{"id":402193,"date":"2026-07-17T12:36:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402193\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T12:36:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T12:36:09","slug":"what-is-the-california-state-fair-in-2026-something-for-everyone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/402193\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the California State Fair in 2026? Something for everyone"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Abridged version:<\/p>\n

The California State Fair is a smorgasbord of food and entertainment options, catering to a deeply diverse audience.<\/p>\n

Thousands of visitors are expected to be on the Sacramento fairgrounds starting Friday. The state fair runs through Aug. 2.<\/p>\n

At its root, the State Fair is an agriculture celebration. But in modern years, the event has spilled far beyond to include the classic carnival, concerts, exhibits on varied subjects, a cannabis lounge and more.<\/p>\n

Should they want to, a California State fairgoer in 2026<\/a> could, in one visit, light up in the cannabis lounge, slurp a nonalcoholic dirty soda, climb with the Tree Circus, learn about state (and Egyptian) history, then watch a hog, goat or steer be deemed best in the barn.<\/p>\n

The list of options goes on from there.<\/p>\n

Thousands of visitors are expected to wander through the Sacramento fairgrounds<\/a> starting Friday.<\/p>\n

And for the next 17 days, the ways they can spend their time at the annual event are as varied as they are plentiful.<\/p>\n

\t\tSign Up for the Cultural Capital<\/p>\n

In your inbox every Thursday, Abridged’s entertainment newsletter from Chris Macias highlights things to do in the Sacramento region.<\/p>\n

State fairs are, at their root, an exhibition of agriculture, one of the Golden State\u2019s top industries. The fair of today, though, is less definable, a smorgasbord aiming to cater to anyone under the California sun.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s several, several things that happen within the fair,\u201d said Alex Alcantar, director of marketing and business development at California Exposition & State Fair.<\/p>\n

\"WomanSarah Santee, foreman with West Coast Arborists, helps fairgoers climb trees in the California State Fair\u2019s Enchanted Forest on July 15, 2026. (Martin Christian) <\/p>\n

Wish you were here<\/p>\n

The 173rd California State Fair, themed \u201cWish You Were Here,\u201d is a blend of nostalgia and newness.<\/p>\n

Classic elements are still present, though some have been squished to make way for the swell of novelties.<\/p>\n

Mainstays like The Farm and staples like the USPS station with specialty stamps still stand. In the Save Mart California\u2019s Kitchen Exhibit, what was once a walk-through, county-by-county showcase is now a table-sized display.<\/p>\n

The southeast corner of the grounds houses the barns of sheep, cattle, goats, pigs, rabbits and more livestock.<\/p>\n

\"ProduceA large produce display in the shape of the state of California is displayed inside Building B at the California State Fair on July 15, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

\u2018Supposed to be California for all\u2019<\/p>\n

Among a plethora of exhibitions \u2014 including the return of the popular CaLOWfornia Love low riders feature \u2014 the California First Peoples Art Showcase is new to this year\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe touchpoints that indigenous communities have at the California State Fair is very limited,\u201d said Heather Bernikoff, a Cal Expo board member and member of the Yaqui Tribal Community.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s supposed to be California for all,\u201d Bernikoff added. \u201cThe state fair should be representing everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WomanHeather Bernikoff welcomes media members to the California First Peoples Art Showcase inside Expo Center Building 8 at the California State Fair on July 15, 2026. (Martin Christian) <\/p>\n

The exhibit includes regalia, baskets, artwork and more pieces from tribes all across the state. <\/p>\n

For the first three days of the fair, the First Peoples showcase will share space with a Disneyland Resort kids activity space.<\/p>\n

\"Art\"A grizzly bear sculpture welcomes visitors to the California First Peoples Art Showcase at the California State Fair on July 15, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

King Tut reproductions<\/p>\n

Next door, a collection of reproduced items from King Tutankhamun\u2019s tomb sits on display.<\/p>\n

One of the most distinctively non-California-related pieces of the fair, the King Tut Experience was provided by Stage 9 Exhibits, based in West Sacramento.<\/p>\n

Asked what the motivation was for having an Egyptian ruler history lesson at the California State Fair, Darla Givens, Cal Expo media director, said, \u201cI have no idea.\u201d<\/p>\n

Givens said Stage 9 hosts an exhibit each year, choosing a different subject each time. In 2025, it was \u201cPOPnology,\u201d a showcase of robots, virtual reality and other technology.<\/p>\n

\"Art\"Reproductions of King Tutankhamun\u2019s treasures are displayed at the Tutankhamun: King Tut Experience exhibit at the California State Fair on July 15, 2026. (Martin Christian) <\/p>\n

More drink options<\/p>\n

Indulgent food and drink are carnival classics. And there are still copious sweet treat, fried food and hard beverage options on this year\u2019s midway. <\/p>\n

But vendors are also expanding the menu to satiate more tastes and preferences.<\/p>\n

That includes the new stand pouring the increasingly trendy dirty soda.<\/p>\n

Despite what the name might suggest, these drinks are nonalcoholic. Popularized by the Mormon community in which coffee and alcohol are traditionally no-gos, the beverages combine soft drinks with cream and flavored syrup.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re a hit with those under 21, said Corey Brandt, district manager for Oak View Group, Cal Expo\u2019s regular food and beverage vendor. <\/p>\n

But also, Brandt said, \u201cyou\u2019re seeing more and more people drinking NA.\u201d<\/p>\n

Along with dirty sodas, Brandt said they have fruit smoothies, mocktails, nonalcoholic beer and more.<\/p>\n

\"Drinks\"One of the California State Fair\u2019s newest beverage offerings, Dirty Soda, is displayed on July 15, 2026. (Martin Christian)<\/p>\n

Savannah Kuchar\u00a0is a reporter covering education. She came to Sacramento to be a part of the Abridged\u00a0by PBS KVIE\u00a0team and contribute to a crucial local news source.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Abridged version: The California State Fair is a smorgasbord of food and entertainment options, catering to a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402194,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[7,9,8],"class_list":["post-402193","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-california","tag-california","tag-california-headlines","tag-california-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402193","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=402193"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402193\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402193"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402193"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402193"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}