Santa Barbara County Fair wraps up with increased attendance

The Santa Barbara County Fair went out with a boom in numbers Sunday night.

The fair ran from July 10 to July 14 and organizers saw increased numbers in attendance at the Santa Barbara County Fair in Santa Maria.

The fair attracted 150,000 visitors last year, many from out of town.

While here, they make purchases at local stores and may become repeat visitors to Santa Maria.

Organizers are still working on official numbers for the week but as of Sunday’s attendance, it was up about 6 percent and unofficial results from vendors and carnival ride operator Helm & Sons show increases in both areas according to Fairpark CEO Richard Pearsons.

“We were hoping for some bigger numbers this year because we did make some changes. We brought in some bigger attractions, like the professional bull riding event, which happened on Saturday and that really filled the stadium and we also had a stellar lineup as part of our Bud Light concert series and that drew in pretty solid numbers for the crowds as well,” Shelly Cone, Fairpark Spokesperson.

This year, attendees got a treat of the battle of cowboy versus bull at the Professional Bull Riding Classic on Saturday at the Budweiser Minetti Arena.

Another big highlight was the Bud Light Concert Series that kicked off with Grammy Award-winner Ashanti followed by Clay Walker, TLC, Maddie & Tae on Saturday night. The concert series, which was free with paid admission, was another factor that brought many people to the fair.

The livestock area saw their fair share of attendance with 1,833 animals coming to the fair. Unofficial results show the livestock auction bringing in approximately $2.2 million in total sales.

Kids were kept entertained at Rabobank’s Wild Science! exhibit that allowed kids to explore the intersection of science and imagination in a variety of hands-on activities.

Audiences were kept smiling with comedy acts like Sterling the Bubblesmith, the Beastie Creatures, Something Ridiculous and The Fables of the West and Chef Landry’s Cajun Comedy Show.

“We’re always trying to change things up, freshen up the attractions. Anytime we can bring in a big name, that’s a good fit for the demographic then we do that as well,” said Cone.

The fair is also a good fit for the city of Santa Maria.

City Spokesperson Mark van de Kamp. says the over 150,000 visitors that attend the event make purchases at local stores and may become repeat visitors to Santa Maria.

The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Director says the fair likely played a role in doubling business for new retail developments.

Suzanne Singh says anytime you bring people from the surrounding area to Santa Maria, businesses across the board do better. Singh highlights that gas stations do better and they see more people at the mall, movie theater and restaurants. She says it’s a win-win for anyone coming into the community.