Cost of California State Fair food, rides and entertainment

With the California State Fair well underway it’s time to check in on how much those rides, carnival games, fried food and entertainment will cost and where bargains can be found.

I visited the California Sate Fair on opening day, – Friday, July 17 – to find affordable fun, foods and drinks.

Immediately upon entering the fairgrounds, I could feel the welcoming atmosphere and the excitement of the guests. The energy was contagious and set the scene for an amazing evening.

Here’s what I discovered:

How much do fair tickets cost in 2026?

Advanced admission to the state fair costs $16, day of adult ticket prices are $18. Admission for children 5 to 12 years old is $10 for advanced tickets and $12 for day of tickets. Children under the age of 4 get in for free.

What are the prices for carnival rides and games?

Each ride and game requires between 4 and 10 tickets. The cost for carnival rides and games wristbands ranges from $20 to $100 depending on the perks you want, such as unlimited turns on the Skyride and a fast pass to skip long lines.

For $20 you can enjoy 17 digital ride and game tickets

For $50 you can purchase an unlimited ride wristband, which is valid for one person.

Need a drink? See prices for water, beer and more

Staying hydrated is important as temperatures hover in the high 90s. Fair-goers can take advantage of the water fountains available through the fairgrounds. If you want chilled drinks you can purchase them at one of dozens of stands available. This is what you can expect to pay at the fair for drinks.

Water bottles cost about $4 and soda is $5.

People can expect to pay between $16 to $24 for alcoholic cocktails and $14 to $16 for wine and draft beers.

What are prices for food at Cal Expo?

The California State Fair has more than one hundred food vendors offering everything from tacos, deep-fried Oreos, corn dogs, garlic noodles and other fair food delights.

On average, you can expect to pay between $9 to $24 per meal with specialty items priced higher.

Choosing vegetarian options, I ordered two sopes for $18, thick masa tortillas with beans, lettuce, avocado, cheese and salsa, from fair vendor Vaqueros Taqueria which had an impressive variety of food including burritos, tacos and agua frescas.

The sopes were delicious, and the salsa was spicy and absolutely delightful.

Additionally, I bought a deep-fried grilled cheese sandwich for $13 from Maddy Moo’s, a cheese-centric vendor which donates part of its proceeds to provide housing and job training to those in need. The sandwich was cheesy and wonderfully breaded.

Later in the evening, I visited the Pineapple Grill for their award-winning deep-fried Hawaiian rolls for $9. They are delightfully soft and covered in cinnamon sugar and drizzled with condensed milk.

Overall, the food at the fair was filling, hearty and nostalgic.

What can you experience for free at the California State Fair?

The free entertainment at the fair is phenomenal. By far my favorite was the It’s A Wild Wild World Adventure, which can be accessed at Expo Center Building Three. This exhibit allowed guests to get close to an array of animals including kangaroos, otters, lemurs and a Capybara named Inigo.

Conservation Ambassadors’ Wild Things has been educating the public and providing homes to more than 60 species of wildlife since it was founded in 1987.

The exhibit was perfect for animal lovers who wanted to tick a few animal sightings off their bucket list.

Additionally, I visited The California’s First Peoples’ Art Showcase. This showcase celebrates the rich artistic traditions, cultural heritage and living history of tribes across the state, according to the fair website. On display were canoes, contemporary art pieces and other educational pieces.

By far the best free entertainment was the concert by Babyface, who performed at the Sky River Casino Stage as part of the fair’s Toyota Concert Series. Concerts are free with fair admission.

After a few hours under the hot sun, there was no better cool down than swaying to Babyface classics. Besides being a talented singer, Babyface is also a funny and engaging performer. I highly recommend catching one of his concerts the next time he’s in town.

Is the fair affordable?

The cost of food and rides will set you back a bit, however the free exhibits, activities including The Enchanted Forest area that allows people to safely climb redwood trees and entertainment offset those costs.

I spent a total of $44 on my trip to the fair on food and drinks alone, but was entertained for hours by the free events.

If you are hoping to save money on food the state fair does allow attendees to bring outside food and coolers inside the fairgrounds. There are plenty of lawn areas where you can set up a picnic while watching that day’s headliner.

The fair runs through until Sunday, August 2, at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento.

Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado

The Sacramento Bee

Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado is a service journalism reporter at The Sacramento Bee. She previously worked at the Star Democrat in Annapolis, Maryland. Veronica graduated from Georgetown University with a master’s degree in journalism.