Southern California's Top 100 Events 2018 - Festivals & Fairs

#1 Festival & Fair
Shortly after Orange County formed in 1889, the long-running fair began in Costa Mesa. It has since grown from a small, five-day community celebration to a 23-day festival, last year drawing some 1.3 million visitors and featuring 30 sold-out performances at the Pacific Amphitheater, the Hangar, and Action Sports Arena. More than 28 tons of food was donated to the OC Food Bank and Second Harvest Food Bank, while 94,000 children’s books and almost 44,000 pounds of clothing were also donated to various organizations. Next: July 13-August 12, 2018

#2 Festival & Fair
While the fair experienced an attendance drop last year, it still draws around 1.3 million visitors annually. Hoping to attract more people, the 2018 event at the Fairplex in Pomona will offer more discounts on tickets and food items, and won’t charge extra for special fair exhibits. The theme will be “Get Your Kicks,” a tribute to Route 66, and food vendors will offer on-theme items for $6.60. The event first bowed in 1922 when it drew fewer than 50,000 visitors. Next: August 31-September 23, 2018

#3 Festival & Fair
The Southern California desert event draws nearly 100,000 attendees for each of its six days, and is the top-grossing music festival in the country. Goldenvoice produces the festival located in Indio, for which general admission and V.I.P. passes sell out annually. Parties, suites, and promotions hosted by brands take over the desert region stretching to Palm Springs, typically on the first weekend of the two. This year, a performance by headliner Beyoncé drew buzz for a set that included Jay-Z and a reunion of Destiny’s Child, leading many outlets to jokingly rename the festival “Beychella.” Next: April 2019

#4 Festival & Fair
The 23-year-old event is billed as the nation's largest public literary festival, drawing 150,000 attendees and more than 500 authors and performers. The two-day event, which is free to the public on the University of Southern California campus, offers panels, demonstrations, and conversations alongside screenings, food, and music. This year’s event focused on alternative forms of creative storytelling, with a new Newstory Zone that featured multimedia programming such as podcasts, virtual reality, music, film, and television. Next: April 13-14, 2019

#6 Festival & Fair
The 34-year-old festival takes place annually on the last Sunday of September. Taking over a mile of the famous boulevard, the free neighborhood street party features 300 vendors, food trucks, kids’ rides and games, three beer gardens, and four stages for live music. The festival typically draws about 120,000 people and raises money for the Abbot Kinney Festival Association, which supports local organizations with an emphasis on youth, community, and the arts. Next: September 30, 2018

#7 Festival & Fair (new to the list)
America’s first modern Renaissance fair opened in 1963 and has taken place annually ever since. The 23-acre party in Irwindale now draws roughly 20,000 people for each of its seven weekends in April in May; more than 5 million people from around the world have attended since its inception. The family-friendly gathering transports guests back to the year 1574, with 13 stages of entertainment, more than 2,000 performers, and pub crawls, rides, arts and crafts, food vendors, and more. Next: April-May 2019