BIG NEWS ALERT! 14-Days of Live Horse Racing Happening in 2024!

The Big Fresno Fair is excited to announce that for the first time, it will have 14 days of live horse racing, double the number of race dates held in 2023. The 2024 Fresno race dates will start in September before the annual Fair begins. Read our full release here.  

The 2024 Big Fresno Fair race dates are as follows:

  • September Race Dates (pre-Fair):
    • Friday, September 13 – Sunday, September 15
    • Saturday, September 21 & Sunday, September 22
    • Saturday, September 28 & Sunday, September 29
       
  • October Race Dates (during the Fair):
    • Friday, October 4 – Sunday, October 6
    • Friday, October 11 – Monday, October 14

Horse racing tickets will go on sale first to Big Fair Fan (BFF) Club members, as part of an online-only pre-sale starting on Monday, July 15 at 10:00 a.m. and going until Sunday, July 21 at 11:59 p.m. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public (online only) beginning Monday, July 22 at 10:00 a.m.  
 
BFF Club Members will receive their pre-sale password via email on July 11. Any new members will receive the password in their email sign-up confirmation. Know someone who isn’t a part of the BFF Club, but would like to purchase their live horse racing tickets early? Tell them to sign up for free here!

Large group and corporate party packages are available for purchase early; interested parties will need to fill out this form.
 

The following horse racing tickets will go on sale July 15 to Big Fair Fan Club members.

 
September Race Dates:

  • Reserved Seats (Single Day)
    • $6
    • BFF Club Members can get free reserved seat tickets for the September race dates just by filling out the request form that can be found here.
  • Box Seats (Single Day)
    • 4 seats for $32
    • 6 seats for $48
  • Turf Club
    • Table of 4 – $60
    • Table of 8 – $120
  • Luxury Deck (Tables of 4)
    • $175 – Includes Buffet

Get more horse racing details on our website here!

Happy Father’s Day!

“What makes you a man is not the ability to have a child, it’s the courage to raise one.” – President Barack Obama

 

Happy Father’s Day to all the amazing dads out there! 💙👔 Whether you’re a grill master, a fixer-upper, or a superhero in disguise, today is all about celebrating you!

Big Fresno Fair Wins BIG for 2024 Best of Central California People’s Choice Awards!

Thank you, BFFs! 👏 We’re thrilled to announce that The Big Fresno Fair and the Fresno County Historical Museum took gold and silver home in the Fresno Bee’s “Best of Central California’s” People’s Choice Awards! Thank you for voting us as:

 

The Big Fresno Fair

  • Gold – Best Annual Event/Festival 🥇
  • Silver – Best Museum – Fresno County Historical Museum 🥈

 

You – our community, our BFFs, our biggest fans and fairgoers – are what makes our Big Fresno Fair so special! ♥ Thank you, BFFs for voting for us and congratulations to all of the winners who make our Valley so great! Mark your calendars for the 2024 Big Fresno Fair, October 2 – 14! 🎡

Tickets On-sale NOW for 4 Concerts!

Did you hear? We’ve announced our first four concerts for the Table Mountain Concert Series presented by Modelo Especial, Toyota and Valero and tickets are on-sale NOW (online-only) to the general public! Here’s who to expect:

 

  • Wednesday, October 2 | Walker Hayes
  • Monday, October 7 | The Righteous Brothers
  • Saturday, October 12 | G-Eazy
  • Monday, October 14 | Dwight Yoakam

 

We still have NINE more concerts to announce for the 2024 Big Fresno Fair! For more details and to purchase tickets, click here.

Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day

“In nature’s economy the currency is not money, it is life.” — Vandana Shiva

 

Happy Earth Day! Over the years, The Big Fresno Fair has taken enormous strides to not only build its clean and green practices as a facility but promote conservation to Fairgoers. The Fair’s “Clean & Green” Program was started in 2006 and now includes the following:

 

  • Striving for Zero Waste: The Big Fresno Fair continues its partnership with Mid Valley Disposal to divert as much waste as possible from the Fair! This program targets food vendors, livestock department and the public – our Fairgoers!

 

Mid Valley Disposal first implemented the organics recycling program for food vendors in 2014, working successfully with 45 of our food vendors to divert their waste! Since then, each year Mid Valley comes out to meet with vendors and instruct them on how to divert as much waste as possible by utilizing the 64-gallon organics recycling carts. Mid Valley Disposal also provides 2-yard organics recycling bins throughout the Livestock Pavilion, in addition to collecting food waste from the produce displays in the Agriculture Building. Last year alone, more than 837 tons of waste was diverted. Also, because of their diversion efforts, Corn Stars was named the 2018 Recycler of the Year for diverting over 1,300 pounds of organic material from their food booth each day.

