OC Fair & Event Center Equestrian Center — Attraction in Costa Mesa

Let see the OC Fair is fun but prepare to get your wallet raped. You will be able to enjoy every devilishly delight under the sun. Leave your diet at the front gate because it's not going to happen. I finally learned about the free parking at OCC. That's always a plus because I am dislike paying for parking. I guess this is a local secret and now you know. Duh! I ruined it. I'm sorry but I didn't attend OCC and maybe everyone else should know also. I hope I don't jinx it but it was very easy to find parking and just a short walk away. It never made sense to me that there is a flea market going on at the same time as the OC Fair but I can't blame you I did go there once when I didn't have the dough to attend the fair in college. Plus it's Gold Digger repellent.

Let's start with the positive things first. I also have a blast because this fair is all about bringing a date or going with a group of friends. If you go alone I'm not sure if you will have fun. All the worst foods that you imagine come to life in true America obesity fashion. You won't be judge here so eat and drink to your hearts content.

A few gripes that I have that make this 3.5 stars. I am a little bias when it comes to fairs. In my eyes are bias because of the Alameda County Fair. Representing the Bay Area! Why you might ask? Because they have free shiznit! The entry to a fair should include more than just a free walk around and some animals that smell like crap. Free concerts. At the Alameda County Fair, I watched All-4-One, Boyz ii Men, City High, and Mya for the price of free with entry. Not happening at the OC Fair.

The food is overpriced. It's amazingly hot as balls. I don't know why Costa Mesa it's hot when it is near the coast but for some reason the fair has no breeze at all. Nothing comes free. My favorite part is looking at art work in the air conditioned rooms. I usually drag my feet when I am asked to go to the fair. I have fun but I much rather go to a theme park like Universal Studios or Disneyland. I know theme parks cost more but its way more worth it. There is nothing cheap about the OC Fair. Just be warned to bring a lot of cash. Over $40 per person. And I'm only counting food and entry. If you want to ride rides or play games empty your bank account at the ATM.

I recommend going to the fair but...

We actually went to the fair late in the afternoon when it wasn't as hot so it was easier to look at the overgrown vegetables and overpriced goods. We decided to have dinner there and found a table in what I generously refer to as their food court right outside the shopping area. The shopping area was covered and cooler, by the way which was pleasant. Anyway, we decided to order from a couple of the vendors nearby rather than exploring for other food. We chose a hamburger from one vendor and homemade potato chips from another. Well, the hamburger was no more than mediocre, and I expected more for $15. It was ala carte so I repeat, that was $15 for a burger, a slice of cheese, and a slice of tomato. My wife was braver by buying homemade potato chips. What could go wrong, you ask? Everything. The chips were either crispy or so soggy we ended up throwing away more than half of them. That was another $15 down the drain. Needless to say, the food was overpriced. One thing that was very good and I thank them for is that there were water stations throughout the park where we could refill our water bottles. The rules would not allow us to come in with reusable water bottles, but we could enter with water bottles that we're still factory sealed. So, we did just that and were grateful to be able to refill them at these free stations.

There were a few things that caught our eye from the vendors selling goods, but everything was so terribly expensive we chose not to purchase anything. For instance, a small aluminum can cover that one uses to fit over cold soda cans should have cost $4.99 at most, seeing that it's only really worth $0.99 but at the fair it cost $12.99. The prices were ridiculously high.

We actually went because we wanted to see Melissa Etheridge in concert that night and we did and were satisfied.

The parking was ample and cost a flat fee of $15 and there were several areas reserved for handicapped parking. The admission process was very simple. Our concert tickets served as our entry tickets so there was no additional charge for the fair itself. They didn't even ask to see our tickets (that we had ready to produce on our phone). We simply walked through the entry gate. Perhaps it was the late hour. I don't know. We were grateful, however, for the ease of entry. No...

I went to the OC fair on opening day, July 14th. I was double charged on my credit card ($18 twice), which I noticed later in the day. It should have been $18 once for two $9 dollar seniors. They ultimately charged me $36 .

I called, and the box office was closed. I went back a week later, to go to the fair again, and explained my situation to the box office, figuring they would just give me two entries into the fair to rectify what they had done. I showed the supervisor my screenshot of the double charge on my phone, and my original tickets, and receipt I saved. They took a a bunch of information from me, and charged me once again to go into the fair. A woman named Cat called and left a message (a few days later), and stated, they didn’t double charge me. It clearly showed on my statement on my phone! I’ve never been double charged anywhere. I called back five or six times to speak to her. No one answers, and there’s no voicemail … I called four different phone numbers from the Internet, and the one she gave me. After exhausting all efforts, I turned it into Chase fraud department, and they removed the extra charge from my card, with no help from the OC fair staff!

OC fair staff, fail !!! . I enjoyed the fair as always, it’s just too bad half of the vendors weren’t there this year. One whole vendor hall is dedicated to something else. The missing vendors, was kind of disappointing. . I wouldn’t have even written this review, if they hadn’t jammed me at the box office, and, or picked up the phone to...