Jeremy V.
Yelp
I've been here on a few occasions and the rating that it gets is as honest as it gets. I give it a "Meh. I've experienced better." Honestly, it deserves a 2.5 stars, and if I could omit the "Meh," I would.
Does it mean the fair sucks? Absolutely not! In fact I like this place, in terms of venue (not class of horses on the racetrack) a little better than Hollywood Park in LA, which is a very large major venue for horse racing and similar "festivals" and such.
The SJ fair is a yearly one I go to because of the racing. The class of racing available in Stockton is not very high at all, however, it is still enjoyable because of the summer heat factor and Stockton's ability to have a lot of people and still feel like a small town. Not too many fairs have the ability to do that and Stockton does. There will be its positives and negatives as a result of this factor.
Positives include the fact that the crowd that attends this fair is diverse and appear to be very friendly. Another positive factor is that this year, the only cost to patrons is parking. Admission is free.
They had a great selection of artists that performed here. I happened to go see Raven Symone of That's so Raven/The Cheetah Girls/Disney Channel fame on one occasion. Oh Snap!
Tips: Bring sunblock, a lawn chair, and lots of cold drinks when you come here. Hats and sunglasses are a must. Pay attention to signs are there are parking areas that are closer to the midway/concert area and the racetrack.
Overall, it's a good value, however, in most cases I've experienced better (remember, without the "meh"), even though the value is one that many fairs cannot beat.