Siskiyou Golden Fair Bucks Into a Big Weekend
With rodeo lights, carnival nights, live music and Sunday’s Destruction Derby ahead, the Siskiyou Golden Fair is giving Yreka one big summer weekend
Carnival lights rise over the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds in Yreka, where the midway remains one of the signature sights of fair week. (Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office)
YREKA, Calif. — Some weeks feel like summer. Fair week feels like the whole county showed up wearing boots, carrying lemonade, chasing kids toward the carnival and pretending the funnel cake was “just to share.”
The 2026 Siskiyou Golden Fair is underway at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds in Yreka, bringing five days of livestock, music, carnival rides, grandstand action, local food, youth projects and the kind of small-town energy that makes a fair feel bigger than its schedule.
This year’s fair opened Wednesday and continues through Sunday, June 28, under the theme “June Nights Under Stars & Stripes.” And while the fair is already rolling, the biggest weekend stretch is still ahead.
Friday brings Senior Day and a ticketed rodeo under the grandstand lights. Saturday adds Military Appreciation Day, the junior livestock auction and a free-to-fair-patrons jaripeo and fair dance. Sunday closes the week with Family Day, free admission for everyone, more livestock auction action and the always-loud, always-crowd-pleasing Destruction Derby.
At its heart, the Siskiyou Golden Fair is more than a midway and a concert lineup. It is one of the places where Siskiyou County shows itself off.
Inside the barns, young exhibitors stand beside animals they have fed, trained, washed, walked and worried over for months. In the exhibit buildings, local makers, growers, artists, bakers and community groups get their moment. On the mall stage, musicians and entertainers keep the fair moving between shows. At the food court, the only real question is whether dinner should come before or after the ride wristband gets used into the ground.
Above & Cover: Live music plays with the Ferris wheel in the background at the Siskiyou Golden Fair, part of the mix of entertainment, rides and community tradition filling the Yreka fairgrounds through the weekend. (Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office)
The story behind the fair is a familiar one across rural communities: generations of families, volunteers, exhibitors, buyers, vendors and fairgoers all keeping a local tradition alive by showing up.
That is especially clear during the 10th District Junior Livestock Auction, where 4-H, FFA and independent exhibitors bring their projects into the ring after countless hours of work. For many families, the auction is not just the end of fair week. It is the moment those long mornings, late nights and barn chores turn into community support.
The weekend schedule gives fairgoers plenty of ways to be part of it.
A bull rider hangs on during rodeo action at a previous Siskiyou Golden Fair in Yreka, where the grandstand events bring some of the fair’s biggest cheers each summer. (Photo provided by the Siskiyou Golden Fair)
Friday, June 26: Senior Day and Rodeo Night
Friday is Senior Day at the fair. General admission is listed at $12 during fairtime, with kids 6 and under free. Seniors 62 and older are admitted free.
The main gate opens at 10 a.m., with commercial and exhibit buildings, outside vendors and the food court opening at 11 a.m. The Midway of Fun Carnival opens at noon and runs until midnight.
Friday’s schedule is packed from the barns to the mall stage. The day includes market beef judging, rabbit and cavy shows, dairy cattle events, a small animal fashion show, library author talks, Freckle Farms animal shows, Sea Lion Splash, Circo Circus Funland, Jeff Martin the Magician, Washboard Willy strolling the grounds, Fireplug Circus and Siskiyou Bellydancers.
The grandstand spotlight arrives at 6:30 p.m. with the CCPRA Rodeo. A separate ticket is required for the rodeo. During fair pricing lists general admission at $25 and box seats at $29. Children 2 and under do not need a ticket as long as they are not taking up a seat.
The night continues with JT & the Ignitors Band on the Mall Stage at 8 p.m. Commercial and exhibit buildings, outside vendors and the food court close at 10 p.m., while the carnival keeps spinning until midnight.
Friday also brings a transportation bonus: STAGE is offering a free bus fare day and a shuttle between Raley’s and the fairgrounds. The shuttle runs throughout the day, with the final fairgrounds-to-Raley’s shuttle listed at 5 p.m.
Live music filled the stage during the 2025 Siskiyou Golden Fair in Yreka, part of the annual mix of entertainment, livestock, carnival rides and community tradition that returns to the fairgrounds each summer. (Photo provided by the Siskiyou Golden Fair)
Saturday, June 27: Military Appreciation Day and a Big Grandstand Party
Saturday is Military Appreciation Day. General admission is listed at $12 during fairtime, with kids 6 and under free. Active and retired military members are admitted free.
The main gate opens at 10 a.m., with the commercial and exhibit buildings, outside vendors and food court opening at 11 a.m. The carnival opens at noon and continues until midnight.
