{"id":355703,"date":"2026-06-11T03:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T03:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/355703\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T03:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T03:40:20","slug":"how-to-save-money-at-the-san-diego-county-fair-nbc-7-san-diego","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/355703\/","title":{"rendered":"How to save money at the San Diego County Fair \u2013 NBC 7 San Diego"},"content":{"rendered":"

Families planning a trip to the San Diego County Fair can take advantage of several discounts and money-saving strategies to help keep costs under control.<\/p>\n

While a day at the fair can quickly become expensive with admission, parking, rides, games, and food, planning can help visitors stay closer to their budget.<\/p>\n

Sarah Baldwin and Jess Green, who make an annual girls\u2019 trip to the fair with their daughters, said they are being more mindful of spending this year.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

Jess Green and Sarah Baldwin from Temecula admit to having a hard time sticking to a budget at the San Diego County Fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust because I want them to have a good time, we only do it like once a year, so we let them have a little more fun,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n

One of the easiest ways to save money is by purchasing admission tickets online<\/a> at least 24 hours before visiting. Fair officials say visitors can save $3 to $5 per ticket by buying in advance.<\/p>\n

Visitors can also save another $3 to $5 by attending on a Wednesday or Thursday. Season passes are available as well for those planning multiple visits.<\/p>\n

Children 5 and younger receive free admission every day, while children ages 6 to 12 get in free on Fridays.<\/p>\n

Parking costs can also add up, but there are ways to reduce or eliminate that expense. Visitors can save $5 on general parking by purchasing a parking pass online at least 24 hours in advance.<\/p>\n

Another option is to park for free at Torrey Pines High School and take the free shuttle to the fairgrounds, which can also help avoid traffic.<\/p>\n

Families may also want to consider the Fair Tripper Pass,<\/a> which includes fair admission and a round-trip ride on services operated by the Metropolitan Transit System and the North County Transit District.<\/p>\n

Food is another area where visitors can save. Outside snacks are allowed inside the fairgrounds.<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

The rides are fun and the food is delicious but the costs can quickly blow up your budget without a spending plan at the fair.<\/p>\n

However, alcohol is prohibited, and beverages must be factory-sealed. Reusable water bottles are permitted but must be empty upon entry and can be filled inside. Glass containers and metal utensils are not allowed.<\/p>\n

For ride enthusiasts, Wednesdays and Thursdays are designated pay-one-price ride days.<\/p>\n

Visitors may also benefit from purchasing a Passport to Savings coupon book, which costs about $5 and can provide additional discounts, particularly for larger groups.<\/p>\n

Some families say sticking to a spending plan can be difficult because of the many vendors and attractions throughout the fairgrounds.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually we\u2019ll have them look at everything first and then pick something, but we\u2019ve been sort of buying along the way,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n

The fair also offers discounts for military members, law enforcement, firefighters, government employees, and education staff.<\/p>\n

This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited it for publication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Families planning a trip to the San Diego County Fair can take advantage of several discounts and money-saving…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":355704,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[74,83036,76,75],"class_list":["post-355703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-county-fair","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355703","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=355703"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/355703\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/355704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=355703"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=355703"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=355703"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}