San Bernardino County Fair is scheduled
The San Bernardino County Fair is a major annual gathering in California’s High Desert, bringing together livestock competitions, youth agricultural programs, carnival rides, live entertainment, competitive exhibits, motorsports, food, shopping, and community activities. Unlike many county fairs that operate for a single continuous week, the San Bernardino County Fair uses a two-weekend format, giving visitors several opportunities to attend.
The 79th San Bernardino County Fair is scheduled for May 23–25 and May 29–31, 2026, at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds in Victorville. The fair’s location along historic Route 66 and its High Desert setting give the event a distinctive regional character. For 2027, the complete fair dates and public schedule have not yet been officially released, so 2026 information should not be treated as a confirmed 2027 timetable.
Fair Overview and Fast Facts
The San Bernardino County Fair is held at 14800 7th Street, Victorville, CA 92395, in the High Desert region of San Bernardino County. The fairgrounds are within Victorville and provide a large event complex with livestock areas, exhibition spaces, carnival areas, outdoor lawns, grandstands, and parking.
The 2026 fair is divided into two three-day weekends: May 23–25 and May 29–31, 2026. The published 2026 visitor information lists the fair operating from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on the scheduled fair dates.
The 2026 theme is “May the Fair Be With You,” giving the 79th annual fair a Star Wars-inspired identity. Programming includes concerts, carnival rides, livestock exhibitions, food, vendors, competitive exhibits, Tuff Trucks, a demolition derby, Western Heritage Pro Open Bull Riding, and other entertainment.
The fair is managed by the 28th District Agricultural Association, a California State agency governed by a board of directors appointed by the Governor. The fairgrounds also host events throughout the year beyond the annual county fair.
History and Origins
The San Bernardino County Fair has been held in Victorville since the late 1940s. The 2026 event is identified as the 79th annual fair, reflecting a tradition that has become closely associated with the High Desert communities of San Bernardino County.
The fair’s history is connected to the broader agricultural and community development of the Victor Valley. San Bernardino County is geographically enormous, extending from the Inland Empire and San Bernardino Mountains into the Mojave Desert. Victorville sits within the High Desert, where the environment, transportation routes, ranching traditions, and growing residential communities have shaped local life.
The fairgrounds themselves have developed into a year-round event center rather than serving only during the annual fair. Horse shows, livestock events, car shows, concerts, RV rallies, community gatherings, and other activities use the property throughout the year.
The fair’s location on Seventh Street, along historic Route 66, also gives it a connection to one of the most recognizable transportation corridors in American history. In 2026, Route 66’s centennial celebrations provided an additional reason for special car and fan activities at the fair.
Readers comparing California’s county fair traditions can look at the San Benito County California Fair Schedule alongside the San Bernardino County California Fair Schedule to see how two distinct regions preserve agricultural and community traditions. San Benito County’s fair in Tres Pinos reflects the ranching and farming character of the Central Coast through livestock shows, 4-H and FFA programs, agricultural exhibits, western events, and community competitions, while the San Bernardino County California Fair Schedule highlights the High Desert setting of Victorville through livestock programs, carnival attractions, concerts, Tuff Trucks, demolition derby events, bull riding, and other large-scale entertainment. Together, the two schedules demonstrate how California county fairs adapt their programs to the geography, agriculture, history, and community character of their respective regions.
Agricultural Competitions and Livestock Shows
Livestock remains one of the most important educational components of the San Bernardino County Fair. The Junior Livestock program gives 4-H, FFA, Grange, and eligible independent youth exhibitors an opportunity to raise, care for, show, and sell agricultural animals.
The 2026 livestock schedule includes market goats, sheep, beef, market calves, swine, rabbits, poultry, turkeys, breeding livestock, and horses. Each species has its own receiving, weighing, judging, and showmanship requirements.
