Got the Back-to-School Blues?

Got the back-to-school blues? The Santa Cruz County Fair is the cure!

The 2024 Santa Cruz County Fair is a one-stop-shop for experiences and entertainment that will take you back in time and transport you to the future!

For the first time ever, the Fair will feature a drone light show. Each night of the five-day Fair, “Skye Dreams” will amaze fairgoers with 200 drones dancing in the sky above the fairgrounds. It’s an artistic and high-tech experience.

The custom drone show includes a Salute to America, Fair mascot Space Kid and the UC Santa Cruz mascot Sammy the Slug.

Skye Dreams is in its third year producing shows throughout central California. The show features the newest drones, each equipped with three large 1600 lumen LED RGB lights capable of more than 2,000 colors.

But even as the Fair embraces “modern ways,” it’s always rooted in agriculture. The Ag History Project is an educational opportunity; a place to see how farming was done in the good old days. And of course, FFA and 4-H students will show off their prize pigs, goats, sheep, cows, rabbits and poultry in the Junior Livestock Auction.

In the Exhibit Halls, come see what your friends and neighbors have created in dozens of categories. Those categories include agriculture, horticulture, livestock, poultry, home arts, amateur wines, fine arts, LEGOs, poetry, youth displays, handspun/handwoven crafts, quilting, photography, floriculture, collections and more.

The 2024 Exhibitor’s Entry Guide is available online at santacruzcountyfair.com. A printed Guide is also available at the Fair Office and at local libraries and feed stores throughout the county.

Live musical entertainment this year includes, Antsy McClain, RED – A Taylor Swift Tribute, Escaramuza El Centenario Charra Show with Lola Montes and Los Tiranos Del Norte.

The Fair also hosts a carnival midway, Monster Trucks and Motocross, magic shows, kids’ shows, horse shows, tractor parades and roving entertainment. Plus, all the savory and sweet fair treats you only get once a year… from funnel cakes and cinnamon rolls to fried artichokes and BBQ kabobs.

Pre-sale tickets and ticket packages are available now. Pre-sale tickets cost less than tickets at the gate. And special packages include deals on admission, parking and carnival wristbands. Buying pre-sale carnival wristbands saves $5!

New this year, carpool to the Fair with your family, neighbors and friends! Fill your car with 5 or more people and park for free.

Monster Truck and Motocross tickets are also available online now.

To buy tickets and packages online, visit tickets.santacruzcountyfair.com/p/tickets. Pre-sale tickets are also available at the Fair Office.