Sacramento County California Fair Schedule

Introduction

The Sacramento County Fair is a long-running agricultural and community event held at Cal Expo in Sacramento, California. Although Sacramento County is strongly associated with its urban center, state government, and growing metropolitan population, agriculture remains an important part of the county’s identity. The fair brings those rural and agricultural connections into a large regional setting through livestock exhibitions, youth programs, competitive exhibits, agricultural displays, live entertainment, carnival attractions, food, and arena events.

The 2026 Sacramento County Fair was scheduled for May 21 through May 25, 2026, making it a Memorial Day weekend tradition for Sacramento County residents and visitors from surrounding communities. The fair’s official site has indicated that 2027 announcements will follow, so specific 2027 dates, admission prices, entertainment schedules, and competition deadlines should not be treated as confirmed until the fair releases them.

Fair Overview and Fast Facts

The Sacramento County Fair is held at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Boulevard, Sacramento, California 95815. The fairgrounds are located near the intersection of Exposition Boulevard and Challenge Way and provide substantially more space and infrastructure than a small rural fairground.

Sacramento is both the county seat and the county’s principal urban center. The county extends from the Sacramento River and Delta agricultural areas through highly developed communities and into eastern areas near the Sierra Nevada foothills. Sacramento County’s agricultural economy includes vineyards, pears, dairy production, poultry, aquaculture, rice, tomatoes, orchards, and other crops and livestock. Wine grapes have been one of the county’s highest-value agricultural commodities, while milk, pears, poultry, and aquaculture have also ranked among its leading commodities.

The 2026 fair operated from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, May 21–24, and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 25. The 2026 admission structure listed children age 11 and under as free, youth ages 12–16 at $10, and general admission for ages 17 and older at $12. Senior Day on May 21 offered free admission for visitors age 62 and older, while retired and active military personnel with valid military identification could enter free on May 25.

History and Origins

The Sacramento County Fair traces its history to 1937, when it was established in the City of Galt. The early fair was considerably different from the modern event, with a strong emphasis on livestock and indoor exhibits. In 1948, the organization became a District Agricultural Association, and the fair remained in Galt until 1954.

The fair moved to the State Fairgrounds on Stockton Boulevard in 1954. When the State Fair moved to the newly developed Cal Expo facility in 1969, the Sacramento County Fair moved there as well. For many years the county fair depended partly on revenues associated with the State Fair Horse Show, which it produced until 1991.

A major transformation occurred in 1988, when the Sacramento County Fair introduced a paid admission gate, carnival, entertainment, food, commercial vendors, and broader programming. This helped turn the event from primarily a junior agricultural and indoor-exhibit fair into the larger public festival familiar to visitors today.

The construction of the new livestock pavilion in 1990 temporarily required the fair to move to the Placer County Fairgrounds in Roseville. It returned to Cal Expo afterward, where it has continued its long association with the Sacramento fairgrounds.

The fair also has a strong educational mission. Following the elimination of state fair funding in 2011, the Sacramento County Fair Foundation was established as a charitable organization focused on supporting agricultural education and helping preserve the fair’s role in connecting Sacramento County residents with agriculture.

Readers comparing California’s county fair traditions can look at the Riverside County California Fair Schedule alongside the Sacramento County California Fair Schedule to see how two distinct regions connect agriculture with large community celebrations. Riverside County’s Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in Indio reflects the Coachella Valley’s date-growing heritage through agricultural exhibits, livestock, rodeo, demolition derby, carnival attractions, and arena entertainment, while the Sacramento County California Fair Schedule highlights the Sacramento region’s agricultural diversity through livestock competitions, 4-H and FFA programs, horticulture, competitive exhibits, rodeo, truck events, carnival rides, and live performances at Cal Expo. Together, the two fairs show how California’s agricultural traditions can take different forms according to each county’s landscape, crops, communities, and regional culture.

Agricultural Competitions and Livestock Shows

Agriculture is one of the most important parts of the Sacramento County Fair, particularly through its livestock program. The 2026 livestock schedule included market and breeding competitions involving goats, swine, rabbits, poultry, turkeys, sheep, beef cattle, dairy cattle, cavies, and dogs.

The livestock program begins before the public fair opens because animals must be checked in, weighed, inspected, and prepared for competition. On Thursday, May 21, the schedule included market goat and swine shows, rabbit competitions, market eggs, poultry, and turkey events. Friday included sheep and beef competitions along with swine, rabbit, poultry, and other showmanship classes. Saturday featured pygmy, fiber, and Nigerian goats, dog competitions, dairy cattle, and master showmanship activities.

