More than 1.35 million people attended the 2012 Orange County Fair, which closed its curtains Sunday, after 23 days of activities under the “Home Sweet Home” theme.
That was a slight dip from last year, when the event drew 1.4 million, for an all-time high.
Fair officials attributed the decline partly to a heat wave in OC last week, the final stretch of the fair.
This was the first fair run by Jerome Hoban, the new chief executive of the OC Fair & Event Center. Former CEO Steve Beazley resigned from the post earlier this year, and now works for the Simon Foundation for Education and Housing in Newport Beach.
The Pacific Amphitheatre concert venue saw ticket sales reach a record high this year. The venue held seven sold-out performances by Heart, Duran Duran and Earth, Wind & Fire, among others.
Concerts at the Hangar, another concert venue that opened in 2010, also had record-high attendance. Tribute shows that were sold out included the Prince Tribute Show and the Reflection of Michael Jackson.