Large livestock exhibitors have mandatory evaluation weigh-ins before the fair. The 2026 schedule also establishes minimum ownership periods, with requirements varying according to species. These rules ensure that animals are genuinely part of the exhibitor’s project rather than simply being obtained shortly before the fair.
The livestock competitions continue throughout the first fair weekend and into the second weekend. Market goat and sheep competitions are scheduled for Saturday, May 23, while beef and calf competitions are scheduled for Sunday, May 24, and market hog competitions continue Monday, May 25.
The Junior Livestock Auction is scheduled for Saturday, May 30, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the RAM Truck Arena. Qualifying market animals from youth agricultural projects can be sold through the auction, allowing local buyers to support young exhibitors and agricultural education.
Fair Schedule Structure
The San Bernardino County Fair has a different schedule structure from a traditional seven-day county fair. In 2026, the public event is spread across six days over two consecutive weekends.
The first weekend runs from Saturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25. The second weekend runs from Friday, May 29 through Sunday, May 31. The fair’s published visitor information lists afternoon opening and evening closing hours, while individual grandstand events can have their own gate and show times.
Livestock activities begin before and continue through the public fair period. Exhibitors must complete entry requirements, ownership periods, evaluations, animal receiving, and other preparations according to the livestock department’s schedule.
The second weekend includes major youth and livestock activities, including the Junior Livestock Auction. Special entertainment and arena events are distributed across both weekends, allowing visitors to choose between agricultural competitions, carnival attractions, concerts, motorsports, and family entertainment.
For 2027, the official public schedule should be checked when released. The fair’s annual dates, hours, ticket prices, entertainment lineup, and competition deadlines can change from one year to the next.
Entertainment, Rides, and Midway
Carnival rides are a central part of the San Bernardino County Fair experience. The fair combines the midway with food vendors, commercial vendors, animal attractions, music, roaming performers, and family entertainment.
The 2026 grounds entertainment program includes attractions such as Dino’s & Dragons, Steve’s Fun Balloons, the Tiki Shack, the Doo-Wah Riders, livestock shows, local bands, and other family performers. Some attractions are available only on particular days or weekends.
The fair also includes numerous food and shopping opportunities. Visitors can find traditional fair food alongside commercial vendors selling homemade products, clothing, home furnishings, cooking products, spas, and other goods.
The 2026 fair’s Star Wars theme adds another layer to the entertainment environment, while special Route 66-related activities connect the event to Victorville’s historic transportation heritage.
Open Class and Amateur Competitions
Competitive exhibits allow residents to participate even if they are not showing livestock. The San Bernardino County Fair includes departments covering areas such as fine art, crafts, food, gardening, and other creative and practical exhibits.
These competitions give children, teenagers, adults, youth organizations, and agricultural participants an opportunity to display skills developed at home, at school, through clubs, or through agricultural programs.
Food and gardening exhibits are particularly appropriate for the High Desert community because they connect everyday skills with the fair’s agricultural purpose. Fine art and craft departments broaden participation beyond traditional farming and ranching projects.
Exhibitors should always use the current year’s entry guide because eligibility, categories, fees, deadlines, delivery procedures, and judging requirements may change for each fair.
Demolition Derby, Tractor Pulls, and Motorsport Events
Motorsports and western arena entertainment are prominent features of the San Bernardino County Fair. The 2026 program includes several major events that are separate from ordinary grounds entertainment.
The High Point Dirt Series with Tuff Trucks is scheduled for May 23, followed by the Demo Derby on May 24. These events provide a distinctly different experience from the agricultural exhibits and carnival midway.
The Western Heritage Pro Open Bull Riding event is scheduled for May 25. Together with the demolition derby and Tuff Trucks, bull riding gives the fair a strong grandstand and arena identity.
The fairgrounds also regularly host motorsports and vehicle-related events outside the annual fair. However, visitors should distinguish those year-round events from the official county fair schedule.
The fair’s 2026 program does not make a traditional tractor pull the same kind of headline attraction as the truck and dirt events. A separate truck and tractor pull should not be assumed for 2027 unless it appears in that year’s official schedule.
