National Orange Show Festival celebrates 107th year in San Bernardino

The National Orange Show Festival is back in San Bernardino for its 107th year, celebrating more than just citrus.

This week, Wednesday April 17 through Sunday April 21, the five-day fair has plenty of family-friendly activities to keep everyone entertained.

Citrus is still the main event of the festival, but other attractions such as carnival rides, music acts and speedway races will entertain fairgoers over the 120 acres of the festival grounds.

There's also plenty of animal encounters for fairgoers, from bird, dog, and reptile shows to live sharks and stingrays, Alaskan racing pigs, a petting zoo and more.

Hundreds of people hit the fairgrounds for opening night, taking advantage of the bevy of fun food, rides and games. 

"It's tradition," said Lynette Galindo, one of the many in attendance on Wednesday. "It's something that we've been doing since we were little with our mom, and now we're doing it with our kids."

The first Orange festival took place in 1911, where growers gathered to display their choicest fruits. It was cancelled for five years from 1942 to 1946 due to World War II and in 2020 and 2021 because of COVID-19.

Opening night, Wednesday April 17, admission is free. The other four days of the event, ticket prices range from $2 to $13, and can be purchased online or in person.