PLACER COUNTY FAIR - Carnival Rides, Free Entertainment, Livestock, Still Exhibits, & MORE!

ROSEVILLE, Calif. – Kid-friendly and scream-worthy carnival rides, a diverse entertainment lineup that includes a dozen free concerts, deep-fried food favorites, the popular livestock area and auction, and Blue Ribbon-winning exhibits are just some of the affordable fun at the 88th annual Placer County Fair.

The Fair – one of the largest events in Placer Valley, with more than 20,000 fairgoers – opens Thursday, June 25, and continues through Sunday, June 28, located @the Grounds, 700 Event Center Drive in Roseville. The Fair is open 5-11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Learn more about the Fair – including how to buy tickets, the daily entertainment lineup and still exhibit submissions – at https://placercountyfair.org.

The cost for admission remains the same as it has for the past decade, even with the expanded entertainment lineup and longer weekend hours. Discount tickets and parking passes are available online through June 24.

“We are committed to providing affordable, family fun,” said Kim Summers, CEO of Placer Valley Tourism and @the Grounds, the manager and operator of The Fair. “We want people to enjoy the time together and create priceless memories.”

The Fair’s theme this year is “Past Present Future,” celebrating the 175th anniversary of Placer County. The county’s agricultural and technology roots will be featured at the AgTech and Innovation Expo and throughout the Fair.

"Placer County’s history is rooted in the hard work of our farmers, who built a strong agricultural foundation after the Gold Rush,” said Placer County Supervisor and Board Chair Shanti Landon. “The Fair and our 175-year story honor that legacy and the community that carries it forward today. The Fair is a special time when our community comes together to celebrate family, connection, and the spirit of Placer County. While we have much to celebrate, our greatest treasure is always our people and that shines brightest during the Fair.”


MORE THAN 20 CARNIVAL RIDES, FREE CONCERTS AND LIVE ENTERTAINMENT

The Fair – the longest-running annual event in Placer County that started during the Great Depression and before World War II – features decades of tradition, from corn dogs and frozen lemonade to the hundreds of hardworking FFA and 4-H students showing their animals in the livestock area.

But Fair organizers are also always looking at ways to improve the four-day event, from bringing in a new carnival operator with fresh and heart-pounding rides to expanding hours and moving many of the commercial vendors inside the air-conditioned Roebbelen Center in recent years. The Fair has also added a more diverse concert lineup and a wider range of menu options from the 25 food vendors.

“It’s a delicate balance between introducing new attractions and entertainment that attract new fairgoers, while also maintaining the decades of tradition that brings families back every year,” Summers said.

The Fair has something for everyone, from a couple on their first date to families with toddlers, tweens and teens. Fairgoers can be adventurous or more laid back, enjoying the commercial booths, food vendors, still exhibits and even wine tasting from local vineyards in the Roebbelen Center.

For many, the fun starts with the carnival, featuring 20 rides, about a dozen games of luck and skill, and mouth-watering food. The carnival will be divided into two areas for the fourth year, offering more space and separating the kid-friendly from the faster-moving and high-in-the-sky rides.

Carnival operator Butler Amusements will have 11 new rides at the Fair, including the Crazy Dog Family Coaster. Fair favorites the Century Wheel – much like a Ferris wheel – and Khaos, which raises and spins in many directions high in the air, will return this year. Both were must-rides with fairgoers last year.

Butler Amusements allows fairgoers to buy unlimited ride wristbands or individual tickets for rides and games.

“We look forward to serving the community a lot of fun and thrills at a great value this summer,” said Andrea Stillwell, marketing director and business development for Butler Amusements.


ROEBBELEN CENTER OFFERS ‘A FAIR WITHIN A FAIR’ WITH PERFORMERS, ABOUT 100 COMMERCIAL AND ARTS & CRAFTS VENDORS, THE FAMILY FUN ZONE AND EVEN WINE TASTING

Fairgoers who prefer to keep their feet on the ground can find plenty of free-with-admission fun, from the always adorable All-Alaskan Racing Pigs to the educational displays and games at the Family Fun Zone.

