Don't sleep on the OC Fair parking situation - it's a scam

Kim Stone · 2026-04-27T14:45:03.66625+00:00

I paid $30 for official fair parking last Saturday and sat in a line for 45 minutes, then some guy on a side street waved me into his driveway for $40 and I was inside in 5 minutes. Anyone else find a better off-site spot near the fairgrounds that doesn't cost a fortune?

west.anna5mo ago

The church lot on Newport off of Arlington is where I always park now. $25 cash, they run a little shuttle golf cart thing right to the gate. Got there at 6pm on a Saturday and was walking in by 6:10. Those driveway guys are a total gamble too, one tried to charge me $50 for a spot that was literally on his lawn with a sprinkler running.

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vera_campbell4mo ago

Parking at a fair is just part of the deal, not a full-blown scam unless you're easily rattled. @west.anna has a solid system with that church lot but a 15 minute walk really isn't that big of a deal after a few corn dogs. Sounds like everyone's making it way more dramatic than it actually is.

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the_lucas5mo ago

My buddy went last year and tried one of those driveway spots, $35 for a spot that barely fit his car and the guy's kids were playing basketball next to his bumper the whole time. He was paranoid about getting blocked in or scratched the whole night. @west.anna is right about the church lot, that's what he uses now too. The shuttle thing is key, because after a long night at the fair, the last thing you want is a 15 minute walk back to your car in the dark.

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