Riverside County Fair preps are underway with rain predicted for opening day
Preparations are underway for the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in Indio, which begins Friday. And rain may also be coming to the fair on opening day. The 71st annual fair takes place February 17-26 with gates opening daily at 10 a.m., and closing at 10 p.m.
Fair officials said the fair would remain open rain or shine, but some outdoor events may be canceled if the rain gets too heavy. They said there were many entertainment options for people to enjoy that were under a roof.
“There’s plenty to do inside, inside the buildings,” Kimberly Wright, assistant marketing manager for the fair said. “There are covered stage areas and we are just going to move forward rain or shine.”
Rides would be affected as well. According to a ride manager, most of the rides would be able to still run under rainfall as they were covered on top with canvas but some open-air rides like the Ferris wheel would be closed.
“Once it starts raining too heavy, the drive tires and the electrical system on a lot of those outdoor rides won’t operate properly,” Lance Moyer, chief operations officer of Butler Amusements, said.
Purchase your tickets early and receive them at a discounted price: $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for youth, $7 for group tickets or bus tours (minimum of 25), and $22 for Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristbands. For more information, call 800.811.FAIR or visit datefest.org where you can buy and print your fair tickets from home.
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Preparations are underway for the Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival in Indio, which begins Friday. And rain may also be coming to the fair on opening day. The 71st annual fair takes place February 17-26 with gates opening daily at 10 a.m., and closing at 10 p.m.
KESQ News Channel 3 and CBS Local 2’s Jeremy Chen was at the fairgrounds Wednesday morning to get a preview of the preparations being made ahead of the fair, and to find out whether officials believe the potential for rainfall will impact the annual event.
You can see Chen’s full report on KESQ News Channel 3 at 5 p.m. and on CBS Local 2 at 6:30 p.m.
Purchase your tickets early and receive them at a discounted price: $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for youth, $7 for group tickets or bus tours (minimum of 25), and $22 for Unlimited Carnival Ride Wristbands. For more information, call 800.811.FAIR or visit datefest.org where you can buy and print your fair tickets from home.
