San Diego County Fair in Del Mar concludes another successful event

By Kristina Houck

The San Diego County Fair wrapped up on Sunday, July 6, following fireworks on the Fourth of July, the Big Bite Bacon Fest on Saturday and a tribute to the Beatles closing night.

According to organizers, 1,457,130 fairgoers visited the fairgrounds for the Beatles-themed event, the second-highest attendance in fair history. More than 1.5 million people attended the fair in 2012.

One of the largest and oldest events in San Diego, the fair has set attendance records every year since 2009.

This year’s theme was “The Fab Fair,” featuring British music, pop culture and several exhibitions, including two Beatles photo exhibits.

During the 24-day event, 717 entertainment groups were booked, which included 13,524 performers and 2,025 hours of stage time. Fair mainstay Chicken Charlie’s sold more than 20,000 Krispy Kreme triple-decker cheeseburgers made with 60,000 hamburgers and 40,000 donuts. The Bacon-A-Fair used 15,000 pounds of bacon. As for rides, 5,360 people took the bungee plunge during the fair (roughly 100 got cold feet). The youngest jumper was 6 years old and the oldest was 79.