O.C. Fair Grows to 23rd Largest in U.S.

The Orange County fair, which set attendance records in 1997, is now the 23rd largest fair in the country. That’s an 11-spot jump from last year.

With the theme “We’re Goin’ Tropical,” the fair moved past similar events in Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon and other states. Attendance at the Orange County Fairgrounds in Costa Mesa was 785,944, a 14.5% increase over the previous year.

Only a fair in Bloomsburg, Pa., made a bigger jump in attendance rankings, from 40th to 25th.

The Texas State Fair in Dallas rounded up 3,479,425 fair-goers to take the No. 1 spot.

Orange County will try to move up again this year when the fair runs from July 10 to July 26 with a salute to fuchsias, Costa Mesa’s city flower.