 

Mid Valley Disposal and The Big Fresno Fair first introduced the separated trash bins for Fairgoers in 2016. These different colored bins are placed in seating areas throughout the Fairgrounds for Fairgoers to use; compostable (Green bins), recycling (Blue bins) and garbage (Brown bins). We are encouraging all Fairgoers to STOP.THINK.SORT. at this year’s Fair! During the 12 days of the 2018 Big Fresno Fair, we collected 40.56 tons of recyclable materials, 193.8 tons of organic waste and 603.54 tons of trash items. Total diversion rate for the 2018 Big Fresno Fair was 234.36 tons. This is yet another way the Fair is promoting and educating the public on ways to reduce, reuse and recycle!

 

  • LED Lights: All light fixtures and bulbs have been converted to LED to provide brighter and more energy-efficient lighting for Fairgoers and interim rental guests to enjoy. This also has greatly reduced the Fair’s overall energy costs and positively will affect the environment.

 

  • Low Flow Toilets: In 2016, the Fair installed 115 new low flow toilets in the Brian I. Tatarian Grandstand to help conserve water.

 

  • Drought Resistant Area:  The Fair is doing its part to conserve water given California’s inclination to drought years, as well educate Fairgoers on what landscaping options are drought tolerant. In 2014, a Drought Resistant Landscaping Area was added next to the O’Reilly Auto Parts Pavilion Stage as an alternative option to various types of traditional gardening that any Fairgoer can relate to when it comes to reducing the need for supplemental water! Then in 2015, a newly dedicated Union Park area was added and put on display in the Pavilion area featuring alternative landscaping options.

 

  • Bicycle Parking:  The Fair will continue to provide bicycle racks for those biking enthusiasts who want to ride to the Fair and help spare the air. The bicycle racks are located in the Chance Avenue parking lot!

 

  • Pervious Concrete: First added in 2009, this type of concrete allows water to seep through back to the water tables quicker. The Fair has placed this pervious concrete in front of the entrance to the paddock in the Brian I. Tatarian Grandstand, one of our highest traffic areas!  

 

  • Rubber Recycling: Nearly 13,000 tires were saved from being dumped into California landfills by the Fair utilizing various tire-derived rubber flooring products that were installed around the Fairgrounds. This project was made possible by a $400,000 grant from the California Integrated Waste Management.

 

  • Solar Panels: In 2007, a $5 million photovoltaic system project was installed at the Fairgrounds that includes more than 14,000 solar panels. One of the largest solar panel projects in the entire Fair industry, the solar panels help produce 800KW of its own electricity daily! It costs about $25,000 annually in order to maintain the solar panels, but the Fair saves over $100,000 annually on its energy bill by using this energy-efficient technology.

 

  • Comprehensive Recycling Program: The Big Fresno Fair has a comprehensive recycling program that collects cardboard, paper and plastic year-round, as well as concrete, oil, grass clippings, tree trimmings and much more, saving an incredible amount of waste from our landfills. The Fair also recycles vegetable oil from food vendors’ fryers during the Fair! Plus, in 2017, the Fair has added food waste recycling to divert even more trash.

 

  • Grounds Improvements: Over the years, the Fair has planted thousands of new trees and installed more than two and a half miles of pop-up sprinklers, which has helped reduce the amount of dust in the environment and cut down on the amount of water used to keep the dust out of the air.

 

  • Chemical Free Cleaners: In 2008, the Fair started using specialized cleaners that are significantly less damaging to the environment than normal cleaners. The Fair uses 100% recycled toilet paper.

 

The Fair will continue its Clean & Green Program in 2024!

Future Fight Starz Jiu Jitsu Happening Saturday, April 20

Future Fight Starz Jiu Jitsu Happening Saturday, April 20

Who You With Promotions presents Future Fight Starz Jiu Jitsu and grappling event happening on Saturday, April 20 in the Agricultural Building at the Fresno Fairgrounds! Doors open at 4 p.m. and event starts at 5 p.m. Tickets start at $50. Parking is $10 in the Chance Ave. parking lot. Witness the next generation of fighters in action with Super Fight and Championship Belt fights.

 

For more details, visit their website here.

Win Tickets to See Dwight Yoakam at the 2024 Big Fresno Fair | October 14

Legendary, country artist Dwight Yoakam closes out the 2024 Big Fresno Fair on Monday, October 14 and we want to give our BFFs the chance to win a FREE pair of concert + Fair admission tickets to the show! For your chance to win, all you have to do is head to our Big Fresno Fair Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and then follow the contest rules on the post! Contest ends on Thursday, April 18 at 5 p.m. where the winner will then be chosen and notified.    

 

💥REMINDER💥 The Dwight Yoakam BFF Club online-only pre-sale starts Monday, April 15 and goes until Sunday, April 21 at 11:59 p.m., during which BFF Club members can purchase their Dwight Yoakam tickets, PLUS get 50% off their Fair Admission with each ticket purchase (must be purchased in the same transaction). Tickets to the general public for will go on-sale online only on Monday, April 22 at 10 a.m.

 

PLEASE NOTE: If you’re selected as the winner of this giveaway and have already bought your Dwight Yoakam tickets, we will refund them for you.

 

Don’t miss your chance to see Dwight Yoakam on Monday, October 14 at the 2024 Big Fresno Fair as part of the Table Mountain Concert Series presented by Modelo Especial, Toyota and Valero!