Written By Mauricio Segura // Photo By: Mauricio Segura
For 17 days this summer, Cal Expo will become a condensed version of California with a midway running through it. The smell of barbecue and fresh lemonade will drift past livestock barns, art galleries, cooking stages and carnival rides. Somewhere nearby, a goat will be judged, a chef will race a clock, a singer will take the concert stage, and somebody will make a questionable decision involving a second funnel cake. That glorious collision of agriculture, food, music and cheerful excess is the California State Fair, which runs July 17 through Aug. 2, 2026.
The fair has been doing this job for a very long time. California’s first state fair was held in San Francisco in 1854, when livestock and farm goods were the main attraction. Sacramento became its permanent home in 1861, and Cal Expo opened in 1968. The setting has changed, but the basic idea has survived: gather the state in one place and let Californians show what they raise, cook, build, grow, paint, brew and occasionally deep-fry.
The 2026 edition does not stay in one lane. Its exhibit buildings include Rustic Charm, a Candy Maze and Selfie Experience, a Wild Wild World exhibit, a Tutankhamun experience, an America 250th anniversary maze, California-themed exhibits, fine art and photography, and a showcase devoted to California First Peoples art. There is also the California Cannabis Exhibit Experience, one of the clearest signs that the modern state fair has expanded far beyond prize tomatoes and blue-ribbon pies.
Agriculture still holds a place of honor. The barns and arenas feature goats, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, horses and other animals shown by exhibitors. Fair competitions also judge California wine, extra virgin olive oil, cheese, craft beer and cannabis, while home cooks, bakers and brewers get their own chances at ribbons and bragging rights. That mix matters. The fair can be silly, but it is also one of the few places where a city family can spend the afternoon learning where food comes from, then immediately buy something on a stick.
And yes, the food is its own attraction. The 2026 vendor map includes tacos, barbecue, baked potatoes, mac and cheese, fish fry, tanghulu, Thai food, Greek fare, roasted corn, churros, funnel cakes, Dole Whip, shaved ice, gelato and enough lemonade stands to make citrus nervous. The fair also turns eating into sport and spectacle. Scheduled events include a fair food competition, a mac and cheese cookoff, professional chef challenges, a corn dog eating contest, cider tastings and the Zucchini Derby, where produce becomes a race car because normal vegetables apparently were not entertaining enough.
Music fills the evenings. The 2026 concert calendar includes Babyface, Wyclef Jean, Tower of Power, Midland, Iration, Lee Brice, Ja Rule, KC & The Sunshine Band, Keith Sweat, Trace Adkins, Dark Star Orchestra, Boyz II Men, WAR and Yacht Rock Revue, among others. Concerts are included with fair admission, with reserved seating sold separately for many shows. Community stages add local music, dance and cultural performances throughout the run. Check below for the full concert schedule.
The calendar has plenty of smaller surprises, too. Truck and tractor pulls are scheduled for July 18, Bay Breakers women’s rugby games take place July 18 and 26, and a youth mariachi competition is set for July 26. Fridays and Saturdays end with nighttime pyrotechnic shows. Tuesdays bring free admission for children 12 and younger, plus $2 carnival rides for guests of all ages.
There is extra meaning attached to this year’s heat and midway glow. Plans call for the fair to move to Sept. 17 through Oct. 3 beginning in 2027, so 2026 is the final midsummer edition under the current schedule. The change was announced as a response to rising summer temperatures and the desire for more comfortable fair weather.
So this July, Sacramento gets one more turn as California’s giant summer playground. Come for the concert, the animals, the art or the food. Stay because the State Fair’s real trick is that no two people seem to visit the same fair, even when they enter through the same gate.
-Hours of Operation-
Monday through Thursday
4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday through Sunday
10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Closing day, Sunday, August 2
10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Exhibit buildings close at 10 p.m. during the fair.
Full 2026 Concert Schedule
The Toyota Concert Series runs every night of the fair. The official fair lineup lists the following 17 performances.
Friday, July 17
Babyface
Saturday, July 18
Wyclef Jean
Sunday, July 19
Tower of Power
Monday, July 20
Struggle Jennings
Tuesday, July 21
Midland
Wednesday, July 22
Iration
Thursday, July 23
Lee Brice
Friday, July 24
Ja Rule
Saturday, July 25
KC & The Sunshine Band
Sunday, July 26
Ezequiel Peña
Monday, July 27
Queen Nation
Tuesday, July 28
Keith Sweat
Wednesday, July 29
Trace Adkins
Thursday, July 30
Dark Star Orchestra
Friday, July 31
Boyz II Men
Saturday, August 1
WAR
Sunday, August 2
Yacht Rock Revue
The headline concerts are scheduled for 8 p.m., including ticketed shows listed through the fair's official ticketing partner and the two free-show nights, Struggle Jennings and Queen Nation.
The concerts themselves are included with fair admission, while reserved seats are sold separately for most nights. Struggle Jennings and Queen Nation are listed as free shows without reserved-seat ticket purchases.
For further information: California State Fair
