Board announces theme for next summer’s fair
The theme for next year's San Diego County Fair will be “Get Out There!” a salute to the great outdoors, the fair board announced this week.
The 2023 fair will run from June 7 through July 4 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.
The fair board, officially known as the 22nd District Agricultural Association Board of Directors, also gave some figures on this summer's fair. It was the first full-scale fair after a two-year interruption due to the pandemic.
The 2022 fair attracted 973,508 visitors. “We nearly hit our attendance goal,” said Carlene Moore, CEO of the Del Mar Fairgrounds, adding that the venue was aiming for more than 1 million.
Food and beverage sales surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, the fair board said. Per capita spending was up 65 percent over 2019. Nearly 13,000 ribbons were awarded to community members and more than 17,000 entertainers performed, the board said.
Revenue and other financial details will be available in October, when invoicing is complete, according to fair staff.
The board also reported that 27,734 ice cream cones were sold and 10,000 frog legs.
Board member Michael Gelfand also mentioned the work that fairgrounds staff had to do to secure the midway.
In April, a Superior Court judge issued an injunction that blocked a contract awarded by the 22nd District Agricultural Association, the organization that operates the fairgrounds, for a single company to run the midway. The ruling said that the district did not follow competitive bidding practices. Later that month, the 22nd DAA reached an agreement with vendors, including the company that sued over the midway contract, that allowed the fair to proceed.
The 2023 season opens June 7 and runs through July 4. The fair will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays in June. “I love this theme (‘Get Out There!') because it's a real call to action and it can mean so many different things,” said Katie Mueller, chief operating officer of the fairgrounds. “What you're going to see is a celebration of the diversity of outdoor activities we have in San Diego County and beyond.”