The Junior Livestock Auction was scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 10 a.m., followed by the Sale of Champions at noon. These events provide an important connection between youth agricultural education, animal husbandry, competitive showing, and the agricultural business community.

The livestock program includes 4-H and FFA participation, along with independent exhibitors under the fair’s eligibility rules. The 2026 handbook required market-animal exhibitors to meet Sacramento County residency or qualifying local club or chapter requirements. The program also places considerable emphasis on exhibitor responsibility, volunteer participation, animal care, showmanship, and agricultural education.

Fair Schedule Structure

The Sacramento County Fair follows a multi-day schedule that combines agricultural competitions with public entertainment. The livestock schedule begins early in the morning, while the main public fair operates throughout the day and into the evening.

For 2026, the fair ran from Thursday, May 21 through Monday, May 25. Thursday through Sunday provided the longest public hours, from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m., while Memorial Day Monday closed earlier at 7 p.m. The final day also included the closing stages of the livestock program and the release of exhibits and animals.

Visitors planning their day should distinguish between fair admission and separately ticketed arena attractions. General admission provides access to the fairgrounds, while certain major arena and grandstand events can require their own tickets.

The 2027 schedule has not yet been officially announced by the Sacramento County Fair. Because fair dates, entry deadlines, admission prices, and event times can change from one year to another, visitors should wait for the official 2027 schedule rather than assuming the 2026 calendar will simply repeat.

Entertainment, Rides, and Midway

The modern Sacramento County Fair combines traditional agricultural programming with carnival entertainment and performances. The midway provides rides and family attractions, while the fairgrounds also host music, specialty performances, demonstrations, food vendors, community activities, and other entertainment.

The 2026 program included concerts and live music throughout the fair. Scheduled performers included Sunset River Band, Remedy 7, Dane Madden, Ninth Circle, Corazon De Mana, and Gunpowder & Lace, among other performers and acts.

Grounds entertainment in 2026 included attractions such as Brad’s World Reptiles, The Magic Bean agricultural magic show, The Cutest Show On Earth, Mind Works!, and Butterfly Kingdom. The combination of agricultural demonstrations, animal attractions, live music, and carnival rides gives the Sacramento County Fair a broader family-oriented program than a livestock-only county exhibition.

Open Class and Amateur Competitions

The competitive exhibit program provides Sacramento County residents with an opportunity to display creative work, food, horticulture, crafts, photography, textiles, and other accomplishments. These competitions preserve an important traditional element of county fairs while extending participation beyond livestock exhibitors.

The 2026 indoor competitive handbook included adult art and photography, clothing and textiles, crafts, baked foods, food preservation, handspun and handcrafted yarn, horticulture and floriculture, wool and fiber, pallet art, quilts, and several junior departments.

Youth competitions covered areas including art, baked foods, cake decorating, crafts, food preservation, horticulture and floriculture, mechanical science, photography, sewing, textiles, wool and fiber, place settings, and educational projects. There were also categories for Girl Scouts, primary creative exhibits, school projects, and exhibitors with physical or developmental challenges.

For 2026, general indoor competition entries closed on April 17 at midnight. The standard entry fee was $5 per entry, with a separate $5 processing fee per exhibitor. Exhibit delivery occurred on designated dates in May, with different arrangements for artwork, photography, textiles, food, horticulture, and floriculture.

These deadlines should not be carried forward automatically to 2027 because the fair can revise its handbook and entry calendar each year.

Demolition Derby, Tractor Pulls, and Motorsport Events

Motorsport and arena events are a significant part of the Sacramento County Fair’s entertainment program. The 2026 schedule included the Monster X Tour, Stars & Stripes Memorial Rodeo, Dirt Drag Racing, and 4 x 4 Truck Pulls.

The Monster X Tour was scheduled for May 21, May 22, and May 25, while the Stars & Stripes Memorial Rodeo was scheduled for Saturday, May 23. Dirt drag racing was also scheduled for May 23, followed by 4 x 4 truck pulls on Sunday, May 24.

A Mayhem Demolition Derby was listed by the fair, although its 2026 date and time were still marked as to be determined. Visitors should therefore distinguish between confirmed arena events and attractions that remain subject to scheduling.

The combination of rodeo, truck pulling, drag racing, and monster-truck entertainment gives the Sacramento County Fair a strong arena component alongside its agricultural competitions.

