Category: Exhibits & Attractions

Showcase Your Food Truck at the First-Ever “Food Truck Alley” at the 2021 Big Fresno Fair!

For the first time ever, the Fair is teaming up with local food trucks to be featured in our new “Food Truck Alley” which will feature different local food trucks each day of the Fair! This new area – located on the south end of the Fairgrounds by the Butler Gate – will have shaded seating, free entertainment and plenty of delicious local food!

 

If you’re interested in showcasing your food truck, fill out an application today! Deadline to submit your application is Wednesday, September 1.

 

To download the application, click here!

Two NEW Attractions…Both Featuring Local Vendors at the 2021 Big Fresno Fair!

The Fair is keeping it local with two new areas at the 2021 Big Fresno Fair! One is the NEW Livin’ Local Marketplace, which will be located in the former Gem & Minerals Building. It will feature locally produced products from food to clothing, jewelry and more! Local Vendors who are interested in participating can get more details here.  

 

The other spot is all about much-loved Valley food trucks! The NEW Food Truck Alley will feature different local food trucks each day of the Fair! This new area – located on the south end of the Fairgrounds by the Butler Gate – features shaded seating, free entertainment and plenty of delicious local food!  Food trucks will rotate in each day so it’s never the same twice! Local Food Trucks interested in participating can get more details here.

 

Be sure to add both the “Livin’ Local Marketplace” and “Food Truck Alley” to your list of stops at this year’s Big Fresno Fair, October 6 – 17!

Submit Your Entries into the 2021 Competitive Exhibits!

We are so excited to be able to feature all of our amazingly talented Fresno County residents at the in-person 2021 Big Fresno Fair with our popular Competitive Exhibits Program! All individuals desiring to participate competitively as a Fair exhibitor – such as 4-H and FFA members, craftsmen, cooks, gardeners, seamstresses, quilters, artists, photographers, potters and others – can download our 2021 Competitive Exhibits Handbook here!

The deadline for entry forms to be accepted in-person or by mail is Friday, September 10 at the Fair’s Administration Office. The deadline for online entries is Monday, September 13 by 11:59 p.m. 

Questions? Please contact Stacy Rianda at (559) 650-3211.

National Catfish Day – Learn More About Catfish Falls at The Big Fresno Fair

It’s National Catfish Day! Did you know that during The Big Fresno Fair, the bridge located at The Meyers Water & Wildlife Tree features an impressive two-story waterfall and a “catch and release” fishing hole where you can catch real fish with barbless hooks? Additionally, each year after the Fair, Catfish Falls is drained and all the fish are donated to the Poverello House in Fresno feeding more than 8,500 people in the past 10 years. Be sure to check out Catfish Falls on your next visit to The Big Fresno Fair!

Big Times Are Back This October for the 2021 Big Fresno Fair!

A lot of you have been asking and we have your answer!

Big Times will be BACK at The Big Fresno Fair this October with a modified in-person Fair! It’s been one long year without our BFFs and we’re so excited to be able to welcome you all back to our Fairgrounds to enjoy this 138-year longstanding tradition of Fresno County. There will, of course, be modifications and we are working through those exact plans. Our modified, in-person Fair will be held within our assigned Fair dates, which are October 6 – 17. We look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming months on our website here and social. In the meantime, mark your calendars! 😎🍂🎡

 

For our entertainers and exhibitors, applications will be available in June on our website

Book a Tour for the Fresno County Historical Museum and Big Fresno Fair Museum!

  • Cultural Hmong Exhibit located on the 1st floor of the Fresno County Historical Museum
  • WBC WBO Unified World Champion, Jose Ramirez Statue located on the 2nd floor of the Fresno County Historical Museum
  • General Store located in the Fresno County Historical Museum
  • Big Fresno Fair Museum

The award-winning Fresno County Historical Museum and Big Fresno Fair Museum are back open for tours at 25% capacity! Book your tour today and learn about Fresno County’s rich history in the Fresno County Historical Museum. Don’t forget to take a trip down memory lane and get a glimpse of what the Fair has looked like over the past 137 years in the Big Fresno Fair Museum!

To schedule a tour, please call (559) 650-FAIR or book your next tour here!

To learn more about the Fresno County Historical Museum and Big Fresno Fair Museum, click here.

Enter Today for the 6th Annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition!

After being canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, the San Joaquin Olive Oil Competition is back! Entries are now being accepted for the 6th Annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition. All commercial olive oil producers in California can now submit their extra virgin or flavored olive oil varieties now through Thursday, May 27 at the Fresno Fairgrounds. Winners will be announced on Thursday, June 17! Awards will be given out for Best of Show, Best of the Valley – as well as Gold and Silver medal winners.

 

For complete details and rules, click here.

Throwback Thursday – Pop Laval Edition

The Big Fresno Fair has always provided a place to showcase the agriculture in the Central Valley through exhibits and educational attractions! The Wells Fargo Agriculture Building is the hub to learn and showcase why Fresno County is the world’s top agricultural area! Since 1884, communities in Fresno County have entered their booths to showcase varieties of locally-grown crops that are grown right in their backyard.

 

Trivia time! Can you guess which year this Pop Laval photo was taken at The Big Fresno Fair? #ThrowbackThursday

 

  1. 1884
  2. 1910
  3. 1940
  4. 1960

Throwback Thursday – Fresno Fire Department Display

Have you seen the Fresno Fire Department Display located on the first floor of the Fresno County Historical Museum? Discover some cool artifacts like the helmet from the first appointed Fire Chief, James A. Ward, dating back to 1902! You’ll also find an 1887 Hand Pumping Horse Carriage Unit, a Firefighter suit from 1928 and … Continue reading “Throwback Thursday – Fresno Fire Department Display”

Have you seen the Fresno Fire Department Display located on the first floor of the Fresno County Historical Museum? Discover some cool artifacts like the helmet from the first appointed Fire Chief, James A. Ward, dating back to 1902! You’ll also find an 1887 Hand Pumping Horse Carriage Unit, a Firefighter suit from 1928 and so much more!

 

Help keep Fresno County history alive by donating to the Fresno County Historical Museum! All museum donations go through Friends of The Big Fresno Fair, our non-profit Foundation. This award-winning Museum is a place where generations of Valley residents can visit (for free!), reflect and learn about key events in our Valley’s history! To donate and support, click here.