Following the directive from Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Public Health, OC Fair & Event Center is temporarily suspending all events involving attendance of 250 people or more through at least the end of March.
“We are in support of the Governor’s directive in the interest of public safety and want to do our part to contribute to hopefully turning the tide on the advancement of this virus,” said OC Fair & Event Center CEO Michele Richards.
The following events at OC Fair & Event Center (OCFEC) have been impacted:
- Orange County Market Place – weekends, canceled for March
- VOLTA by Cirque du Soliel – March 18-April 19, suspended; possibly postponed
- Crossroads of the West Gun Show – March 21-22, canceled
- OC Science and Engineering Fair – March 24-26, canceled
- AAOC Trade Show and Conference – March 26, postponed; date TBD
- Mom Made Market – March 28-29, postponed; date TBD
- Flying Miz Daisy Vintage Market – March 28-29, canceled
- Car Lab – March 28-29, canceled
- California Bridal & Wedding Expo – March 29, canceled
- First Robotics Competition – April 2-4, canceled
- Autism Fragile X Foundation Autism Parade – April 11, canceled
- Imaginology – April 17-19, canceled
- SoCal Sanitary Supply Show – May 6, canceled
- Goat Yoga Experience – May 9, canceled
- OC PolyFest – May 9-10, canceled
- FamFest – June 20-21, canceled
Included in the cancellations is Imaginology, OCFEC’s three-day free S.T.E.A.M. education event that was slated to run from April 17 to 19 with anticipated attendance of nearly 40,000 students, parents, and teachers.
“It breaks my heart to cancel Imaginology. As our largest community give-back, Imaginology is near and dear to all of us at OCFEC. It’s a highly interactive, hands-on event that would present many challenges in the current situation,” said Richards. “We felt it was best to allow more time for the response to take hold before offering such an event.”
There are currently no plans to change the dates of the 2020 OC Fair, July 17-Aug. 16. OCFEC will continue to follow directives from the state.
During the next three weeks, OCFEC staff will conduct essential business as usual. “We’re very mindful of the impact the decision will have on the hundreds of part-time event staff, merchants, promoters and contractors who support these large events at OCFEC year-round. The Board and staff are working diligently to minimize that impact and will be prepared to get operations up and running as soon as the situation is contained, so our important employee base can get back to work,” said OCFEC Board Chair Sandra Cervantes. “The Governor has announced relief programs to help the Orange County workforce impacted by this disruption and we’re hopeful that the situation is swiftly resolved.”
At this time Centennial Farm will remain open for visits, but Discovery Days will be modified in size. Garden classes will still take place. Heroes Hall Veterans Museum and Education Center will also remain open as scheduled Wednesday through Sunday.
Precautionary measures being taken throughout the grounds by OCFEC include enhancing onsite communication and preventative actions, placing an increased number of hand sanitizing stations throughout the property, increasing the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting of surfaces and commonly touched objects, and providing ongoing training for staff and partners regarding best practices for providing a safe and healthy environment.
Any updates will be posted on ocfair.com and on the agency’s social media channels, @ocfair on Twitter and @oc_fair on Instagram.
