Del Mar Fair — Opening Weekend

The San Diego County Fair opens June 12th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, and the cheapest ticket starts at $18 — the going rate for the single most SoCal-summer thing you will do this year. Jimmy Durante Boulevard leads you in. The smell of funnel cake and sunscreen meets you before the parking lot ends.

Del Mar in June means a particular kind of heat that doesn't apologize — the kind that makes the lemonade taste better and turns a crowd of strangers into people all in it together. You walk past livestock barns and end up at a stage where someone is playing to three hundred people like it's their last show on earth. You eat something fried that has no business existing and don't regret a single thing. The Midway lights come up as the sun drops behind the grandstands and suddenly you're twelve again, which is the best thing the fair does — it gives everyone permission to stop being jaded for one afternoon. The concerts run every night. The rides don't care how old you are. The strawberry shortcake line moves slowly for a reason. Go on a weeknight for room to breathe. Go on a Saturday to feel the full weight of Southern California in summer. That's worth feeling at least once.