Merced Summer Carnival kicks off Thursday at county fairgrounds. Here are the details

The public is welcome to the Merced Summer Carnival, which is scheduled from Thursday, July 1 to Sunday, July 11 at the Merced County Fairgrounds, 900 Martin Luther King Jr Way.

Attendees can expect carnival rides, games, fair food and more.

“We started off with our Fair Food Favorites in May, then our successful Livestock Show & Sale in June and now we’re moving on to thrilling carnival rides in July with Merced Summer Carnival,” said Teresa Burrola, CEO of the Merced County Fair, in a news release.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with Butler Amusements Inc. to bring some summer fun back to the Merced County Fairgrounds for our community to enjoy, as we know this attraction was greatly missed without our traditional fair the last two years.”

The fair is open from 5 p.m. to midnight on weekdays, and from 3 p.m. to midnight on weekends. Attendees are asked to enter from Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Parking is free and available on the grounds on a first come first serve basis.

Admission is $5 per adult, $2 for children age 12 and under, children who are 36 inches and under are admitted for free; no re-entries are allowed.

Price paid for admission is credited towards each Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristband purchase. No re-entry will be allowed.

Unlimited carnival wristbands cost $30 and are good for one day of the carnival from opening day to the closing day. For more information about this year’s carnival visit its website.

Featured carnival rides include: The Giant Gondola Wheel, Freak Out, Rock Star, Himalaya, Raptor, Area 51, The Zipper and more.

Featured fair food include: funnel cakes, ice cream and fried treats like Twinkies, Snickers and Oreos. There are also corn dogs, nachos, popcorn, cotton candy, caramel and candy apples, churros, snow cones, fresh squeezed lemonade and lemonade Slushees, according to the release.

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 12:23 PM.