***The first 3,000 fairgoers through the gates on Opening Day (Aug. 1) each get a free Light-Up Clown Nose!***

Dress-Up, Crafts, Games & a Show!

Hey kids! If you're looking for fun, and you are too short for most of the carnival rides, the Kids Area is the place to come for fun! Your kids can play circus games, dress up and do crafty projects. Young fairgoers can play on our kid-size pirate ship. There will be daily rounds of our favorite game, "Throw the Rats Off the Ship!"

Bri Crabtree presents The Silly Circus at 1:30, 3:30 and 6:30 on the Kids Area Stage. There are contests too, including Milk Mustache, Jump Rope and more!

Located by the Brookwood Gate, the Kids Area is a shady spot for families to recharge. There are activities for young children from noon to 7 p.m.

The Parents Rest Station is located in the Kids Area. This is a clean, quiet place to nurse or change your baby. It is also the Lost Kid Center until 8 p.m. After 8 p.m., lost kids are taken to the First Aid station outside the Hall of Flowers (by the main entrance).

Meet by the Family Fun Stage at 4:45 p.m.

Music, mini floats and kids in costume are just the start! You can be a part of our rhythm band, carry a flag, wear a clown costume, pull a mini-float, dress up, or just march along. A few lucky parade volunteers can ride in our mini circus wagons, if they can get an adult to pull the wagon!  Special guests for the parade: giant parade puppets, entertainers, the Bourbon Street Marching Band & you! 

This year’s Fair is all about the circus, and we need a circus band!  You’re invited to Join the band! We are forming the largest amateur slide whistle band Sonoma County has ever seen. Musical experience is not required, you don’t need to be able to read music, or even carry a tune.  We provide the slide whistles, and In just a few short minutes, you will be playing music.  

We’re starting from scratch each day, from Monday, August 4 through Friday, August 9. Just show up at the time listed on the schedule, and you can be a part of the band. Funnyman Henrik Bothe, the leader of the band, promises to teach each group of fairgoers to play a song. He’s been practicing his technique and will entertain us all with his skills playing more than one whistle at a time.

You don’t need to practice ahead of time. In fact, it might be best if you didn’t.  For a little background, watch the move ‘The Music Man’ and pay particular attention to the ‘Think System.’

There’s always a reason for cake, whether it’s the first day of the Fair, your birthday or just because we feel like it! The cake appears at a different time and place every day. Stay alert, and when you see the Cake Cart, head over to get your free piece of cake!

The cakes are baked and donated by the Lucky Supermarket on Farmers Lane. After years of eating their cakes, we can say you don’t want to miss out!

Livestock shows and competitions will take place throughout the Fair, including sheep, pigs, goats, rabbits, poultry, and cattle. People from all over the state travel to Sonoma County to show their livestock and try to take home the champion ribbons. Different animals will be on display for the duration of the Fair, and visitors will have the chance to meet the participants and learn more about their animals. 

Sonoma County Horse Council presents “Carousel of Horses” in Chris Beck Arena on Farmers Day, Sunday, Aug. 4. Farmer's Day is a great day to visit the Livestock Area. You can see many ag-themed competitions and demonstrations, in addition to the traditional Farmers Day program (3 to 5 p.m. in the Warm-Up Arena).

The North Bay Dairy Women will help you learn about dairy at the Milk Barn. You will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with an adorable dairy calf and listen to exhibitors talk about their projects while they milk their cows. 

Make sure to check the fair schedule for a list of shows and competitions, as well as their times and locations.