The Osceola County Fair and Livestock Show, thanks to its scheduling, has been very lucky over the last two years, and has remained the county’s largest attended event.
In February 2020, it occurred just before the pandemic shut down public events, and graced by good weather and great entertainment, it set its own records. By the next year, the 2021 fair and others like it were able to open under strict COVID-19 guidelines.
“We were the last fair to open up in 2020, others that came after us had to close the day or week off,” said Osceola Fair General Manager Larry Berry. “Last year we were one of the first to open back up. This year, people are frustrated by the pandemic and just want to get back to something that’s normal.”
Last year went “as well as we could have hoped,” Berry said, leaving him and his staff encouraged and optimistic headed into this Fair, which runs Feb. 11-20. So with pentup demand this year, the Fair is expanding its offerings.
For example, the former main stage near the Silver Spurs Arena will become an events center which will host all new activities, such as laser tag for the kids – and the kids-at-heart, all part of the admission ticket.
The main stage will move closer to the Kissimmee Valley building, and a community stage will be added, featuring local and acoustic acts.
Add that to all the familiar livestock shows, rides, food stands and headline acts, and Osceola Heritage Park is going to feature one busy, busy fair this year.
“You very well won’t be able to see it all in one day,” Berry said.
For instance, the night of Sunday, Feb. 13 will be a “can’t miss”. As a nod to Hispanic Heritage Day, the heralded traveling Mariachi Torrez band will perform on the hour in the afternoon, and a special comedy show is at 7 p.m., headlined by Breaking Bad’s Steve Michael Quesada and opened by local comic James Yon. Michael Goudeau, the proclaimed “World’s Funniest Juggler” has afternoon and evening shows on Feb. 19-20. And Kenyon Lockry, familiar to local country music fans, will appear Feb. 17.
The WOW Factor Science Show, with fun and interactive experiments that show off how cool science can be for all ages, will appear through the fair.
And since the Fair can be hard on the senses for those with sensory issues, this year’s edition will have a “calm room” with games in a quieter setting.
Last year’s High School Battle of the Bands returns, joined by a Battle of the Voices and a Battle of the Dancers, with dance teams from Osceola County School for the Arts and St. Cloud High already lined up.
“Those are very important, as they’ve been limited in where and how they can perform due to COVID,” Berry said.
With all this going on, Berry said the attendance goal this year is 80,000 over the 10 days and nights after averaging 75,000 the last five years, including the COVID-strapped 2021.
“Much like Disney does, we try to evolve the product every year. We really feel like we’ve put together an all-inclusive fair, with something for everybody and every age.”
For a complete listing of entertainment acts and showtimes, go to https://www.osceolacountyfair.com/p/about/entertainment.
For a daily schedule and list of specials, go to https://www.osceolacountyfair.com/p/about/daily-ride-specials.
