This year's official fair poster was designed by Marin County watercolor artist Kate Peper.
While the North Bay gets soaked by inclement weather this week, the Marin County Fair announced a fitting theme for its summer 2024 festivities: Water.
From July 3 to 7, the annual fair hosted at the Marin County Fairgrounds returns with the theme, “Make a Splash!”—a celebration of “our most precious natural resources,” fair officials said in an announcement.
“From the splash of the ocean waves to water conservation during drought times, to sea level rise and local marine life, water is especially relevant and important in Marin County,” county officials wrote in an announcement of the fair. “The 2024 Marin County Fair will pay homage, educate, and entertain our community with water-related partnerships, and water-themed competitive exhibits categories.”
Fair events and presentations will focus on the role water plays in the North Bay environment, from the source of drinking water on Mount Tamalpais and the Novato Creek Watershed to the rising sea along our coast. “Fairgoers will be invited to engage in water related activities as they learn about watersheds, water conservation, and more,” continued the release.
The fair will also include regular attractions such as the juried fine arts and photography exhibit, headline concerts, carnival rides, sheepdog trials, a petting zoo, fireworks every night and popular fair food.
Competitive exhibit categories will include decorated birdbaths, driftwood designs, surfboards, miniature sailboats, and more. Fine art will include categories such as watercolors, sea, surf and sand, water birds, drip paintings, and marine mammals. Competitive exhibit categories will be announced in February.
Fair stages will showcase local talent from around the Bay each day of the fair—July 5 will feature family-friendly LGBTQ+ acts for Fair Pride Day; on July 7, the fair will showcase Latin artists all day long as part of Latin Heritage Day. The full headline concert lineup will be announced soon. The fair takes place at the Marin County Fairgrounds, Avenue of the Flags in San Rafael.
The Make a Splash! poster was designed by Marin County watercolor artist Kate Peper. Fair tickets go on sale online May 1. For more info, go to MarinFair.org.
