What to Know
- OC Fair 2023 twinkles in Costa Mesa from July 14 through Aug. 13 (advance tickets are required)
- The long-running county fair is famous for its fantastical foodstuffs
- Chicken Charlie's, one of the fair's best-known spots for creative cuisine, will offer Deep-Fried S'mores
Many fair fans watch rides slowly rise from a distance, the twisty, sky-high tracks and bulb-covered towers that signal a celebratory festival will soon open.
Other people are watching for the arrival of the eye-catching game booths, the midway basketball hoops, and all of those sizable stuffed toys that say it is nearly time to toss some rings or throw a few discs for prizes and glory.
But plenty of county fair aficionados have their sights set on the fryers, ovens, and kitchen hardware, the culinary equipment that foretells the fact that some very fanciful foods are about to make their delicious and often dazzling debuts.
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If this is you, then you are a devoted chow-down champion of fair food, a singular and sometimes surreal category in the culinary annals.
And few annual events have won the admiration of offbeat eaters like the OC Fair, which will run, on select dates, from July 14 through Aug. 13.
The Costa Mesa extravaganza is just days away from opening, which means that some of the debuting food items, as well as longtime favorites, were just unveiled.
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In the tummy-tempting, camera-ready spotlight? Candied Bacon-Wrapped Pork Belly Bites and an intriguing mash-up called Campfire Breakfast on a Bun.
Chicken Charlie's, which has been at the fanciful forefront of the deep-fried treat revolution, will offer Deep-Fried S'mores, while Pink's is making Eggroll Turkey Dogs.
For the charmingly indecisive person who cannot decide between breakfast and dessert, there is the Maple Bacon Smoothie, and if you're in the mood for both pineapple and a fruit roll-up? The Pineapple Whip Sundae with Fruit Rollup is your gooey go-to.
More information on all of the unusual and appetizing offerings will be available on the OC Fair's web site and social pages ahead of the event's July 14 opening, so keep a lookout.
Information booths at the fair will also be able to point you toward the Double Trouble Ice Cream Cone or the Papa Locas Fries, yum and yum.
One weekly happening to keep in your snack-seeking sights? The $4 Taste of Fair Food happenings, which are sizzling each Thursday during the fair's month-long run.
Important: Admission to the 2023 OC Fair is only available through advance purchase.
