Costa Mesa : Crowds at Fair Breaking All Attendance Records
The Orange County Fair was heading Sunday for the biggest weekend in its 94-year history, surpassing its peak attendance of 1981, fair officials said. On opening day Friday, a record 36,271 people attended the fair, up from the previous opening-day record of 30,628 set in 1981, said Jill Lloyd, spokeswoman for the fair. In 1985, 29,506 attended opening festivities.
On “opening Saturday,” another record was set, with 55,226 attending, Lloyd said, up from 1981’s record of 50,183. And the first attendance count for Sunday also broke new ground: 28,206 people had arrived by 3 p.m., up from 19,185 in 1985. Hourly attendance figures have been kept only for the last two years.
Even with the record crowds, parking has not been a problem. “We’re parking here (at the fair site) and have the availability of Costa Mesa High School and Orange Coast College, so we haven’t been to capacity yet,” Lloyd said.
The fair closes next Sunday. Hours are noon to midnight Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to midnight on weekends at the fairgrounds on Fair Drive in Costa Mesa.
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