Goodbye, triple-digit temps. CA State Fair moves from mid-summer to fall in 2027
California State Fair will soon bid farewell to scorching days in the triple digits announcing a move to the fall in 2027.
The mid-summer fair’s new dates will be Sept. 17-Oct. 3, 2027. The California State Fair & Exposition Board voted to make the change at a recent meeting, the decision made after what fair leaders in a statement described as “several years of analysis and planning by California State Fair staff.”
The 2026 fair will keep its traditional two-week July-August stand from July 17 through Aug. 2.
“For years, our team has been evaluating the best way to provide a more comfortable and enjoyable Fair for everyone,” said Tom Martinez, CEO of California Exposition and State Fair. “With rising summer temperatures, shifting to the fall season allows us to create a more pleasant environment while maintaining the traditions Californians love.”
In its announcement, the fair board said the move to early autumn is intended to improve conditions for the hundreds of thousands of attendees each year, address intensifying summer heat, and support more manageable operations on the fairgrounds.
“We’ve spoken extensively with our vendors, community partners, concessionaires, and key stakeholders and everyone understands the need for the date shift,” Martinez said. “The move also aligns with several other State Fairs that operate during the fall.”
For vendors, exhibitors and fairgoers, the peak-summer trek across acres of Cal Expo blacktop had become too much for too many. One recent example, in 2023, 600,000 state fairgoers passed through Cal Expo’s turnstiles — a 9% drop from the previous year and 43% from the fair’s 2001 peak. The Sacramento Bee’s editorial board opined that the future of the California State Fair could be contingent on a move down the calendar.
Last year, the State Fair moved its weekday starts to 4 p.m. in an effort to beat the heat after triple-digit temperatures marked much of 2024’s run.
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