4-H and FFA Youth Programs

Youth agricultural education is central to the Sacramento County Fair. The livestock program provides 4-H and FFA members with a practical setting in which they can demonstrate animal care, feeding, breeding knowledge, showmanship, record keeping, responsibility, and understanding of agricultural production.

The 2026 livestock program included separate 4-H and FFA classes in several species. The fair also provided primary showmanship opportunities for younger participants in selected animal departments, allowing children to become familiar with agricultural competition before reaching the regular competitive age requirements.

FFA exhibitors participate under eligibility requirements connected with agricultural education programs, while 4-H exhibitors participate through the county’s youth development structure. The fair also incorporates independent exhibitors and other qualifying youth programs under its published rules.

The Junior Livestock Auction is particularly important because it connects youth projects with buyers and the broader agricultural economy. Families and exhibitors also have volunteer responsibilities because many livestock activities are administered with substantial support from volunteers.

Fairgrounds Facilities and Layout

The Sacramento County Fair occupies the Cal Expo complex at 1600 Exposition Boulevard in Sacramento. Cal Expo is a large permanent exhibition and event facility, allowing the county fair to use specialized areas for livestock, indoor exhibits, concerts, carnival activities, and arena programming.

The Five Star Bank Livestock Pavilion serves as the principal livestock area. It contains separate rings and spaces for cattle, sheep, goats, swine, rabbits, poultry, and related competitions. The fair also uses indoor exhibition buildings for art, photography, crafts, food, horticulture, textiles, quilts, and other competitive exhibits.

The size and permanent infrastructure of Cal Expo allow the Sacramento County Fair to operate agricultural competitions and public entertainment simultaneously. Visitors interested in livestock should expect the animal areas to have a different atmosphere from the carnival and concert portions of the grounds.

Getting There: Directions and Logistics

The Sacramento County Fair is held at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Boulevard, Sacramento, CA 95815. The fair’s directions identify the fairground area near Exposition Boulevard and Challenge Way, with fair visitors directed through the appropriate Cal Expo entrance for the event.

For the 2026 fair, public parking was listed at $10. Because parking arrangements at Cal Expo can vary according to event operations, visitors should check the current fair information before traveling.

Exhibitors have separate parking arrangements. The 2026 livestock handbook identified Lot D near Exposition Boulevard and Challenge Way for exhibitor parking and provided discounted exhibitor parking options. Levee parking was also available through a separate application process, with spaces assigned according to availability and vehicle requirements.

The fairground is in the Sacramento metropolitan area, making it accessible to residents of Sacramento, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova, Folsom, and other surrounding communities. Visitors should allow additional travel time during busy evening periods and major arena events.

Volunteer and Vendor Opportunities

The Sacramento County Fair depends on vendors, exhibitors, agricultural participants, performers, and volunteers to operate its multi-day program. Commercial vendors can apply to sell or promote approved products and services, while food concessionaires must meet the fair’s application requirements and applicable food-safety regulations.

The 2026 commercial vendor application required information about the proposed products or services, booth presentation, photographs, and other business details. A non-refundable application fee applied, with the amount depending on when the application was submitted. Food concessionaires were subject to a separate application process.

Volunteer participation is particularly important in the livestock program. The fair’s livestock handbook describes the shows as being primarily administered by volunteers and requires participating families to contribute to the fair’s volunteer effort. This involvement reflects the cooperative nature of county-fair livestock programs, where exhibitors, parents, leaders, judges, and fair personnel all contribute to keeping competitions organized.

Anyone interested in participating in 2027 should wait for the new year’s applications and handbooks because vendor fees, entry deadlines, volunteer requirements, and available spaces can change.

Economic and Community Impact

The Sacramento County Fair connects an increasingly urban population with an agricultural economy that remains substantial despite the county’s metropolitan character. Sacramento County is widely associated with the region’s Farm-to-Fork identity, but its agricultural production extends well beyond the city into vineyards, orchards, Delta farmland, ranches, dairy operations, and other rural areas.

Agriculture in Sacramento County has generated hundreds of millions of dollars in annual gross production value. Wine grapes, milk, pears, poultry, aquaculture, rice, tomatoes, and other commodities contribute to an agricultural landscape that is closely connected to the county’s food system.

