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High-flying carnival rides are just one of the many popular attractions at the 2023 Alameda County Fair, which comes to a close this Sunday. (Photo by Josie de la Torre) -
It is fried food and sugary treats galore at the fairgrounds. (Photo by Josie de la Torre) -
Karla Perez will close out the fair concert series with her tribute to Selena. (Photo courtesy Alameda County Fair) -
Fair officials were encouraging visitors to suggest names for the new cow statue. (Photo by Josie de la Torre) -
Kids get out on the dance floor at one of the small stages around the fairgrounds. (Photo by Josie de la Torre) -
Super Diamond, a Neil Diamond cover band, is performing on Saturday (July 8) at the Alameda County Fair. (Photo courtesy Alameda County Fair) -
Rides light up the carnival midway at dusk in Pleasanton. (Photo by Josie de la Torre) -
The jam contest was among the food competitions at this year’s fair. (Photo by Josie de la Torre) -
The carnival midway at dusk at the Alameda County Fair on June 25. (Photo by Josie de la Torre)
With people from all over the Bay Area coming to Pleasanton for summer fun, the Alameda County Fair offers one final weekend of carnival favorites, exciting new food, eye-popping exhibitions and thrilling shows.
Many friends and families have attended in groups to spend a long day at the fair, a tradition to kickstart the season.
“This year has been amazing at the Alameda County Fair, and it’s been like a full house every single day,” said volunteer Purnima Sreenivasan, from the Mount Diablo Rose Society.
Themed “Summer Vibes,” the fair opened June 16 and started the fun with a weekend of horse racing, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest for West Coast qualifiers, special concerts and a celebration for Father’s Day by giving fathers a free drink koozie giveaway.
Strolling through the fair on June 25, many people could be seen in long lines for different varieties of the corn dogs such as to try the Korean corn dog cooked in panko with chili sauce or the plant-based Beyond Corn Dog. Also popular were the newest food attraction for musubi rice snacks, with different variations from teriyaki spam musubi to omni vegan luncheon musubi. Kids were often munching on cotton candy or kettle corn.
The fair’s attractions included concerts, live entertainment, carnival games, petting zoos, horse and pig races and drone shows, as well as contests ranging from art submissions to the wine and botanical exhibitions — along with plenty of shopping opportunities from vendors selling a variety of goods like mattresses, crystals and clothing.
Many folks walked through the Made By Hand exhibition in Building C, observing the variety of art submissions from crocheted or knitted items, themed-dish displays to jam submissions.
“The last time I went to the Alameda County Fair was probably 2018, but so far I have been enjoying it,” said Maryam Khawar, a resident in Pleasanton.
“One thing that I have really been enjoying is seeing a lot of the different submissions for the art contests. Especially as an artist in the Bay Area, it shows me a lot about the art scene in the East Bay,” she added while observing the art in the Made by Hand exhibition.
Close by, the Little Critters exhibit in Building P held many small animals like bunnies, chickens, pigeons and lizards. People flocked to buy chickens and bunnies to take home.
Toward the end of day, many teenagers and young adults lined up to go on the amusement rides for thrill seeking. One of the longest lines was for the Ferris wheel to watch the sunset and moonlit night sky.
The 2023 Alameda County Fair wraps up its 20-day run on Sunday (July 9). Fairgoers can expect this closing weekend to be busier as families and friends attend final horse races, drone shows and the thrill rides. Families can also lay out on blankets on the grass and watch family friendly animated movies “Sonic the Hedgehog”, “Trolls,” and “Coco” streaming at 6 p.m on the Concert Lawn each night, respectively.
The Big O Tires Concert Series will conclude the fair’s closing weekend with performances by Mirage, a critically acclaimed tribute band of Fleetwood Mac on Friday (July 7); Neil Diamond tribute group Super Diamond will play on Saturday, performing Neil’s timeless pop classics; and finally Karla Perez performing on Sunday with her tribute to Selena, bringing back audiences on a musical journey by singing along to the late Selena’s greatest hits.
Check out the full schedule for closing weekend at annual.alamedacountyfair.com.
