Qualla: Del Mar Fairgrounds

Del Mar Fairgrounds: Introduction

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ben Lunsford, CC BY-SA 3.0. Bing Crosby sang 'Where the Turf Meets the Surf' when the Del Mar Racetrack opened on July 3, 1937. He was part-owner and part-mascot — his celebrity was the draw that convinced people the new track in the San Dieguito River valley was worth the trip from Los Angeles. The song stuck as a slogan. The racetrack grew. The fairgrounds around it expanded to 370 acres. The California State Fair has its home in Sacramento; San Diego County has Del Mar.

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Image: Ben Lunsford | CC BY-SA 3.0

Del Mar Fairgrounds: Crosby and the Founding

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Playful1234, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club was organized in 1936 by a group of investors that included Bing Crosby and actor Pat O'Brien. The site in the San Dieguito River valley, between the coastal bluffs and the inland hills, offered a flat valley floor suitable for a racetrack and enough...

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Image: Playful1234 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Del Mar Fairgrounds: The Thoroughbred Season

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit BradP, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club runs its racing meet during the summer — typically late July through early September — when the coastal climate makes the San Dieguito valley somewhat more bearable than the inland heat of Los Angeles. The races include graded stakes events that draw...

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Image: BradP | CC BY-SA 3.0

Del Mar Fairgrounds: The San Diego County Fair

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ruff tuff cream puff, Public domain. The fairgrounds around the racetrack host the San Diego County Fair each summer, running from late May through early July — just before the racing season begins. The county fair is one of the largest in California, drawing more than a million visitors in most years. It operates i...

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Image: Ruff tuff cream puff | Public domain

Del Mar Fairgrounds: A Year-Round Complex

Sat, 28 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit BradP, CC BY-SA 3.0. The Del Mar Fairgrounds has evolved into a multi-use entertainment complex that operates year-round rather than just during the racing and fair seasons. The Grandstand arena hosts concerts. The exhibit halls accommodate trade shows and conventions. The Surf and Turf RV Park provi...

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Image: BradP | CC BY-SA 3.0