Del Mar CA —The San Diego County Fair, presented by Albertsons/Sav-on is calling it a wrap after 24 days of fun as the Fab Fair comes to a close. To kick off summer this year, 1,457,130 guests came to the Fair to celebrate the British music invasion that revolutionized the music industry 50 years ago in the United States and the World! This year’s Fair theme, “The Fab Fair” was a huge hit that touched all generations. The Fair’s exhibits, attractions and shows, food, rides, and music, were enjoyed by young and old and delivered the second highest attendance ever.
“We want to thank everyone in San Diego County and beyond for coming to the 2014 San Diego County Fair to enjoy the music of the 1960s and the influence the Beatles and their contemporaries had and still have within the music industry,” said Tim Fennell, CEO and General Manager of the Del Mar Fairgrounds. “We were proud to present a venue that provided a great value for our guests. The Fair is really about the people who work together as a team to present this event year after year. Thanks again to those who were able to join us for another record-breaking year for the San Diego County Fair, as we could not have done it without you.”
Food Facts as of July 6, 2014:
- Dixie’s Donuts fried more than 30,000 mini donuts.
- Bacon-A-Fair used 15,000 pounds of bacon, and 150 bottles of Jack Daniels for Churros
- Chicken Charlie sold more than 20,000 Krispy Kreme Triple-Decker Cheeseburgers made with 60,000 hamburgers and 40,000 donuts.
- Pink’s sold more than 3,000 Martha Stewart hot dogs and more than 2,000 Emeril-Bam hot dogs. Those dogs were accompanied by more than 5,000 pounds of fries.
- Country Fair Cinnamon Rolls used 20,000 pounds of whole wheat cinnamon roll mix, 4 tons of cinnamon & sugar and 500 gallons of cream cheese frosting.
- Australian Battered Potatoes used more than 14,000 pounds of potatoes, 8,400 pints of oil, 240 gallons of ranch dressing, 60 cases of cheese sauce, 200 pounds of bacon and 150 pounds of sour cream.
- Pignotti’s used 3,150 pounds of fish for 7,200 combo plates and 5,400 fish tacos.
- Grinders used 15 cases of cauliflower, 250 pounds of cheese, 400 pounds of sweet pork, 300 pounds of roast beef, 600 pounds of turkey breast, and more than 2,000 pounds of pastrami!
- Tasti Chips used 21 and a half tons of California grown potatoes for chips. The chips were topped with 17,000 orders of cheese sauce, 100 pounds of bacon and 30 pounds of bacon jam. Tasti Chips also served 10,000 pounds of French fries with 720 gallons of Heinz Ketchup and 3,100 gallons of Tapatio sauce. The chips and fries were fried in 1000 gallons of 100% pure peanut oil.
- Biggie’s Meat Market cooked up 8,000 pounds of ground beef and 18,000 pounds of potatoes. They served 14,000 pounds “Big Ribs” (a two-pound beef rib) and “Big Chic on a Stick” (a 22- pound giant garlic herb marinated chicken breast) along with Biggy Burgers!
Contests and Special Events
- Number of pies consumed at the daily Pie Eating Contest: 171
- Number of pieces of pie consumed at the Pie Eating Contest: 1,035
- Number of babies entered in the Baby Derby Contests: 26
- Number of National Anthem singers at Opening Ceremonies: 28
- Number of kids learning magic at Abra-Kid-Abra Magic Camp: 249
- Number of Scout troops that participated in Flag Raising at Opening Ceremonies: 105
- Number of participants in our Flag Raising program at daily Opening Ceremonies (Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, Marines and Young Marines): 1,247
- Number of Patches sold for Flag Raising program: 900
- Number of participants in the Singer/Songwriter Contest: 12
- Number of participants in the San Diego’s Best Dance Crew competition: 337
- Number of Triple Threat Contest participants: 34
- Number of participants in the Battle of the Bands contest: 43
- Number of participants at Three O’Clock Fun contests: 1,012
- Number of Entertainment Applications submitted: 981
- Number of entertainment groups booked: 717
- Number of hours of entertainment booked on the eight stages (not including the Grandstand Stage): 2,025
- Number of Dance and Variety group participants: 13,524
- Number of Band members that performed: 1,736
- Number of participants clicked through the Special Events gate: 22,673
- Total of small paper clips used for Entertainer packets: 1,100
- Total weight of rubber bands used on Entertainer packets: 1 ¼ lbs
- Number of participants in the Magic Camp program: 249
- Number of Dance Credentials used: 21,000
- Number of Band Credentials used: 2,778
- Number of entertainer parking passes used: 11,443
- Number of photos taken with the costumed mascot, Webster: 1,333
Super Bungee
5,360 took the bungee plunge during the Fair. Approximately 100 got cold feet! The youngest jumper this year at the Fair was 6 years old, the oldest; 79 years young.
Red, White, and Boom!
Fireworks America, based in Lakeside, California designed the 4th of July Fireworks Show. The 20-minute display consisted of:
- 220 2-1/2” shells
- 395 3” shells
- 156 4” shells
- 116 5” shells
- 96 6” shells
- 24 8” shells
Total Aerial Shells: 1,007
Top 10 Rides
- Crazy Mouse
- Grand Wheel
- Sky Ride
- Magnum
- G-Force
- Fast Trax
- Olympic Bob Sled
- Sky Flyer
- Alien Abduction
- Carousel
Website Figures 2013–2014
DESKTOP SITE: sdfair.com
Unique Visitors +4.09%
- 2014: 1,114,387 2013: 1,070,607
Total Visits +3.01%
- 2014: 1,897,942 2013: 1,842,441
Page views -6.64%
- 2014: 7,229,676 2013: 7,744,197
MOBILE SITE: m.sdfair.com
Unique Visitors +78.02%
- 2014: 364,515 2013: 204,766
Total Visits +70.03%
2014: 233,357 2013: 137,246
Page views +59.99%
- 2014: 2,004,548 2013: 1,252,919
65th Annual Livestock Auction:
351 animals auctioned. $423,565 was raised for members of 4-H and FFA.
Recycling
Of the total estimated waste stream of 2,378 tons of material during the 2014 Fair, well more than 1,773 tons were recycled, used for alternative daily cover, turned into bio-fuel or sent to be composted. This resulted in a 75% diversion rate from the landfill and an estimated $29,500 in earned revenue.
Final revenue and numbers will be available at a later date.