More than fun and games, O.C. Fair gives big boost to region’s economy, study says

Although it seems like fun and games, the Orange County Fair has a massive effect on the regional economy, bolstering employment, tourism and revenue to the tune of nearly $331 million per year during its three-week lifespan.

That was the finding of an economic impact report considered this week by officials with the Orange County Fair & Event Center, which organizes the annual celebration and other year-round events on the Costa Mesa fairgrounds.

Published by Johnson Consulting, a hospitality and real estate consultant that provides analysis for the International Assn. of Fairs and Expositions, the report looked at the number of hotel stays, local taxes and jobs generated in 2024.

It found that in addition to attracting 1.05 million visitors to Costa Mesa, the spectacle led to the booking of more than 13,000 hotel room nights, which created $384,600 in transient occupancy tax revenue and generated roughly $11.6 million of sales tax across multiple cities.

“This is just for our 23-day fair,” said OCFEC chief executive James Canfield during a board meeting Thursday. “[Those are] some really significant numbers,”

The IAFE-commissioned review also provided an overview of the economic and fiscal impact of the fairgrounds year-round — including concerts and programming at the site’s Centennial Farm and Heroes Hall veterans museum — reporting much larger sums.

For instance, the site in 2024 welcomed 4.55 million visitors, who booked a collective 67,300 hotel room nights. Fairground operations sustained 5,960 jobs, creating $312.5 million in wages, and another $33.9 million in local revenue, according to the report.

Canfield said the consultant also provided a look at fair numbers throughout the U.S., tallying a $30 billion economic impact among 1,392 fairs and expositions nationwide.

“A big part of this is wanting to make sure the fair industry has the appropriate voice in setting priorities and policy,” he said. “It’s a massive group of over 1,300 fairs, attracting nearly 100 million attendees on an annual basis.”

OCFEC Director Doug La Belle encouraged staff to share the findings with local hospitality and tourism groups, such as Travel Costa Mesa and Visit Anaheim, who might incorporate the data into their own projections and programs.

“I think we ought to do everything we can to share that information with our partners out there — the restaurants, hotels and cities and other businesses, so they know the more they help us do things, the better it is for them,” he said.

This year’s fair, themed “Your Adventure Awaits,” runs July 17 through Aug. 16. For more, visit ocfair.com.