Sonoma County Fair’s 2023 season was a hit, official says

Sunday marked the last day for the Sonoma County Fair’s 2023 season.

Midday Sunday attendance was estimated to be 9% higher than the total 130,828 paid admissions the fair had last year, according to Rebecca Bartling, the Sonoma County Fair’s CEO.

The fair, which opened Aug. 3 and ran through Sunday, featured numerous events including rodeo and the fair’s first-ever gospel festival, and all the good, fried and weird eats fairgoers could want.

The Hall of Flowers exhibit, which featured 10 life-size, robotic dinosaurs in a nod to this year’s Jurassic theme, was a big hit this year, Bartling said.

She added that the rodeo, monster trucks and destruction derby all sold out.

The youth livestock auction also had notable success. The event brought in $2.2 million, exceeding previous years, including 2022 when it brought in about $1.9 million, Bartling said.

“We had more youth participating, which is great,” Bartling added. “And that’s a wonderful thing because a big part of what the fair does is it encourages the continuation of livestock, agricultural production.”

You can reach Staff Writer Emma Murphy at 707-521-5228 or emma.murphy@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MurphReports.