Marin County plans outdoor fair in ’22

After a two-year hiatus for the pandemic, the Marin County Fair will make its comeback next summer as an outdooronly event.

“We are excited to return to our first in-person fair since 2019, and we know our community is eager for this as well,” said Gabriella Calicchio, the county’s director of cultural services.

The fair is scheduled for June 30-July 4. The theme is “So Happy Together.”

The county plans to return to a full indoor and outdoor fair in 2023.

Calicchio said the decision to bring the fair back was made before the news broke over the Thanksgiving weekend about the omicron variant of COVID-19.

“That is exactly why we planned — for this to be a phased-in approach and have an outdoor-only affair in 2022,” Calicchio said.

The county’s Public Health Department officer, Dr. Matt Willis, said his department and fair organizers have been in “close communications” about the event.

“Even though it’s seven months away, with all the uncertainties before us, making the decision now for an outdoor fair allows them to move forward with the planning,” he said.

Calicchio said there is still much planning to do. For example, Calicchio isn’t sure whether there will be limits to the number of people who will be admitted to the fairgrounds at any one time, or whether those attending will be required to be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 or wear face coverings.

State regulations governing outdoor events with 10,000 or more people require those attending who are age 3 and older to provide proof they are fully vaccinated or have received a negative COVID-19 test. Effective Wednesday, the state began recommending that operators ask those ages 18 and older to provide identification at such outdoor megaevents.

In the past, the fair has typically attracted 30,000 people or more a day.

Also still to be determined is whether there will be farm animals or fireworks at the fair.