The day starts with the Siskiyou County Stock Horse, Reining and Ranch Horse Show in the equestrian area, followed by Round Robin large and small animal events, the Pee Wee Championship Drive and the Livestock Awards Ceremony.
Saturday evening also brings one of the fair’s anchor traditions: the 10th District Junior Livestock Auction. The auction buyers dinner begins at 5 p.m., followed by opening ceremonies, the Parade of Champions and the auction at 6 p.m. Saturday’s sale order includes beef, rabbit pens, poultry pens, sheep, goats and turkeys.
For families, Saturday is also loaded with entertainment. The schedule includes COS Show Choir & Jazz Camp, Freckle Farms, Circo Circus Funland, Jeff Martin the Magician, Sea Lion Splash, Washboard Willy, Fireplug Circus, Siskiyou County Libraries author talks, Indigenous Voices of Siskiyou County, the Junior Fair Board meet and greet, Sofia Renee Band and The Josh Day Band.
Then comes the Saturday night showstopper.
At 5 p.m., the fairgrounds will host a free grandstand jaripeo and fair dance for fair patrons. The event includes bull riding, music and a big-stage celebration with Alejandra Rojas, Rancho Colín and La Indeleble Banda Super Clave. No separate grandstand ticket is required.
That makes Saturday a full fair day in the best possible way: livestock in the morning, family entertainment through the afternoon, auction pride in the evening and music carrying the night.
A young exhibitor leads a hog through the show ring during a previous Siskiyou Golden Fair in Yreka, where youth livestock projects remain one of the fair’s most meaningful traditions. (Photo provided by the Siskiyou Golden Fair)
Sunday, June 28: Family Day and Destruction Derby Finale
Sunday is Family Day, and everyone gets into the fair for free.
The final day opens early with the livestock gate at 8 a.m., an open horse show in the equestrian area and an auction buyers breakfast.
At 9:30 a.m., the 10th District Junior Livestock Auction continues with opening ceremonies and the Parade of Champions. Sunday’s sale order includes registered and commercial beef replacement heifers, dairy heifers, vocational education projects and swine.
The main gate opens at 10 a.m. Commercial and exhibit buildings, outside vendors and the food court open at 11 a.m., and the carnival opens at noon.
Sunday’s family schedule includes Siskiyou County Libraries Read to Animals, Jeff Martin the Magician, Freckle Farms, Circo Circus Funland, the Lane Street Diaper Derby, author talks, Sea Lion Splash, Washboard Willy and Fireplug Circus.
The grandstand finale begins at 4 p.m. with the Destruction Derby. A separate ticket is required. During fair pricing lists general admission at $22 and box seats at $27.
The River Rock Band takes the Mall Stage at 5 p.m., giving fairgoers one more soundtrack before the fair officially closes at 8 p.m.
A young fairgoer enjoys a carnival ride during a previous Siskiyou Golden Fair in Yreka, where the midway remains one of the annual fair’s biggest family draws. (Photo provided by the Siskiyou Golden Fair)
Fair Hours, Tickets and Reminders
The Siskiyou Golden Fair is held at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds, 1712 Fairlane Road in Yreka.
Fair hours are 10 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Commercial and exhibit buildings are open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. Outside vendors and the food court follow the same general weekend pattern, closing at 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
General admission during fairtime is listed at $12 for Friday and Saturday, with kids 6 and under free. Special admission days include Senior Day on Friday, with seniors 62 and older free; Military Appreciation Day on Saturday, with active and retired military free; and Family Day on Sunday, when everyone is free.
Parking is free.
Grandstand event tickets are separate for the Friday rodeo and Sunday Destruction Derby. Saturday’s jaripeo and fair dance is free with fair admission and does not require a separate ticket.
Fair reminders include no re-entry after 10 p.m., security checkpoints at the main entrances, and restrictions on pets, alcohol, drugs, weapons, skateboards, scooters, bikes, glass containers and outside food or drink.
A Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office deputy hands a sticker badge to a young fairgoer on a carnival ride, one of the small moments that gives the Siskiyou Golden Fair its community feel. (Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office)
A Friendly Presence at the Fair
The Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said deputies had a great time meeting fairgoers on opening night and will be at the fairgrounds each night through closing.
The Sheriff’s Office booth is located near the front entrance this year, where fairgoers can stop by, say hello and pick up free Sheriff’s Office swag. Deputies described the fair as one of the highlights of their year and encouraged anyone who needs help to look for the “cool folks in green.”
It is a fitting touch for a fair that runs on connection: neighbors catching up, kids showing animals, musicians filling the stage, families building memories and a whole community gathering under the lights.
The Siskiyou Golden Fair continues through Sunday in Yreka.
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