The OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC), a 150-acre (0.61 km2) event venue in Costa Mesa, California, hosts numerous events, festivals, activities, music and entertainment of all kinds. It attracts over 4.3 million visitors annually. The event center makes an ideal destination for field trips, educational enrichment, children adventures and family outings. Meetings, parties, corporate events, cultural festivals, trade shows, fundraising runs and concerts are also held here.
Shortly after Orange County was founded in 1889, the Orange County Community Fair Corporation sponsored the first county fair in 1890. The first Orange County Fairs were primarily livestock exhibitions and horse races. At the turn of the century, a “carnival of products” was added and the Fair became an annual event. The OC Fair has grown from a small, three-day celebration to a 23-day festival that is one of Orange County’s most eagerly awaited annual events.
OCFEC is home to several recreational facilities and attractions such as the Centennial Farm, a year-round working farm for educating youth about agriculture located in the southwest of the property. The Farm includes a lot of fruit and vegetable gardens as well as livestock barns. The event center also houses the Equestrian Center, a year-round, privately operated horse boarding and training facility in the northeast of the area. Heroes Hall, a year-round veterans museum and education center, is located in the southwest of the property. The Hall is dedicated to narrating the stories of Orange County veterans. An outdoor swap meet held in the southeast of the area called the Orange County Market Place is owned and operated by Spectra Food Services. Other facilities in the event center include the Pacific Amphitheatre, an outdoor arena seating approximately 8,500; the Action Sports Arena, a 7,000 seat arena and performance venue activated during the annual Orange County Fair, and home to Costa Mesa Speedway events; and The Hangar, an indoor concert venue held during the annual Orange County Fair, and used for various year-round events including the Fight Club OC.