Pleasanton, Calif. – The Alameda County Fair ended its 20-day run with more attendees than 2022, as well as more new foods offered and consumed.
Guests wolfed down a whopping 73,778 corndogs and 22,500 funnel cakes, as well as several new food items such as Spam Musubi, a Dragon Dog, and several other new healthy and plant based options.
Horse racing was back in full force every weekend with several high paying stakes races such as the Pleasanton Mile, the richest race in the Northern California Fair horse racing history. Owner, R3 Racing LLC, and Jockey, Tiago Pereira, brought I’mgonnabesombody to victory with an added $152,000.
At night, the Fair came alive with two separate fireworks and drone shows in addition to nightly drone shows which lit up the sky above the Stella Artois Grandstand. Fair-goers also enjoyed nightly “Movies on the Lawn” which featured an array of family friendly films.
The Fair hosted several charity drives to help give back to the community, including a new blood drive to benefit the Red Cross with a total of 7,071 pints of blood donated. There was also a food drive to aid the Alameda County Community Food Bank, with over 37,354 meals donated to those in need. Lastly, the Fair held a pet food drive assisting Tri-Valley Humane Society which resulted in 13,080 pounds of food donations.
Some of the most attended activities were the Fair favorites, such as the racing pigs, the Carnival, and the Big O Tires Concert Series, which featured amazing performances from E-40, LeAnn Rimes, Joe Nichols and Ashanti.
“We were thrilled that so many people came out to enjoy the ‘Summer Vibes’ at the Fair this year,” said Angel Moore, COO of the Alameda County Fairgrounds. “Every year, we look forward to bringing the community together to have fun and make memories that will last for years to come.”
2023 Alameda County Fair by the Numbers:
- TOTAL ATTENDANCE: 445,032 (up 6%)
- Total Vehicles Parked – 132,763 (up 20%)
- Horse Racing Track Attendance – 60,622 (up 2%)
EXHIBITS:
- Competitive Exhibit Entries – 10,224 (up 29%)
- Exhibitors – 3,354 (up 51%)
- Jr. Livestock Auction – $915,062 (up 3%)
- Small Animal Sales – $40,728
- Fine Art sales –$13,197
CLASSIC FAIR FOOD CONSUMED:
- Corn Dogs – 73,778 (up 19%)
- BBQ Turkey Legs – 10,700
- Burgers – 6,714
- Funnel Cake – 22,500
- Cotton Candy – 8,424
- Candy Apples – 4,937 (up 134%)
- Deep Fried Twinkies – 608
FEED THE NEED FOOD DRIVE:
- Pounds of Food Donated: 44,824 (up 76%)
PET FOOD DRIVE:
- Pounds of Pet Food Donations: 13,080 (up 269%)
PINT FOR A PASS BLOOD DRIVE:
- New Promotion – Blood Donated: 7,071
VOLUNTEER PROGRAM:
- Fair Volunteers – 775 (up 6%)
- Volunteer Hours – 8,375 (up 27%)
WEBSITE:
- Users – 1,281,510 (up 15%)
- Sessions – 1,984,430 (up 10%)
- Page Views – 3,718,892 (up 4%)
SOCIAL MEDIA:
- Facebook Fans –128,214 (up 2%)
- Instagram Followers –26,573 (up 12%)
- Twitter Followers @ACFair – 4,537
- TikTok – 3,329 (up 48%)
