From kiddie rides to thrill rides, potato fries to pig racing, the Ventura County Fair has been going full throttle for the past week. As you walk around the entertainment, you might notice there’s some entertainment that finds you.
"We're a strolling act. We're here with our life-size Axle the Dragon, Titan the T-Rex, and Big Blue the Velociraptor, explained Deanna Lukens from Dinos and Dragons, who is operating a baby T-Rex puppet.
"The kids love him because the kids actually think they're real. You know, it's my job to convince these kids that these things are real, and I work really hard at it," she said
"Dinosaurs are like matchbox cars. They just don't go away, you know? And so the kids love it. The adults love it, the elderly love it! It's just fun."
The Chief Executive Officer of Ventura County Fairgrounds, Heidi Ortiz, said it’s bigger and better every year.
"This is going to be the best fair yet. So I welcome everybody to come out and enjoy the 2026 Ventura County Fair."
Many of the fair-goers say they remember coming as kids and are now here with their kids or even grandchildren.
"We've been coming to the fair for the last 20 years as a family. We absolutely love it. It's part of the Ventura County culture. We wouldn't miss it," said one.
"My daughter, she's just turned four, so she likes the pony rides," said another.
"I was born and raised here, so I've been coming since I was a little kid, so now that I have my kids here, I'm trying to let them experience the same thing," said another fair-goer.
The Ventura County Fair runs until Sunday and opens at noon daily.
