A Summer-Style County Fair in Wintertime

It's the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival, and it opens in Indio in mid-February.

A FERRIS WHEEL FAN... and a devotee of fried desserts served on sticks and person who likes to coo over prize-winning rabbits and a lover of quilt displays can have a real sticky wicket of a time come June, July, and August. After all, those three months see a lot of county fairs cropping up around the Golden State, and flitting from one midway to the next, in time to enjoy every last homespun detail, is likely out of the question for most or all Californians. Instead, those who crave the excitement and sweetnesses inherent in an old-school fair must find the festivity closest to where they are, or maybe a county over, and savor that for a day or two. But not all of California's classic county fairs are in summertime, nor fall, nor spring. There's one that revs up right around Valentine's Day each year, right when winter is still doing its chilly thing, though perhaps not in Indio, where the fair-going weather is usually just right. It's the...

RIVERSIDE COUNTY FAIR... and National Date Festival we speak of, and it'll be back, with rides, animals, treats, concerts, and more, from Friday, Feb. 16 through Sunday, Feb. 25. Some 2018 highlights? WAR'll be rocking the outdoor pavilion on opening night, with Chase Rice, Los Rieleros del Norte, Lou Gramm with Foghat, and Los Tequileros de Ramon Jimenez, Banda Pachuco, and Carmen Jara also appearing later on during the fair. The Presidents Day Parade will take place on Monday, Feb. 19, while the Arabian Nights Musical Pageant will bring storytelling and song to the event each evening. For the schedule, and details, and all of the delights of the date-filled festival, a wintry fun time that isn't all that wintry, click.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us