View on livestock

From the early days when farms, ranches and orchards spread across the landscape to today, Southern California has been deeply rooted in livestock and agriculture.  These industries have helped make our state great.   Likewise, since our first Fair 90 years ago, animals and livestock have been an integral part of the mission and heritage of the L.A. County Fair.  Initially, the Fair was a gathering place to showcase the livestock of local farmers and ranchers as well as their children who were in 4-H Clubs and the Future Farmers of America chapters.  As the cities of Southern California grew, many no longer raised their own animals and started coming to the Fair to show their children and grandchildren the animals.  Today, the Fair showcases animals as part of our educational programs to teach the next generation about the importance of livestock and agriculture in our daily lives as well as the fun of milking cows, feeding goats and seeing  newborn lambs or chicks.

View on Horse Racing

For decades, Fairplex Park has featured live horse racing every September during the L.A. County Fair and satellite wagering from tracks throughout Southern California and the world.   Known as the sport of kings, horse racing showcases some of the most magnificent and fastest thoroughbreds and mixed breed horses in the country.  We deeply care about the horses, riders and all track personnel.  For the protection and care of our horses and riders, we continually make upgrades based on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) guidelines and horse racing industry best practices. In addition, to prepare for a potential accident, we have on hand for all races a team of highly skilled emergency response personnel, a veterinarian and an ambulance.

View on Exotic animals

Part of the fun of the L.A. County Fair is to see and learn about exotic animals such as a capybara, hairy armadillo, African-crested porcupine or brown bears.  In addition to experts being on site to answer questions throughout the day, special feeding sessions and exhibitions showcase the animals and their activities.  Through our exhibits, we are committed to teaching people about animals from around the world and what these animals are facing in the world today while encouraging habitat preservation and conservation so future generations can also marvel at the beauty and majesty of these animals. 

Frequently asked questions

What about the safety and care of your animals at the Fair?

FairView Farms is one of the L.A. County Fair’s most treasured experiences, and as such, we take great care in the handling of the animals.  Safety measures begin with ensuring the health of the animals, including that all Fair animals are gathered weeks before the Fair, quarantined, supervised and observed before they’re brought to the grounds.  Three different individuals with livestock knowledge observe the animals prior to opening day of the Fair.  In addition, Sky Shivers, our livestock manager, and his staff monitor the animals all day, every day of the Fair, looking for any sign of illness or distress.  Any animal that exhibits a less-than-healthy demeanor—sometimes a subtle sign such as a tail that’s down when a normal position is up—is immediately removed and isolated in an area that’s accessible only to Sky and his staff. 

 On-site security is provided for the animals 24/7 throughout the Fair. Animals with long necks or large horns are protected by double fences to protect the public, eliminating the chance of accidental contact.

To prevent the transmission of germs to Fair guests, we have placed hand washing stations with signs in English and Spanish throughout The Big Red Barn to remind and encourage guests to wash their hands after touching the animals.

Questions about Swine Flu

This summer a new strain of swine flu (Influenza A H3N2v) was found at some agricultural fairs that had pigs from various sources, including livestock competition.  Here at the L.A. County Fair, all our animals are chosen for the sole purpose of being part of our farm exhibits and are checked by our vet before they are on display to the public.  All our pigs in the farm area, either in the viewing area or at the fan favorite pig races, have been checked before coming on the Fair grounds.  In addition, our vet is on site and checks the animals daily.  We deeply care about all the animals at the L.A. County Fair and have taken every precaution to keep the swine and our fair attendees safe.

To prevent the transmission of germs to Fair guests, we have placed hand washing stations with signs in English and Spanish throughout The Big Red Barn to remind and encourage guests to wash their hands after touching the animals.

Questions about the petting zoo area

One of the best ways to learn about animals is to meet them up close and personal.  Our petting zoo has gentle sheep and goats for little ones to meet and touch.   Sky Shivers, our livestock manager, and his staff monitor these animals all day, every day of the Fair, making sure that they are happy and healthy.  If any animals seem at all stressed or ill, they are removed from the petting zoo.

To prevent the transmission of germs to Fair guests, we have placed hand washing stations with signs in English and Spanish throughout The Big Red Barn and to remind and encourage guests to wash their hands after touching the animals.

Questions about the marine life at Stingray Island

The interactive Living Exhibits program features Cownose Rays and Southern Rays Stingrays as well as Bonnethead Sharks and Bamboo Sharks.  Animal acquisition for Living Exhibits Stingrays and Sharks is through commercial providers in Florida, which are licensed by the State to provide these animals for public display.  Many animals in our exhibit were bi-catch meaning that the animals were incidental catch by fisherman and instead of letting the animals die, they were collected and brought back to optimal health and introduced to collections such as ours.  Other animals in our collection were captive born either in our own exhibits or at other institutions.

Interactions with the animals include gentle touching and feeding by our guests are conducted under close supervision. Living Exhibits staff and management places the requirements and welfare of the animals as our highest priority and consistent with standards practiced by the highest level of zoological institutions. 

To prevent the transmission of germs to Fair guests, we have placed hand washing stations with signs in English and Spanish at Stingray Island to remind and encourage guests to wash their hands after touching the animals.

Questions about Western Days and Rodeo Nights

A rich tradition of Southern California and the L.A. County Fair, Western Days and Rodeo Nights features acts ranging from the Escaramuzas: Mexican Drill Team with sidesaddle ladies performing riding patterns to Mariachi music and Mexican Trick Roping to the Ultimate Cowboy Race and California Junior Rodeo Association.  As with all of our shows, we take great care in ensuring the safety and welfare of both our performers and the animals. In the event of any mishap, we have a team of highly skilled emergency response personnel on hand.

Questions about the Junior Livestock Auction

For a number of years, Fairplex has served as a venue for a Junior Livestock Auction, a live auction of livestock raised by local youth for the purpose of teaching the business side of animal husbandry. Over the years, a continuing decrease in participation attributed to the declining agribusiness in this region impacted the relevance and viability of this event. 

Fairplex will continue our focus on youth educational programs that reflect the diverse expertise and opportunities of our community. Our highly interactive and relevant programs range from agricultural education with programs like The Big Red Barn, the Dairy Exhibit, our commodities area and Dude Ranch to the Fairplex Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC), which offers opportunities for non-college bound local high school students to get technical training and learn a career in hospitality, horticulture, marketing or water treatment/technology.