Merced County Fair kicks off this week offering rides and entertainment for all ages
The Merced County Fair kicks off this Wednesday and will run through Sunday June 9 at the Merced County Fairgrounds at 900 Martin Luther King Jr. Way in Merced.
Offering carnival rides, grandstand shows, free concerts, various exhibits and livestock shows, the fair will run Wednesday through Sunday and will be open from 5 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 3 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
General admission tickets are $15 at the gate and admission for kids 12-and-under are free. Admission into the grandstand is $5 and children 5-and-under can enter the grandstand for free with a paid adult ticket. Parking is $5.
Grandstand events this year include Merced Speedway Auto Racing on Wednesday and Thursday, Valley Tractor Pullers’ Tractor Pull on Friday, a Destruction Derby on Saturday, and the Gran Cierre de Feria con Jaripeo Tremendo on Sunday, June 9.
According to the fair, all grandstand shows are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. with the exception of the Gran Cierre which begins at 6:30 p.m..
This year’s free Outdoor Concert Series will kick off Wednesday with Tribute to George Strait by musical artist Derek Spence, Garrett Wilkin and The Parrotheads a celebration of music by Jimmy Buffet will take to the stage Thursday,
Country music artist Tyler Farr will perform Friday, R&B artists The Whispers will take to the stage Saturday and La Original Banda El Limón will perform Sunday on the final day of the fair.
Concerts are scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. and shows are free with paid fair admission.
The fair will also feature carnival rides for fairgoers of all ages as well as competitive exhibits, livestock exhibits and livestock sale. Vendors will be selling fair food favorites such as corn dogs, funnel cakes, burgers, fries, hot dogs, kettle corn, cotton candy, BBQ chicken, ribs, giant turkey leg, rainbow grilled cheese, pizza, cheese curds, cinnamon roles, burritos, tacos, quesadillas and more.
According to the fair, this year marks the 132nd year of operation for the fair which attracts roughly 70,000 people annually.
This story was originally published June 3, 2024 at 3:53 PM.