The San Diego County fair, renowned for its fried food, superb rides, adorable farm animals, and festive aura, is set to return to the Del Mar Fairgrounds this June 12. With it being the largest and oldest event that is annually held in the county, it makes sense why San Diegans anticipate the yearly unparalleled fun. But what most may not know, is the history of this 144 year old display.
The Early Days
Founded by a coalition of San Diego citizens in 1880, they wanted to make an event in which agriculture was at the forefront: competitions between crops, the exhibition of livestock, and overall appreciation for our land--which ended up being an immediate hit! And today the event is managed by the 22nd District Agricultural Association of California!
Even though the Del Mar Fairgrounds and the San Diego County Fair have been synonymous with each other since 1936, it was celebrated in many other locations before then, like National City and Balboa Park. And since then, it has only been canceled for two reasons in the last century: World War 2 and the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
Rebranding and Reformation
Furthermore, the fair has been through much rebranding over the years. Although founded with the name “San Diego County Fair,” and currently referred to as that today, there was a time when it was known as the “Southern California Exposition” from 1970-1982, and the “Del Mar Fair” from 1983-2001. Another change that the fair has gone through is the attachment of an annual theme! This idea in itself was created in 1980 when the fair hit the 100 year mark, and until 1998, was nature attributed. However, since then, the theme has been anything from Superheroes to Wizard of Oz, with this year being Retro full of vintage pop culture from 1950-1990!
A Reflection of San Diego History
Today, the county fair remains one of the dearest things to us and tourists alike; bringing us all together. The combination of both rich Southern California history and culture, as well as fun for the whole family, the San Diego County fair will be around for many more years to come and hopefully never stop.
So this year, make sure to go experience the hard work of San Diegans of past and present at the fair, which is open from June 12 through July 7.
For more information and images visit https://www.sdfair.com/
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