Embrace Your Inner Child at Santa Barbara’s Fair & Expo

There truly is something for everyone at the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo — between fan-favorite funnel cakes, lively Alaskan pig races, and a wide selection of thrilling carnival rides.

This year’s highlights include 30 carnival rides, performances from live bands and magicians, traditional fair food and sweet treats, farm animals and agriculture exhibits, and local artist exhibits.

“It’s a place for everybody to indulge their inner child,” said Ben Sprague, CEO of Earl Warren Showgrounds. “It’s like, what’s your thing? Is it rollercoasters? Do you want to get scared and screw around? Do you wanna have funnel cake and cotton candy for lunch or deep-fried corn dogs and go on the merry-go-round?”

Upon entry, attendees are transported into a nostalgic world of tribute to Americana and hundreds of years of carnival tradition, augmented by this year’s ‘80s Flashback theme. The showgrounds have plenty to offer, between free entertainment, stations for local vendors, carnival rides, farm animals, and stalls from local vendors with exciting offerings.

Having been around for several decades, the Santa Barbara Fair & Expo has become an emblem of the city’s culture and attendees can take a pulse on the local community via attendance and participation in the beloved tradition.

As a Santa Barbara local, Sprague grew up attending the fair and became engrossed with the childlike splendor of the phenomenon. When he started working at the showgrounds in 2019 and was presented with the opportunity to put on this annual phenomenon, Sprague was determined to do it right.

“The fairgrounds have been the same since the ‘50s, and so my goal is to make them cool again. I want to elevate the use of it and make it a better community asset,” said Sprague.

Sprague began this revival with the Fair & Expo.

Between magicians, bands, and local arts, there will be endless free entertainment available for fair-goers. There will be activities for kids and adults alike, between a kiddie carnival and a beer garden.

One of the most unique features of the fairgrounds is that it boasts an ocean view from the top of the Ferris wheel, attesting to the magical spirit of Santa Barbara.

Sprague maintains that the thing fair-goers should look forward to most is funnel cakes. “They are always a big draw. I would say get them earlier rather than later to beat the line.”  

Besides fried delights, “the thing that I love the most is what I call the ‘happy screams.’ If you ever hang out near the rides, you hear the people on the rides screaming, but it’s happy screams. They’re screaming because they’re having fun, and that’s a uniquely carnival thing.”

Following suit from last year, the fair will be in Santa Barbara for two weekends once again, so those who enjoyed weekend one can return or those who missed weekend one will still have a chance to attend.

The fair has added a limited quantity ticket option to purchase FastPass, admitting fair-goers with access to an express lane for the rides. Normal ticket options will remain available, in order to ensure that the fair persists as an accessible and equitable space.

There will also be Senior Days on April 26 and May 3, where seniors age 65 and older can enjoy free entry from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

There will also be free off-site parking available at La Cumbre Junior High and Bishop Diego High School and trolley rides transporting fair-goers to the showgrounds every half-hour on the hour, beginning 30 minutes prior to fair opening and ending 30 minutes after fair closing.

This year’s fair will run April 24-27 and May 2-4 at Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real.

“It’s a sense of community. There’s something for everybody. It’s a unifying concept. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your background is or what you’re really into. Everybody has something at the fair that they love,” Sprague said.

To experience the magic of the fair, visit the website to view ticket packages and this year’s unique offerings at earlwarren.com/events/santa-barbara-fair-and-expo.