Hours, tickets, parking

  • The fair is open 3-10 p.m. on Wednesdays + Thursdays, and 1-11 p.m. on Fridays-Sundays. Note: The fair will be closed Monday, July 31-Tuesday, Aug. 1.
  • Grab tickets online — kids age 5 and younger are free.
  • Parking is $15 and available at Gates C + D .

🎡 Entertainment

There will be an opening day ribbon cutting and parade to kick off the fair at 3 p.m. this Wednesday, July 26. Once inside, you can expect a ton of entertainment with your admission:

  • Four stages of musical acts including a ton of cover bands playing hits from Michael Jackson, Elton John, Selena, and more
  • Art Alley ,” a showcase of 125+ artists with live painting, an art gallery, and vendor booths
  • DIY classes on flower crowns, balloon garlands, decorative cookies, bouquets, and charcuterie boards

🐖 Exhibits

There’s no doubting our region’s rich agricultural history, so it wouldn’t be the Santa Clara County Fair without the Junior Livestock Auction — held Saturday, Aug. 5. Also, the little ones will get to see exotic animals at “Safari Encounter” + learn agricultural education activities at “Little Hands on the Farm.”

    Don’t miss: All the hard work of youth and adult exhibitors who display their talents in baked goods, floriculture, collections, Legos, needle + fiber arts, photography, tech and computer science, quilting, and more.

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    Alyson is based in San Jose, CA, and helped launch SJtoday in February 2022. She graduated from San Jose State, where she reported on the city’s arts + culture scene for her alma mater’s paper, The Spartan Daily. You can find her scouting new South Bay eateries or thrifting around town.
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