Instructions
Check online for the best days to go to the fair. A variety of discounts and deals are available, and discount coupons are often available from retailers and restaurants. Some years you can get a free carnival ride wristband that allows you unlimited access to the rides. Check the schedule of events to make sure you're picking the right day, if you're interested in a special exhibit. Go on a weekday to beat the crowds.
Pack water. Freeze water the night before, and you'll be thanking yourself when you are out in the sun the next day. There is a Sparklett's booth that offers free drinking water near the rides. You'll have to listen to the Sparklett's guys try to sell you home water delivery service, buy they'll let you drink water free of charge while they talk.
Pack enough sandwiches, fried chicken, fruits, vegetables and snacks for two meals. Food at the fair is expensive: A baked potato costs $7 dollars. A scoop of ice cream costs $4 dollars. An Icee is $6 dollars. If you don't want to pack meals, eat at McDonald's at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and White Avenue before you go into the fair, or try El Merendero restaurant on Fairplex Drive.
Visit the animals and exhibits first to avoid spending money in the shopping areas.
Use your carnival wristband, which you purchased at a discount with a coupon, to enjoy all the rides you want. Check out the pig races, petting zoo, roping, riding and lasso-making at Fairview Farms, all free.
How to Enjoy the Los Angeles County Fair on a Budget
The Los Angeles County Fair is held for three weeks in September at Fairplex in Pomona. The fair offers a midway full of rides and games. There is also a horse racing track, a dozen indoor shopping pavilions, food, and lots of barns full of exhibits and farm animal. According to the fair's website, it "has continuously ranked among the top 10 fairs and festivals in all of North America" and is the nation's largest.