San Mateo County Fair 2018: Officially Open!

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — It's here! As the clock struck 11 a.m. Saturday, the 2018 San Mateo County Fair commenced its nine-day run on the Peninsula. Themed "We Build The Fun," this year's iteration of the festivities will run from June 9 through June 17 at the San Mateo County Event Center.

Here's a bit of info about the fair's highlights from organizers:

• AgVentureland and Petting Zoo, where fair guests can get up close and personal with more than 40 animals, including cute little miniature goats and donkeys, woolly llamas and furry alpacas Brazilian Rainforest, a 6,500 sq. ft. exhibit that showcases exotic reptiles, birds, and invertebrates, including a spider monkey, a sloth, slithering pythons and hairy tarantulas.
• Black History Museum presented by the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum, which highlights the contributions that African Americans have made to this country.
• Butterfly Adventures, a unique encounter with 400 to 500 butterflies which you can feed with the nectar-dipped swabs.
• Captain Jack Spareribs, a famous pirate who is also a magician, juggler, ventriloquist and comedian, offering three fun shows each day.
• Carnival rides for the littles, middles, and bigs featuring more than 30 different rides such as these new attractions in San Mateo—the 90’ Super Shot Drop Tower and bumper cars. Height requirements apply for all rides.
• Chinese Acrobats of Hebei, a rigorously-trained, superbly-skilled and highly-accomplished troupe that performs awe-inspiring spectacles, like chair stacking and the lion dance. Three shows daily. Drone Zone, First Robotics and STEAM Competition where you’ll be amazed by San Mateo’s finest robotics competitors as they demonstrate their skill and you can try out drone simulators.
• Pig Races with four-legged racers faster than a speeding train, bigger than a rabbit, and that love Oreo cookies. Three shows daily, excluding June 17.

San Mateo County Fair’s 2018 Concert Series features: Sheila E. (June 9); TLC (June 10); Sugar Ray (June 13), Pablo Cruise (June 14), Average White Band (June 15) and John Michael Montgomery (June 16). World-renowned Master Illusionist Peter Gossamer will perform on June 11 and 12. These shows are at 7:30 p.m. in Fiesta Hall.

The concert lineup for Dia de la Feria on June 17 is:

• Fiesta Hall: Grupo Anhelo (2 p.m.); Los Caminantes (3:30 p.m.) and Los Yonics (5 p.m.)
• Cypress Stage: Grupo Vennus (4 p.m.) and Banda Arkangel R-15 (5:30 p.m.)

For those that prefer premium reserved seats in Fiesta Hall, Gold Circle Admission ($45) is available online or at the gate and includes admission to the fair. Note: Gold Circle admission (reserved seats) are not available for the TLC or Dia de la Feria concerts.

The San Mateo County Fair is the Peninsula’s premier community event for Bay Area family fun and entertainment. The San Mateo County Fair strives to provide a diverse experience through education, inspiration and entertainment. The annual Bay Area fair represents a celebration of our community's talent, interests, innovations and rich agricultural and artistic heritage.

Visit sanmateocountyfair.com to purchase tickets, for regular updates, contest entry, ticket giveaways and promotions. #SMCF2018.

Tickets for admission and rides can purchased online at sanmateocountyfair.com, or in person at the San Mateo County Event Center, 2495 S. Delaware.

— Images courtesy: San Mateo County Fair