San Diego County Fair 2012
Discount Admission & Parking

When: June 8 - July 4, 2012
(Closed Mondays, except July 2)
Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds
2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard
Del Mar, CA (map)
Phone: (858) 755-1161
24-hour recorded information:
(858) 793-5555
More info: Events website

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Budget a little tight? We'll show you how to save money and still enjoy the Fair. Click where you see colored text to find out the details on these programs.

We will continue to post new savings opportunities as they become confirmed. Please check back often.

Save on Admission

• $3.00 Tuesday — Come to the Fair on Tuesday, June 14, for just $3.00! Regular adult admission is $13.00; senior admission is $7.00, so this is a huge savings. These special tickets are available only at Albertsons stores and will not be sold at the Fairgrounds ($5.00 minimum purchase required, using your Albertsons Preferred Card). It's also Kids' Day, where all children 12 and younger are admitted free.

• Save $2.00 on adult admission tickets: Albertsons also offers adult admission tickets for $11.00, two bucks off the $13.00 regular adult admission price. While you're there, you also can buy regular-price senior ($7.00, 62 and older) and children's ($7.00, ages 6-12) tickets, and bypass the ticket line when you get to the Fair! No minimum purchase required for these tickets.

• Come often! Our Best Pass Ever is a season pass to the Fair — 22 days for just $22.00. See the Best Pass Ever page for details.

• Come with your friends! Save on admission when you come with a group. Please see the Group Sales page for details, and gather your friends together for maximum savings!

• In the military? Buy your tickets on base and save!

• Save by buying admission & ride packages! If you like the rides, these ticket packages will save you up to 45 percent off the at-the-window prices. Click the link for details.

• Pay-One-Price Ride Day: Want to ride as much as you want for just one price? Pepsi Pay-One-Price Ride Day (known informally as "Ride Wristband Day") are Wednesdays and Thursdays. Purchase a $30.00 wristband at the Fair that allows you unlimited access to Fun Zone and Kiddieland rides. Buy your wristband online before you come to the Fair.

• Be our guest if you are unemployed. If you have been unemployed in the last 12 months and have paperwork to verify that, you can come to the Fair free and bring a guest on Tuesday, June 21 and 28. This offer of two free Fair tickets also is available for "Golden State ADVANTAGE" card holders. Some restrictions apply; please click the link above for the details.

• Read and get in free! Children 12 and younger who read 10 or more age-appropriate books, and have that verified by a teacher or librarian, get free admission any day of the Fair. (Regular child's admission is $7.00.) Click the link for details; certificates are online now.

• Tuesday is Kids' Day! Children 12 and younger are admitted free on Tuesdays. (Admission for ages 6-12 other days is $7.00.)

• Enter a Competitive Exhibits One-Day Contest: Enter one of our one-day Entry Department contests, and you get free admission to the Fair. Click the link for details. (Not all contests offered at the Fair offer free admission, so please read the additional details.)

Save on Parking

• Free parking: Park free every day at Horsepark, on the corner of Via de la Valle and El Camino Real, east of Interstate 5. The Fair's free shuttle buses run from 9:00AM until midnight every day the Fair is open (1:00AM on Friday and Saturday), and drop you off in front of the O'Brien Gate. On weekends, we also have free park-and-shuttle lots at two additional off-site locations. Click the link above for more information.

• Ride the train or take the bus: Amtrak and the Coaster stop at the Solana Beach station two miles from the Fair. North County Transit District (NCTD) shuttles run between the station and the Fair's West Gate. From Escondido, take the NCTD express route with no stops between Escondido and the Fair. Click the link above for more information.

Save on Food

• Bring your lunch: Yes, it's allowed! No alcohol, glass containers or metal knives of any kind. All beverages must be in sealed containers (but you can bring an empty container, such as a sippy cup, to use once you're past Security). We'll even hold your lunch for you in Guest Services, first floor of the Grandstand, until you're ready to eat at one of the designated picnic areas.

• Buy your child a Kids Meal at selected Meal Deal vendors. The $5.99 meal includes an entrée, side dish and drink, plus a child's admission to each of the following venues with a paid adult admission, valid after July 5: Chula Vista Nature Center, Birch Aquarium, The New Children's Museum or the USS Midway Museum.

• Fridays are PennySaver Value Days. The PennySaver coupon book, free with your Fair admission, is packed with over $500.00 in discounts, two-for-one values, and other savings from more than 60 Fair vendors.

• Come on Taste of the Fair Tuesday. Every Tuesday, you can buy $2.00 taste-sized portions of some of your favorite Fair foods, such as corn dogs, fudge, fish tacos and cinnamon rolls. Check at your favorite food booth to see what their offering is for Taste of the Fair Tuesday!

Save on Rides

• Save by buying admission & ride packages! If you like the rides, these ticket packages will save you up to 45 percent off the at-the-window prices. Click the link for details.

• Come on Pepsi Pay-One-Price Ride Day: Want to enjoy the rides all day long for one price? You can, each Wednesday and Thursday during the Fair. Buy online and take advantage of special online-only Pay-One-Price Days! Click the link for details.

• Try Your Luck For A Buck — On Wednesdays and Thursdays, you can play midway games for one dollar per play, half the regular price. If you'd like to save on other days, buy game coupon sheets, $20.00 for 20 coupons. Each coupon is valid for one game play, and can be used on any day. See the Best Pass Ever page for details.

Enjoy the Free Attractions

• Enjoy the exhibits: All the Fair exhibits are free with admission; the flower and garden show; all the animals, gems, art, photo, home and hobby displays; woodworking; and much more.

• Enjoy the shows: We have entertainment all day and long into the evenings on eight stages, plus daily animal or motor sports shows in the Chevrolet Del Mar Arena. Nationally known entertainers are featured nightly on the Heineken Grandstand Stage. Many of the Grandstand shows are free with admission to the Fair, and all entertainment on other stages is free with admission.

• Your Fair ticket is good for free admission to Surfside Race Place at Del Mar, the Fairgrounds' race book facility. You can place a wager on horse races from all over the country, then watch your horse cross the finish line! Or, enjoy a meal in air-conditioned comfort, or on one of the patios overlooking the Fair. Surfside Race Place is open every day the Fair is open, except Tuesdays.

Save your Fair ticket for even more savings!

• Your Fair ticket is good for free admission to the Ventura County Fair, August 3-14, 2011. The Ventura County Fairgrounds also is next to the Pacific Ocean, and has an Amtrak stop within walking distance of the gates. Visit www.seasidepark.org for more information.

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