4-H and FFA Youth Programs
Youth agricultural education is a major part of the San Bernardino County Fair. 4-H and FFA exhibitors raise livestock throughout the project year and bring those animals to Victorville for evaluation, showmanship, and, when eligible, the Junior Livestock Auction.
The program also accommodates Grange and independent junior exhibitors under specific eligibility rules. Independent exhibitors must meet the fair’s age, ownership, supervision, and documentation requirements.
The fair requires livestock exhibitors to complete an approved Youth for the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) ethics program. This requirement reinforces the educational purpose of the livestock program and emphasizes proper animal care and responsible management.
The Junior Livestock Auction is particularly important because proceeds can help young exhibitors reinvest in future agricultural projects or save money for education. Local buyers therefore participate not simply as purchasers but as supporters of youth agricultural development.
Fairgrounds Facilities and Layout
The San Bernardino County Fairgrounds cover a large area in Victorville and operate as a year-round event center. The facility includes livestock areas, exhibition and commercial buildings, outdoor festival spaces, a carnival area, parking, and a 3,750-seat grandstand.
The fairgrounds also have more than 15 acres of lawn and park-like outdoor space and more than 2,000 parking stalls. These facilities allow the fair to operate agricultural competitions, entertainment, carnival attractions, and grandstand events simultaneously.
Livestock facilities include areas for beef, sheep, goats, swine, rabbits, poultry, and other approved animal projects. The RAM Truck Arena serves as an important venue for livestock and major arena programming, including the Junior Livestock Auction.
The property also includes a permanent RV park and campground facilities, making it useful for exhibitors and visitors involved in multi-day events.
Getting There: Directions and Logistics
The San Bernardino County Fairgrounds are located at 14800 7th Street in Victorville, in the High Desert portion of the county. The fairgrounds are positioned near Interstate 15 and historic Route 66.
Visitors approaching from the north on Interstate 15 can exit at Roy Rogers Drive and follow the fairgrounds access route. Visitors traveling south can also use the Roy Rogers exit and cross the overpass before following the local access directions.
Because the fair operates over two weekends and includes popular arena events, traffic can become heavier around major attractions. Arriving early is especially useful for visitors attending livestock competitions, concerts, demolition derby events, or bull riding.
Livestock exhibitors have separate entry procedures and access arrangements. The livestock area uses its own designated entrance through La Paz Street from Seventh Street via Gate E, according to the livestock regulations.
Volunteer and Vendor Opportunities
The San Bernardino County Fair provides opportunities for commercial vendors, food vendors, exhibitors, agricultural organizations, and volunteers. The 2026 vendor program includes commercial buildings, outdoor commercial spaces, and food locations.
Vendors can offer homemade products, food, clothing, home furnishings, cooking products, spas, and other merchandise. Applications are evaluated by fair management, and completing an application does not automatically guarantee space.
Livestock programs also depend heavily on adult leaders, 4-H and FFA advisors, department officials, judges, volunteers, and families. Running livestock receiving, animal care, judging, showmanship, and the Junior Livestock Auction requires substantial coordination.
People interested in participating in the 2027 fair should wait for the next exhibitor and vendor information because application deadlines, fees, space availability, and documentation requirements can change annually.
Economic and Community Impact
San Bernardino County is California’s largest county by land area and contains a remarkable range of landscapes, from the densely populated Inland Empire to the San Bernardino Mountains and vast Mojave Desert. Victorville belongs to the High Desert region, where desert geography and long-distance transportation routes strongly influence local life.
Agriculture in the county is diverse rather than being concentrated in a single crop. Agricultural production includes livestock and farming activities in suitable parts of the county, while the wider region’s economic identity also includes transportation, logistics, manufacturing, tourism, and rapidly growing residential communities.
