The “Retro” 2024 San Diego County Fair is officially in the history books as the summer event wrapped up Sunday night after an action-packed 20-day season.

The Fair’s theme this year was “Let’s Go Retro,” a nostalgic look back at the styles, music, movies, shows, and cultural zeitgeist of the 1950s through the 1990s. The theme was highlighted in a custom-built 20,000-square foot theme exhibit and was incorporated into community exhibit entries, contests, entertainment, and signage at the Fair.

And while this year’s Fair was “Retro” and featured the return of longtime Fair favorites, the community celebration also showcased some major new events, activities, and opportunities for fun. This included 18 new rides; the introduction of Saturday night shows at The Sound; the Fair’s inaugural Native American Powwow; a new Eco Hut; a bigger and better Fair-Tastic Foods Competition in its second year; new wine and craft beer experiences; new food stands; and “Taste of the Fair,” which allowed curious Fairgoers to eat bite-sized portions of Fair food for $5 from every food stand.

This year’s Fair was two days shorter than the 2023 Fair, in which the festivities started on Wednesday, June 7 and ended on Tuesday, July 4. With July 4 falling on a Thursday this year, the Fair started later in June (Wednesday, June 12) and continued through the holiday weekend. This was the first year since 2015 that the Fair continued beyond July 4.

The Fair is produced by the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which owns and operates the Del Mar Fairgrounds. After the 2023 Fair, District officials focused heavily on improving the layout, providing value for customers, shoring up janitorial services, and enhancing the guest experience. District officials also made programming decisions meant to help spread attendance more evenly over the run of the Fair to limit overcrowding, traffic, and impacts on neighboring communities.

“The San Diego County Fair this year looked and felt better, cleaner, safer and more fun than ever before,” said Carlene Moore, the District’s CEO. “In our third year back after an extraordinarily challenging two-year hiatus, we feel we have truly hit our stride and set a new Fair standard that we can build upon for years to come.

We already cannot wait to have San Diegans back out in 2025 for the biggest, best, and oldest community celebration in the region.

In total, 877,452 fairgoers – an average of nearly 44,000 guests daily — attended the Fair. The strongest days this year were on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which highlighted the strength of the Pepsi Pay-One-Price Ride Days and Taste of the Fair promotions – as well as the Juneteenth holiday, which fell on a Wednesday. July 3 was the busiest day, with more than 64,000 guests coming through the gates.

The Toyota Summer Concert series included three sellout concerts on the Corona Grandstand Stage with three diverse acts: Country stars Old Dominion, hip-hop legend Ludacris, and Norteño banda Los Tucanes de Tijuana. The Asian & Pacific Islander Festival, Out at the Fair, Domingueando en la Feria, Electronic Fridays, the Chevrolet Paddock Concert Series, and Reggae on the Paddock — which closed out Saturday with American Idol winner Iam Tongi – also provided a diverse array of entertainment options that were included in the price of admission to the Fair.

In addition, the Fair once again helped provide economic opportunities for workers, small businesses, entrepreneurs, entertainers, contractors, and others. More than 1,200 temporary employees were also hired directly by the District — which is in addition to the employees hired by vendors, concessionaires, and contractors — to produce the Fair.

The San Diego County Fair will return in June 2025 with a new theme and even more educational opportunities, animals, food, entertainment, shopping, live music, exhibits, and fun.

BY THE NUMBERS | The 2024 San Diego County Fair

0 | Major safety incidents

18 | New rides introduced to the Fair in 2024.

20 | Days in the Fair, which was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

23 | San Diego County communities participating in the 2024 Community Banner Program that highlights county residents

49 | Carnival games

50 | Years that Tasti-Chips & Tasti Burgers has been operational at the San Diego County Fair

70 | Total rides in the Fun Zone and Kids Zone

95 | Local vendors/concessionaires at the Fair

105 | Buyers at the Junior Livestock Auction

110 | New entertainment acts for 2024

227 | Local entertainers/acts

275 | Total number of entertainers/acts.

302 | Youth ages 9-18 who participated in the Junior Livestock Auction

487 | Animals entered into the Junior Livestock market competition

566 | Items turned in to Lost & Found as of July 5

912 | "Let’s Go Retro Challenge” entries. Shawna Forster with the Best of Show Fair Photo and Juliana Carver with the Runner Up Fair Photo were declared the Challenge’s winners

1,045 | Entertainment hours performed.

1,273 | Temporary employees hired to support the San Diego County Fair

2,400 | Cubic yards of dirt brought into Del Mar Arena for Motocross, Monster Truck, Demolition Derby, and Flat Track racing events. That is equivalent to the amount that would fill half of an Olympic-sized swimming pool

4,265 | Cans of Spam used for Spam dishes

6,500 | Estimated number of donated stuffed animals that will be distributed to children’s hospitals in the region through the Care ‘N’ Share program

7,785 | Attendance at the most popular Toyota Summer Concert Series show, Los Tucanes de Tijuana

$14,299 | Price paid by “Chicken Charlie” Boghosian for the FFA Reserve Grand Champion Beef from exhibitor Emily Ragsdale of Pine Valley

18,009 | Kids 12 and under who received FREE admission on Fridays for Kids Days

19,082 | Competitive exhibits ribbons awarded

20,100 | Gallons of lemonade served

23,655 | Ears of corn shucked and served by food stand Corn Stars

25,993 | Tickets distributed through the Fair-for-All Program to local nonprofits and community organizations

30,259 | Players of the Balloon Game in Fun Zone

38,569 | Turkey legs sold at the Fair

50,000 | Estimated number of Fried Oreos sold by Chicken Charlie’s

59,157 | Total attendance of the Toyota Summer Concert Series on the Corona Grandstand Stage

61,764 | Ice cream cones served

61,941 | Fast Trax Slide riders, through July 6.

64,335 | Total attendance on July 3, the busiest day of the Fair

65,640 | Crazy Mouse riders, through July 6

73,267 | Riders on the Raptor Coaster, the most popular new ride, through July 6

86,872 | Riders who took the Sky Ride, through July 6

110,976 | Combined ridership on the two Ferris wheels, through July 6

$657,565 | Amount raised on the sale of 245 animals to 105 buyers during the Livestock Auction — an increase of more than $174,825 from 2023

877,452 | Total attendance at the 2024 San Diego County Fair

$237 million | Regional economic impact of the San Diego County Fair (2019 study)

About the 22nd District Agricultural Association

The 22nd District Agricultural Association owns and operates the Del Mar Fairgrounds and is governed by a nine-member board appointed by the governor. Fairgrounds operations are primarily funded by revenues generated by hosting events, the largest being the annual San Diego County Fair. For more information, visit delmarfairgrounds.com.

Learn everything about the San Diego County Fair on their official website and social media pages:

Website in Spanish: https://www.sdfair.com/spanish
Website in English: https://www.sdfair.com/
Facebook: @sdfair
Instagram: @sandiegocountyfair

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