COSTA MESA — Tickets for the annual OC Fair will go on sale May 1 on ocfair.com. New this year - advance purchase is required.

The 2021 fair will run July 16-Aug. 15, open Thursday through Sunday with limited capacity.

The Fair Board voted to keep ticket prices at the 2019 OC Fair rates, $12 weekday general admission (Wednesday, Thursday) and $14 weekend general admission (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Admission for seniors (60+) and youth (ages 6-12) is $7 every day and children 5 and younger are free. OC Fair will cover the online ticket sale fees.

With a limited capacity of 45,000 fairgoers each day, the event is being designed to give visitors more elbow room and will have a reduced number of attractions to follow public health and safety guidelines and allow distancing. Face coverings will be required and at this time ticket sales are limited to California residents.

The fair will open each day at 10 a.m. and close at 11 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and midnight on weekends. Entrance gates will be reconfigured for distancing.

To accommodate distancing, booths and attractions will be spaced out and several fair favorites will be located in different places this year. The popular pig races will move to the Park Plaza area and the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs shows will still be free with fair admission.

General parking is still $10, $20 for buses and limos, credit card only. The free shuttle from Experian and OCTA’s OC Fair Express bus service will not be available this year.