The San Joaquin County Fair 2026 will look a bit different this year with its debut coming in December, fairground officials confirmed.
This year, the fair will run 12-days in December as a fair and holiday celebration all in one. The fair will still have the typical rides as well as a robust indoor concert series, animal showcasing and agricultural production showcasing.
Other additions because of December will include the ice skating rink, fake snow and fake snow fights, a Christmas market, and light displays.
While the month of December can be costly because of the holidays, fairground operators have been working to keep costs low and affordable, San Joaquin County Fair CEO Daniel Castillo said.
Despite the change, Castillo said it is not the first time the fair has been moved or canceled in its history.
Castillo said previously when the fair was held in May one of the issues the fair was faced with was hot temperatures.
“We get the first 100 degree heat of the summer,” he said. “It prevents certain people from being able to come out. We’ve had some heat illness issues and we want to prevent that.”
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Initially, fairground officials were seeking to move the fair to October, but the California State Fair at Cal Expo will move their event to the same month next year.
Castillo said running the fairs in the same month would have been difficult when it came to splitting patrons, the operations side, ride companies and entertainers.
With the previous decrease of fair attendees in the month of May last year, Castillo said the shift in dates is a call to action to the community. Although the fair gets state funding, it is not enough and the fair’s budget comes from self-funding, he said.
Castillo said it is not a sustainable market if people don’t come out to the fair or fairground events. Support from the community is vital in allowing the events to continue returning, he added.