67th Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival opens
The 67th Riverside County Fair & National Date Festival opens today.
An opening ceremony highlighted by the “blessing of the dates” will be held at 9:30 a.m., and no admission will be charged from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fair runs through Feb. 24 at 82-503 Highway 111 in Indio.
Lifehouse, Wynonna & the Big Noise, Voz de Mando, Aaron Lewis and Grammy winners Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano are the main stage headliners, whose shows are included with admission. Coachella Valley native and WBO welterweight boxing champion Tim Bradley Jr. will be grand marshal of the fair’s President’s Day Parade, which starts at 9 a.m. on Monday.
Other fair entertainment includes monster trucks, motocross, a demolition derby, camel and ostrich races, a nightly musical pageant, carnival rides and midweek tributes to Johnny Cash, Elvis, Jimmy Buffet and Dean Martin.
Fair hours are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. General admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for youths and $6 for those on group bus tours. Children 5 and under are free.
Admission specials include:
— Canada Day on Feb. 19, when Canadian residents with proof of residency get in free.
— Kids’ Day on Feb. 20, when one child gets free admission with each paid adult ticket.
— `O’Reilly Thursday,” with free admission on Feb. 21 with proof of a minimum $5 purchase from O’Reilly Auto Parts since Feb. 1.
— Fantasy $5 Friday on Feb. 22, when everyone other than children under 5 will get in for $5.
For more information, call (800) 811-3247 or go to http://www.datefest.org.
