Santa Barbara Fair and Expo offers food, rides and games at Earl Warren Showgrounds

Brennan Lynch and his wife, Suzanne Fitzgerald, decided to go to the Santa Barbara Fair and Expo after driving past the Earl Warren Showgrounds and seeing the Ferris wheel on Friday.

“It’s great to see so many families having fun,” Lynch said.

Lynch and Fitzgerald weren’t planning on doing much driving or playing games, but wanted to walk around and see the sights – although Fitzgerald planned to at least ride the Ferris wheel.

This weekend and from May 3 to 5 is the Santa Barbara Fair and Expo. On Saturday, hundreds of couples, families and teens enjoyed rides, games, farm animals, food and entertainment.

Attractions include a carousel, the zipper, the super shot drop tower and more. Rides cost three to seven tickets per ride.

The fair has plenty of food to offer, including bacon-wrapped hot dogs, fried potatoes, hamburgers, hot dogs, teriyaki bowls and more. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

In the Exhibit Building, fairgoers can take a break from the sun and enjoy art, poetry and craft exhibits submitted by members of the local community.

The fair has a lot of food to offer, including bacon-wrapped hot dogs (and regular hot dogs), fried potatoes, burgers, teriyaki bowls and more. There are also plenty of drinks such as lemonade, ice-cold slushies, soft drinks, beer and wine.

In the exhibition building, fairgoers can escape the sun and enjoy art, poetry and crafts from members of the local community. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Miranda Boonstra and her wife Rachel Maseda decided to come to the fair partly out of boredom, partly to enjoy the sun after so many gloomy days in Santa Barbara.

“We’ll check out the activities, the food, we’ll probably go for a ride or two, play some games; we make a game plan,” Maseda said. “Maybe we’ll come back next weekend.”

Maseda and Boonstra told Noozhawk that they would mostly stick to the games, but that they did plan to ride the carousel.

Boonstra said he was surprised by the size of the fair.

“I didn’t think it would be this big. We looked at the map before and it’s huge,” Boonstra said. “This is a lot bigger than the one we have for the party.”

Maseda and Boonstra said they usually attend the carnival at SBCC during the Old Spanish Days and went to the flower festival in Lompoc last year with family.

The fair has numerous games with chances to win toys, stuffed animals and even a pet fish. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Admission to the fair is $10 for adults and $6 for children 6 to 12 years old, while admission is free for children 5 and under. Tickets for games and attractions are not part of the entrance fee.

On-site parking is limited, costs $20 per day and is cash only. Alternatively, fairgoers can park for free at La Cumbre Junior High School at 2255 Modoc Road or Bishop Diego High School at 4000 La Colina Road.

From these locations, a cart picks up people for a free ride to the fairgrounds. The trolley runs every 30 minutes, starting on the hour, and runs 30 minutes before the fair opens and 30 minutes after it closes for the night.

The fair runs on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and closes at 10 p.m.

The fair is closed until May 3 and then runs from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM; the carnival is open until midnight for those already at the fairgrounds. On May 4, the fair is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., while the fair is open until midnight. On May 5, the last day to go, the fair is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and for Carnival from 10 p.m.

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