The fair provides a public setting where residents can see livestock, agricultural displays, youth projects, horticulture, food preservation, and other examples of hands-on agricultural activity. For children who live primarily in Sacramento’s urban and suburban communities, the livestock barns and agricultural exhibits can provide a direct introduction to how food and agricultural products are produced.

The event also creates opportunities for food businesses, commercial exhibitors, entertainers, agricultural organizations, youth programs, and local participants. Its community value therefore extends beyond the few days when the gates are open.

Comparing Sacramento County Fair to Nearby Fairs

The Sacramento County Fair occupies a distinctive position among Northern California fairs because it combines a major metropolitan setting with traditional county-fair agriculture. Its location at Cal Expo provides large-scale facilities for livestock, arena events, concerts, carnival attractions, and indoor competitive exhibits.

Nearby fairs can have different identities. The Placer County Fair in Roseville also serves a rapidly developing region while maintaining strong livestock, 4-H, FFA, agricultural, and competitive-exhibit traditions. Other nearby agricultural events in the Sacramento Valley and Delta tend to be smaller and more closely connected to individual rural communities or particular crops.

Sacramento County’s fair is especially notable for bringing agriculture into the county’s largest urban center. The livestock pavilion, youth agricultural programs, horticulture exhibits, food competitions, and agricultural demonstrations sit alongside concerts, carnival rides, truck events, rodeo programming, and commercial exhibits, creating a broader event than a purely agricultural show.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the dates and hours of the Sacramento County Fair?

The confirmed 2026 Sacramento County Fair ran May 21–25, 2026. Hours were 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, May 25. The 2027 dates and hours have not yet been officially announced by the Sacramento County Fair.

Where is the Sacramento County Fair held?

The fair is held at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Boulevard, Sacramento, California 95815. The fairgrounds are near Exposition Boulevard and Challenge Way.

How much does it cost to attend the Sacramento County Fair?

For 2026, general admission was $12 for visitors age 17 and older, $10 for youth ages 12–16, and free for children age 11 and under. Senior Day offered free admission to visitors age 62 and older, and retired and active military personnel with valid military identification could enter free on May 25. Admission prices for 2027 have not yet been announced.

Is there free parking at the Sacramento County Fair?

No general free parking should be assumed. The 2026 fair listed public parking at $10. Exhibitor parking and levee parking operated under separate arrangements.

Can I bring my own food and drinks into the Sacramento County Fair?

Visitors should follow the fair’s current visitor policies rather than assuming outside food and beverages are permitted. Because rules can vary by event and year, check the current visitor guidelines before arriving.

How do I enter an item in competition at the Sacramento County Fair?

Competitive exhibits are entered through the fair’s published entry system and handbook. The 2026 indoor competition deadline was April 17, while livestock entries were handled separately. Categories included art, photography, crafts, food, horticulture, textiles, quilts, youth projects, and other departments. The 2027 handbook should be consulted for the new entry deadline and requirements.

Is the Sacramento County Fair appropriate for young children?

Yes. The fair includes livestock, youth agricultural programs, animal attractions, family entertainment, carnival rides, educational demonstrations, music, and other activities designed for families. Children also have opportunities to participate in youth competitions and primary showmanship programs.

Are pets allowed at the Sacramento County Fair?

Visitors should not assume that ordinary household pets are permitted throughout the fairgrounds. Animal access is controlled because the event includes livestock and other animals. Service animals are subject to applicable accessibility requirements, while other animals should be addressed according to the current fair’s visitor rules.

Does the Sacramento County Fair have a demolition derby?

A Mayhem Demolition Derby has been included in the Sacramento County Fair’s arena programming. For 2026, however, the fair listed its date and time as to be determined, so visitors should check the confirmed arena schedule before planning around a demolition derby.

Who organizes the Sacramento County Fair?

The Sacramento County Fair is operated through its fair organization and Board of Directors, with the Sacramento County Fair Foundation also playing an important role in supporting the fair’s agricultural education mission. The event is held at the Cal Expo complex.

Is camping available at the Sacramento County Fair fairgrounds?

Cal Expo has RV facilities, and livestock exhibitors may have access to fair-specific RV arrangements under the livestock program’s rules. General visitors should not assume that camping is included with fair admission or available without advance arrangements.

What happens if the fair is cancelled due to weather?

The fair’s management determines whether weather or another emergency requires an event cancellation, schedule change, or closure. Visitors should rely on the fair’s official announcements for current information because Sacramento’s late-spring conditions can include high temperatures, strong winds, or other conditions that may affect outdoor activities.