The San Bernardino County Fair provides a meeting point between these different aspects of High Desert life. Livestock shows preserve agricultural education, while carnival attractions, concerts, food vendors, motorsports, and commercial exhibitors appeal to the much broader population of the Victor Valley.
The event also provides an important marketplace for small businesses and local vendors. By bringing residents and visitors to Victorville for multiple days, the fair contributes to spending on food, entertainment, merchandise, travel, and other local services.
Comparing San Bernardino County Fair to Nearby Fairs
The San Bernardino County Fair has a particularly strong High Desert identity. Its Victorville location, Route 66 connection, large outdoor grounds, livestock program, carnival, demolition derby, Tuff Trucks, bull riding, and concerts give it a combination that differs from fairs in California’s agricultural valleys and coastal cities.
The Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in Indio offers an interesting Southern California comparison. Riverside County’s fair is shaped by the Coachella Valley’s date-growing heritage and features a winter-season format, while San Bernardino County’s fair takes place in late spring in the High Desert and has a particularly visible motorsports and western-arena component.
The San Diego County Fair provides another contrast because it is a much larger metropolitan-region fair with a substantial entertainment program. San Bernardino County’s event remains more closely associated with the High Desert communities of Victorville and the surrounding Victor Valley.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the dates and hours of the San Bernardino County Fair?
The confirmed 2026 fair dates are May 23–25 and May 29–31, 2026. Published visitor information lists the fair operating from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on its scheduled days. The complete 2027 public schedule has not yet been announced.
Where is the San Bernardino County Fair held?
The fair is held at the San Bernardino County Fairgrounds, 14800 7th Street, Victorville, CA 92395.
How much does it cost to attend the San Bernardino County Fair?
Admission prices can vary by year and event. The 2026 fair’s ticket information should be checked for the current general-admission, carnival, and special-event prices before visiting. Grandstand attractions such as the Demo Derby, Tuff Trucks, and bull riding may have separate admission requirements.
Is there free parking at the San Bernardino County Fair?
The fairgrounds have substantial parking capacity, but visitors should check the current year’s parking policy and fees before traveling. Livestock exhibitors have separate parking and access procedures.
Can I bring my own food and drinks into the San Bernardino County Fair?
Visitors should follow the current fairgrounds rules concerning outside food and beverages. The fair offers numerous food vendors, while alcoholic beverages and special attractions may have additional restrictions.
How do I enter an item in competition at the San Bernardino County Fair?
Competitive exhibits must be entered according to the current fair entry guide and applicable department deadlines. Livestock entries are handled separately and require species-specific ownership periods, identification, certifications, and other documentation.
Is the San Bernardino County Fair appropriate for young children?
Yes. Families with children can choose from carnival rides, animal exhibits, balloon entertainment, dinosaurs, food, live performances, and other family activities. Youth agricultural programs also provide opportunities for children and teenagers to participate as exhibitors.
Are pets allowed at the San Bernardino County Fair?
Visitors should not assume that ordinary pets are permitted. Livestock and competition animals are governed by specific fair rules, while service animals are subject to applicable accessibility requirements. The current visitor rules should be checked before bringing an animal.
Does the San Bernardino County Fair have a demolition derby?
Yes. The 2026 schedule includes a Demo Derby on Sunday, May 24. The fair also includes Tuff Trucks and Western Heritage Pro Open Bull Riding during the 2026 program.
Who organizes the San Bernardino County Fair?
The San Bernardino County Fair is operated by the 28th District Agricultural Association, a State of California agency governed by a board of directors appointed by the Governor.
Is camping available at the San Bernardino County Fair fairgrounds?
Yes. The fairgrounds operate a permanent RV park with more than 125 full and partial hookups, along with additional RV hookup locations used for larger activities. Availability and reservations should be confirmed for the specific fair dates.
What happens if the fair is cancelled due to weather?
Fair management determines whether weather or other unsafe conditions require changes to scheduled activities. High Desert conditions can include heat, wind, and other weather concerns, so visitors and exhibitors should check current fair announcements before traveling.