Grammy Award-winners Maren Morris, Chicago and Nelly will perform as part of the San Diego County Fair’s 2026 Toyota Summer Concert Series on the Corona Grandstand Stage.
Other acts announced Tuesday for the outdoor series include the indie-pop trio AJR and Mexican regional music mainstays Pancho Barraza and Banda Machos, Conjuntos Primavera and El Coyote & Chuy Lizarraga. They join four previously announced 2025 Grandstand Stage acts whose concerts went on sale after being announced in February — Good Charlotte, Koe Wetzel, Los Tucanes de Tijuana and Marshmello.
The fair and the concert series are both produced under the auspices of the 22nd District Agricultural Association, which owns and operates the fairgrounds.
“Our Grandstand lineup for this year’s San Diego County Fair reflects the rich diversity of the community that we proudly serve,” said Carlene Moore, the association’s CEO, in a statement released Tuesday.
“We’re bringing together legendary performers, fan favorites and fresh new voices to create a soundtrack worthy of another exciting chapter of this beautiful summer tradition that we call the fair,” Moore said.
Tickets for the seven new concerts will go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, March 13, at sdfair.com. An exclusive pre-sale for subscribers to the San Diego County Fair’s email newsletter will run from 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 11, through 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 12.
All concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. and grandstand tickets include same-day admission to the fair. The cost of admission to the concerts appears to be jumping considerably compared to last year’s fair concerts.
The highest priced 2025 Grandstand Stage concerts were by Maxwell, with a range of $96.20 to $169, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, with a range of $79.52 to $135.52.
This year Prices for El Coyote & Chuy Lizarraga’s Grandstand Stage concerts range from $75.90 to $201.30, while prices for the shows by Nelly and Maren Morris range from $75.90 to $174.90 and from $66 to $181.50, respectively. But those pale compared to prices for the June 10 concert by Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Chicago, for which tickets range from $83.50 to $549.90 for a “VIP Experience” package.
According to Pollstar, the concert industry’s most authoritative publication, the median national ticket price for concerts in 2025 was $132.62. That marked a decline of 2.4 percent over the $135 median concert ticket price in 2024. Production costs for concerts and concert tours have soared since the 2020-21 pandemic shutdown, due to steady inflation that has seen prices jump for everything from electronic cables and audio gear to the per-gallon cost of gas and the rental fees for tour buses and cargo trucks.
New 2026 San Diego County Fair concerts:
Wednesday, June 10: Chicago, $83.50–$549.90 (VIP Experience offered)
Sunday, June 21: Pancho Barraza and Banda Machos, $67.10–$200.20
Thursday, June 25: Nelly, $75.90–$174.90
Friday, June 26: Maren Morris, $66–$181.50
Sunday, June 28: El Coyote & Chuy Lizarraga, $75.90–$201.30
Wednesday, July 1: AJR, $75.90–$190.30
Sunday, July 5: Conjuntos Primavera, $50.60–$182.60