The Alameda County Fair opens Friday in Pleasanton with John Stamos set to perform with The Beach Boys, putting concerts, drone shows, World Cup watch parties and fireworks into the same opening-weekend lineup. Saver tickets run until June 19, and the fair is already using the price step-up to push advance sales before the gates open.
John Stamos and The Beach Boys
John Stamos will perform with The Beach Boys this year, part of a Big O Tires Concert series that brings a different act each night. The schedule also includes Flo Rida, Boyz II Men, Hoobstack, En Vogue, Collective Soul and the Twist on Taylor Taylor Swift tribute, so the fair is selling more than one reason to show up after the first day.
General admission costs $17.60 until midnight Thursday and rises to $19.80 after that. Children and seniors pay $14.30 before Friday and $16.50 starting Friday, while children under 5 and active military members get in free. That pricing gives the fair a clean incentive structure: buy early, or pay more once the opening date arrives.
Drone shows over Michelob Ultra Grandstand
Drone shows will take place every night except July 4 over the Michelob Ultra Grandstand, but July 4 is also reserved for a massive fireworks display. The fair is pairing the nightly show with family-friendly movies on the Jumbotron screen in front of the concert, which turns the evening program into a layered schedule instead of a single headliner slot.
The opening-night fireworks and the July 4 fireworks spectacular bookend the fair’s first stretch, and the fair will celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4. The 100-foot roller coaster, full carnival, food and drink, competitions and festivals round out the daily mix, giving fairgoers in Pleasanton a reason to treat different nights like different events.
World Cup and July 4
World Cup watch parties will be held at the Michelob Concert Lawn, the Crafted Cocktails & Beer Bar and the Farmhouse, with the kick-off Friday match set as U.S. vs. Australia. That puts sports programming inside an entertainment lineup that already includes concerts and rides, which should help the fair pull in both families and fans who want something scheduled around the match.
The fair also adds a new 9/11 Memorial Exhibit with an original steel beam recovered from the World Trade Center and a Survivor Tree tribute inspired by the Callery pear tree found in the rubble. A Time Capsule dedication ceremony is set for June 26 at 1 p.m., and the capsule will stay sealed until 2076. For anyone deciding when to go, the practical move is to buy before June 19 if the ticket bump matters and plan around the dates that carry the heaviest programming.
