Merced Fair Announces 2023 Entertainment Lineup

The Merced County Fair is gearing up for a five-day event in June and has announced its entertainment program.

The 2023 Merced County Fair will be held June 7-11 and tickets go on sale May 1.

“Get out your calendar and be sure to note all the days you want to attend the Merced County Fair in 2023,” said Teresa Burrola, CEO of the Merced County Fair. “We have five nights of concerts and shows, plus your favorite fairground food, carnival rides, exhibits, livestock, community shows, beloved tractor parades and more! See our community at the Merced County Fair.”

A free outdoor theater concert series featuring Coors Light nightly at 8:30 pm. The show also features five nights of spectacular grandstand performances sponsored by Coors Light, Save Mart and O’Reilly Auto Parts. All grandstand shows start at 7pm with $5 entry, except June 7th (car race) and June 8th (karting race), which are free after paid fair entry. Children 5 years of age or younger can attend grandstand shows for free with a paying adult ticket.

Outdoor theater performances include:

· June 7 – George Michael Reborn: A tribute to the late great George Michael and WHAM! A must-see on opening day of the 2023 Merced County Fair. Robert Bartko’s live vocals exude the energy and passion of George in the ’80s and ’90s, sending crowds onto the dance floor with hits like “Wake me Up Before You Go-Go” Standing ovation for “Mindless Fast Talk.”

· June 8 — Smashing Mouth: Like the fine wines of Napa Valley, the internationally popular and hugely successful San Jose pop-rock band only seems to get better with time. Smash Mouth was formed in 1994 and almost immediately began recording demos and shows in San Jose and Hollywood. In June 1997, Smash Mouth signed to Interscope Records after only one spin on their song “Walking on The Sun”. Smash Mouth’s major label debut Fush Yu Mang went double platinum and laid the groundwork for what most consider to be their masterpiece, planetarium. The album had three top 10 hits such as “All Star”, “Then Morning Comes” and “Can’t Get Enough of You Babe” planetarium Platinum status almost quadrupled, surpassing their debut album. Now nearly two decades later, Smash Mouth continues to release several songs written by bassist and hit songwriter Paul DeLisle and his bandmates Randy Cooke (drums, vocals), Zach Goode (vocals), Sean Hurwitz (guitar, vocals) new track) and Michael “Hippy” Klooster (keyboards, vocals).

· June 9th – Lonestar: Award-winning country band Lonestar formed in 1996 and recorded hits such as “No News,” “Come Cryin’ to Me” and “Everything’s Changed.”The band’s quadruple platinum album in 1999 lonely barbecue It spawned four hit singles, including the hugely popular global smash “Amazed,” and established Lonestar as music’s preeminent pop-country group—a position they’ve maintained throughout the 2000s and beyond. Now, 25 years later, the band is revisiting all 10 of their chart-topping country songs with their latest record, Ten to one. Lonestar’s hits earned the band many awards in the music industry, including Academy of Country Music Awards for New Vocal Category (1996), Single and Song of the Year (2000), Country Music Association Vocal Category of the Year ( 2001), International Artist Achievement Award (2001) and Humanitarian of the Year Award (2002). All told, Lonestar has sold over 10.5 million records since its inception.

· June 10 — Purple Madness: The Purple Madness – A Tribute to Prince is the ultimate celebration of the most beloved entertainers and influential artists of all time. Bobby Miller, frontman of The Purple Madness, delivers an exciting, high-energy performance that you can’t miss! Purple Madness features some of Prince’s most memorable concert moments, featuring a production team featuring some of the most talented dancers and musicians in the United States and abroad. Collectively, the team has over 100 years of musical experience.

· June 11 – Boys Band: Formed in Jalisco, Mexico in 1990, Banda Machos never imagined they would become so popular and controversial in the music industry. Known for being brash, infectious and ultimately inescapable, Banda Machos updates and modernizes the traditional Sinaloan banda style. The band enlivens and enhances the genre’s grand, brassy sound with amplified instrumentation, ornate keyboard embellishments, and their longtime battle cry, “Arre Macho!” Banda Machos’ 1992 breakthrough album, Indian descent, Includes the radio hit “El Gato y el Raton” and helped launch the Quebradita sound. In 1993, Banda Machos was crowned “La Reina de la Bandas” at the Viva México Festival in Chicago. The group gained wider exposure in 2008 when they released their first YouTube video and album, next fool, Shots have been viewed millions of times by audiences everywhere. Following the release of “La Huella de Mis Besos” in 2018, Banda Machos was recognized by the International Human Rights Commission for her work in the fight against music piracy.

Grandstand entertainment includes:

· June 7 — Race at Merced Speedway

· June 8 — Merced Speedway Kart Racing

· June 9 – Tractor Pulling with Valley Tractor Pullers

· June 10 – Destruction Derby

· June 11 — Humpz & Hornz Gran Jaripeo

Tickets to the show can be purchased in advance for $10; the price at the door is $15. Children 12 and under are free.Savings details are available at www.mercedcountyfair.com/discounts.