Deschutes County Fair hosts music, enjoyable and video games underneath Excessive Desert solar

It’s all enjoyable and video games as soon as the truthful occurs: The shiny lights and gleeful sounds from the halfway. The telltale smells of frying meals and agriculture barns. Roaring live performance crowds and thrilling rodeo motion.

All that, together with scores of different delights for the senses to feast on returns when the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo is open in Redmond Wednesday, July 29, by Sunday, Aug. 2.

The 2026 Wilco Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo introduced by Indian Head Casino will have a good time America’s 250th throughout Wednesday’s Opening Ceremonies, honoring our nation’s historical past with patriotic tributes, particular friends main into 5 days of leisure, rodeo motion, carnival rides, meals — a few of which it’s best to in all probability keep away from consuming earlier than hopping on sure rides — reveals, buying, agriculture and dwell music from native bands like The Substitutes to big-name artists performing nightly throughout the truthful.

The 2026 truthful has all of the issues longtime fairgoers have come to anticipate, with new experiences alongside the established favorites, in keeping with truthful spokesman Dan Mooney, who’s been with the Fair & Expo Center for 5 years.

Free Summer Concert Series

On the topic of this 12 months’s Summer Concert lineup, Mooney stated, “This is the best part, I think. Well, not the best part — the demolition derby is the best part — but the free Summer Concert Series we always say is free because it’s free admission with your admission ticket. You don’t have to pay extra for the concert.”

Every night time of the Fair contains a nationally acknowledged artist, beginning Wednesday night with Nashville artist Sara Evans, whose string of hits consists of “I Keep Looking,” “Born to Fly,” “As If” and “Backseat of a Greyhound Bus.”

On Thursday, nation artist Tyler Hubbard, one-half of the duo Florida Georgia Line, will carry out. The remainder of the truthful weekend is rounded out by Ja Rule, the longtime rap artist whose songs embrace “Holla Holla” and “Always on Time,” adopted by hitmaking ’90s nation artist Clay Walker (“What’s it to You” and “Live Until I Die”) Saturday and, lastly, Banda Carnaval, a Latin Grammy-nominated band from Mazatlan, Sinoa, Mexico.

Demolition Derby

OK, now for Mooney’s favourite half, the crashing, roaring, clattering — you get the concept — demolition derby. It’s one of many truthful’s hottest traditions and wraps up the 5 days of the truthful.

“I’m a little biased. I love the demolition derby, which we moved this year to Sunday at noon,” he stated. Last 12 months, it befell on Saturday, and competed for consideration.

“Because Saturday is such a big draw with concerts and rodeo, we decided to move … demolition derby to kind of give Sunday a bigger spotlight. Wild Ride Brewing is the sponsor with All Season Towing is our presenting sponsor. They give us, they donate a few cars,” Mooney stated. “So technically, if you had a car towed, your car could be in the demolition derby.”

Rodeo

Your truthful ticket additionally consists of admission to the rodeo, 5 action-filled performances by prime cowboys and cowgirls from across the area. There’s bareback and bull driving, barrel racing, group roping, saddle bronc and extra, with the opponents battling for prize cash and championship factors.

It’s Mooney’s second favourite function of the leisure on faucet on the truthful.

“I was never in rodeo myself, so it’s just fun watching, you know, the bulls and the tradition. This is like ranching, but as a sport, and I really like that style of it. If you think about, if you go on a ranch, that’s what they’re doing. They’re doing these exact same things, but now, it’s the tradition of a rodeo.”

Grand entry is at 6:30, adopted by competitors at 7 p.m. day by day.

Classic truthful fare

You don’t want us to inform you the type of meals you’ll discover on the truthful: Giant turkey legs, corn canine, fresh-cut fries, barbecue, burgers, pizza, kettle corn, recent lemonade, ice cream and deep-fried treats like elephant ears, purveyors promoting them all through the fairgrounds. Returning favorites embrace Beaver State Burritos and Suzy Q’s Sweet Things Mini Donuts & Chocolate Dipped Ice Cream Bars.

Carnival

One of the truthful’s major highlights returns with rides and sights for all ages and ranges of thrill-seeking. New this 12 months is the Double-Decker Carousel, replete with two ranges, because the title says.

What else is new?

The truthful boasts a number of new options, together with the 250th Celebration throughout Wednesday’s Opening Ceremonies.
Off Axis Stunt Show that includes high-flying BMX motion at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. day by day all through the truthful.
The Children’s Museum of Central Oregon will likely be readily available with an interactive exhibit.
New Les Schwab Champions Lounge will welcome the 4-H and Future Farmers of America youth.
Expanded leisure, reveals, and household actions all through the Fairgrounds.

Not-so-secret anymore

Of course, summer season truthful days may be sizzling and thirst-inducing.

When you’re prepared to chill down with an grownup beverage, “This is one thing that we have, a hidden speakeasy. We’ve had it for the last three years,” Mooney stated. “We don’t really call it the hidden speakeasy anymore because we want people to find it. I think we made it too hard to find. So now we’re like kind of promoting it. It’s actually in the Middle Sister (building). There’s actually a door with a little guy that is like a peephole, and you don’t have to knock, you can just open the door, go in, and it’s a straight-up 1920s speakeasy, pouring wine and pouring whiskey, and you can go in there and drink and relax, and it’s very air-conditioned and very cool in there. It’s a great place to just go hang out.”

If You Go

What: 2026 Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo
When: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to eight p.m. Sunday
Where: Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, 3800 SW Airport Way, Redmond
Cost: Wednesday and Thursday, tickets are $16 for adults, $12 for youngsters 6-12 and seniors 62 and up; Friday and Saturday, it’s $18 for adults, $14 youngsters and seniors; and eventually Sunday, it’s $13 adults/$10 youngsters and seniors
Contact: expo.deschutes.org