The Attaway Pavilion will have 12 free concerts, including the Bruno Mars tribute band Uptown Funk on Thursday evening and Fair favorite Wonderbread 5 on Friday night. Radio Ready, a top 40 music dance band, takes the stage on Saturday night and Outlaw Mariachi closes the concert lineup – and the Fair – on Sunday night. All four nights have opening bands before the headliners.

“The Fair is bringing back a few crowd favorites, along with plenty of exciting new entertainment,” said Germane Smith, talent buyer for Mason Entertainment. “With such a diverse mix of music, there’s something for every fan to sing, dance and soak in the energy.”

Live entertainment – also free with admission – includes high-flying act Los Moralitos Circus at the Speedway, Violin on Fire-Patrick Contreras in the atrium of the Roebbelen Center, and Brad’s Reptiles inside the 160,000-square-foot space. Dinos and Dragons will roam around the fairgrounds again this year.

About 100 commercial vendors, the Family Fun Zone – a collection of games and interactive displays – and a wine garden featuring wines from Placer County are also in the Roebbelen Center. The air-conditioned building is kind of a “fair within a fair” and will include the AgTech and Innovation Expo.

The Roebbelen Center is a few hundred feet from Jones Hall, where hundreds of still exhibits – from artwork such as paintings and photos to baked goods like cookies and pies – are on display. Across the way, Johnson Hall will hold the annual Placer County Scholarship Pageant on Thursday night and karaoke on Friday night. The Community Stage featuring local performers follows Saturday and Sunday.

The sixth annual Placer County Fair Rib Cook-Off is one of the more popular recent additions. A special rib cook-off ticket, which also includes admission to the Fair, provides one finger-licking rib from each competing team. Tickets for the rib cook-off are limited and available at https://placercountyfair.org/tickets/.

For many fairgoers, the top-of-the-list Fair experience includes the livestock barns and show rings, where baby lambs and goats share space with 1,000-pound steer. Birds, such as chickens and turkeys, return to the livestock area this year after being banned because of safety concerns over avian flu.

Hundreds of FFA and 4-H students in Placer County showcase their animals in the hope of Blue Ribbons and even a hefty price at the always popular Junior Livestock Auction on Saturday morning. Last year, the auction generated almost $432,300, only $23,000 from the record set in 2024.

“The livestock barns have been around for several decades and continue to be one of the most popular areas of the Fair,” Summers said. “It’s the grassroots, the heartbeat of county fairs.”

Admission to the Fair is $9.82 for adults, which includes the online processing fee, if purchased before June 25. Admission is less for children 6 to 13 years old, seniors and military members (visit https://placercountyfair.org/tickets/ for specific prices). Children 5 and under are free.

Admission and tickets for rides and games increase slightly on the opening day of the Fair.

Daily parking is $11.94 if bought online before June 25. Parking is $15 per day afterwards.

Fairgoers can buy discounted tickets and parking passes through June 24 at https://placercountyfair.org/tickets/

“The Fair is a celebration of our community and a kick-off to summer,” Summers said. “There is something for everyone at the Fair.”

About @the Grounds 

 @the Grounds is a multipurpose event facility on 61 acres in the heart of Roseville, California. @the Grounds includes the Roebbelen Center, a 160,000-square-foot event center that can accommodate major amateur sports competitions, large meetings, trade shows, concerts and other events. For more than 80 years, @the Grounds has been the home of the Placer County Fair – an annual celebration of the diversity of the community – along with countless other community, family and corporate gatherings. @the Grounds is the business entity of Placer Valley Sports Complex, a 501(c)3. For more information, please visit https://www.atthegrounds.com/. 

About Placer Valley Tourism 

Placer Valley Tourism is a Business Improvement District that serves South Placer County and the cities of Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln. The BID operates to help generate incremental room night stays in hotels within Placer Valley Tourism’s geographic footprint through various conferences and youth and amateur sports events. PVT aims to coordinate community and sports events with the best hospitality options in the region. Placer Valley Tourism is a nonprofit and classified as a 501(c)6. For more information, please visit https://www.placertourism.com/.

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