DEL MAR, Calif. (KGTV) — The San Diego County Fair wrapped up its final day of festivities Sunday, concluding weeks of summer fun at the Del Mar Fairgrounds with this year's "Summer Pet-Tacular" theme.
The fair, which has been a San Diego tradition for nearly 150 years, attracted an average of 43,000 to 44,000 visitors daily throughout its run.
"It really kicks off the summer in San Diego County and it is that limited time only event. We really work hard to capture people's imagination," said Tristain Hallman, spokesperson for the San Diego County Fair.
For many families, attending the fair has become an annual tradition spanning decades.
"It's family tradition. We come every year, even when it was a Del Mar fair," Hasson James said.
Judy Gregg, another fairgoer, shared similar sentiments.
"We have been coming to the fair together for 23 years now," Gregg said. "Everybody in San Diego looks forward to it every year, right?"
The event featured a variety of attractions including thrilling rides, games and more than 60 vendors from across San Diego County, providing plenty of entertainment options for both locals and visitors.
For some attendees like Josephine Zwierzynski, Sunday marked their first-ever visit to the fair.
"It's everything and more. There's like more rides than I thought there would be, and the food looks delicious," Zwierzynski said.
This year's "Summer Pet-Tacular" theme celebrated furry friends, while next year's theme may focus on stories. The official theme will be announced later this fall.
Some notable statistics from the 2025 edition of the Fair (courtesy of San Diego County Fair organizers):
- 60 dogs took part in the first-ever “Pet-tacular Pooch Fun Run”
- 87 piercings were performed, with most of them on the nose and ear
- 547 tattoos were done at Bay Ink in the San Diego Marketplace
- 682 items turned into the Fair’s Lost & Found
- 1,268 temporary employees hired for the duration of the Fair
- 1,700 potatoes peeled for Farmer in the Del ‘s “Volcano Fries”
- Estimated 5,000 Meatball Mozzarella Sticks sold by Chicken Charlie’s
- 7,200 Tres Leches Cinnamon Rolls sold (total weight of 2,600 pounds)
- 10,330 gallons of lemonade served
- 18,222 performers at this year’s Fair
- 30,321 turkey legs sold
- On its single-busiest day, 58,520 people attended the Fair
- Total attendance of 874,263 at the 2025 San Diego County Fair
- 2025 Fair had a $293 million economic impact on the region (organizers said the number is inflation-adjusted from a 2019 SDSU economic impact study that showed a $237 million impact)
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