IV Fair draws thousands on opening day

The Imperial Valley Mid-Winter Fair and Fiesta kicked off its 10-day run with thousands of first-day visitors. This is the 111 th edition of this local community tradition.

There are several new things this year. The fair now opens at 5 p.m. on weekdays and noon on weekends. The fair closes every day at 11 p.m.

The children’s carnival is located at the entrance to make it more convenient for families.

Several concerts are scheduled: Walk Like a Man, a Frankie Valli tribute, Kalimba, and Earth Wind and Fire tribute, Grupo Regrado and Codigo 442, among many others. There’s also a Queen tribute band, Queen Nation. And, of course, many local acts throughout the fair.

A scheduled Freestyle Motocross show scheduled for Saturday was moved to Tuesday due to expected high winds on the weekend.

Sunday, March 3, will feature the traditional Dia de la Familia events.

Organizers said they expect over 100,000 visitors this year.