‘FIND YOUR HAPPY’: OC Fair Returns with Deep-Fried Delirium and $5 Deals

BECAUSE WHY NOT? Bacon cotton candy on a pork belly stick, yum!

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JUNE 27, 2025

By Brian Hews

COSTA MESA — Hide your kale and say goodbye to self-control—the OC Fair is back and it’s bringing the wildest, weirdest, most wonderful food creations this side of the deep fryer. Running July 18 through August 17 (Wednesdays to Sundays), this year’s theme is “Find Your Happy”—and if your happy involves bacon-wrapped burritos, a meatball on a stick, or a blue raspberry Dole Whip, congratulations: you’ve found it.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Fair season without the $5 Taste of the Fair, returning daily until 4 p.m. This genius invention lets you sample smaller portions of food without taking out a second mortgage—or a second pair of pants.

And what’s new this year, you ask? Oh, just a bacon cotton candy pork belly stick, a pizza potato, a turkey leg so small they’re calling it “Mini Me” (it still weighs over a pound), a bean and cheese burrito cone, and chicharrón pizza, because someone finally asked, “What if nachos and pizza had a baby?”

For dessert? Try Dubai chocolate strawberries, cream puffs and pie à la mode, or a brownie decadent enough to require a permission slip. And if your idea of excitement is a plant-based corn dog, don’t worry—Fair organizers didn’t forget you. There are vegan hot dogs, gluten-free pastries, and even salads for people who wandered in by mistake.

Returning favorites include funnel cakes the size of steering wheels, kettle corn by the bucket, and classic turkey legs that double as self-defense weapons in a crowded line. There’s also roasted corn, cotton candy, michelaguas, and enough fried food on a stick to spark envy in the Midwest.

CROWD FAVORITE: “Mini-Me” turkey legs, the fair will also have regular-size legs.

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PEPE’S MARISCOS: Visit Pepe’s to try their Mixta tostada.

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But the OC Fair isn’t just a glorious junk food jungle—it’s also got swine races, VHS nostalgia, milking demonstrations, sourdough starter workshops, petting zoos, and a hypnotist named Mark who will probably convince someone to cluck like a chicken in front of 200 strangers. And let’s not forget the nightly DJs, live music, and that moment of shame when you realize you spent $120 on snacks and still want more.

Admission is $13 Wednesdays and Thursdays, $15 Friday through Sunday, and $9 for seniors and kids 6-12. Kids 5 and under get in free—probably because they’ll spend the whole time crying in the heat while you stress-eat spiral fries. Parking is $15, and the OC Fair Passport gets you unlimited entry all season for $60.

So whether you’re in it for the pig races, the hypnotists, or just the joy of deep-fried self-indulgence, this year’s OC Fair is ready to feed your face and your soul.

For tickets, schedules, and more info, visit ocfair.com. Bring napkins—and elastic waistbands.

New food at OC Fair

• NEW STAND – Tom’s Puffs and Pie, cream puffs and apple pie a la mode
• Bacon cotton candy on a pork belly stick – Bacon Nation
• Dubai chocolate strawberry cup – Swirl Ice Cream
• Mozzarella Meatballs on a Stick – Chicken Charlie’s
• Pizza Spud – Spud Ranch
• Nopales (cactus) tacos – Pepe’s Mariscos
• Chicharron pizza – Enzo’s
• Blue raspberry Dole Whip – Pineapple Whip
• Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl – 10 Pound Buns
• Bean and cheese burrito cone – Chicken Charlie’s
• Bacon-wrapped carnitas burrito – Bacon Nation
• Mini Me turkey leg (1 1/3 lb.) – Biggy’s 
• Dubai chocolate brownie – Mom’s Bakeshoppe

Lighter Fair food and plant-based options

• Guacamole and ceviche – Northgate Market stand
• Plant-based & gluten-free burgers, nachos and tacos – Vegging Out
• Salads – Wahlburgers
• Vegan and gluten-free hot dogs – Pink’s 
• Seafood tacos – The Hook
• Fish, veggie and avocado tacos and burritos – Noel’s Mexican Food
• Gluten-free, vegan pastries – MoonGoat Coffee
• Corn on the cob and more – Corn Shack

Returning Fair favorites 

• Oasis Fruit Co.
• Papi’s Puffy Tacos 
• Sugar Puff Candy
• Garlicky’s
• Pepe’s Mariscos Fresh Mexican Seafood 
• MoonGoat Coffee
• Turkey legs – various locations
• Michelaguas and aguas frescas – various locations
• Cotton candy, candied apples, kettle corn, popcorn – various locations 
• Ice cream, milkshakes, smoothies, floats – various locations
• Deep-fried treats on a stick – various locations
• Hot dogs, corn dogs, hamburgers, fries, pizza – various locations
• Funnel cakes, donuts, cinnamon rolls – various locations
• Nachos, chicken bowls, roasted corn, baked potatoes – various locations