Okay, we know the San Diego County Fair for the summer may seem as overexposed and uninteresting as couple pictures of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, but don't be fooled. With a reputation for crazy shenanigans and lots of booze, the fair will be getting its own kind of serious celebrity action and exciting attractions this season. Back June 8th at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in North County, Metrowize has got your ticket to all the sun-filled fun. So grab a pen, start saving dates and forming your strategy on just how you'll take it all in before the gates close July 4th.

From the time the gates open until late into the night, the Fair offers a whole lot of entertainment options - whether you're interested in events like the International Beer Fest, a concert from an internationally known star or testing new deep fried gourmet delicacies (deep-fried cereal anyone?)

Music
Undoubtedly the best place to find the biggest names in pop, rock, reggae and more, this years "Out of This World," theme has translated into a killer lineup of top acts. This year, four stages will feature a hot list of pop stars, bands and cover bands.
Fair admission is included in ticket prices for free shows, seating is unreserved; however, you can buy a reserved seat for any of the Toyota Summer Concert Series shows.

Tickets are on sale through Ticketmaster and the Fairgrounds Box Office. View the complete lineup here.

Toyota Summer Concert Series at the Heineken Grandstand Stage
Presenting audiences with a wide-range of artists, the largest stage of the four, this stage has it all. The lineup kicks off with Cobra Starship (June 8), Gospel star Donnie McClurkin (June 9), teen pop songstress Demi Lovato (June 12), San Diego rockers Switchfoot (June 15), icon Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (June 19), Creedence Clearwater Revisited (June 28), funk masters KC and the Sunshine Band (June 29), Train (June 30), reggae singer Matisyahu (July 3) and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic who closes out the fair July 4.

Coors Light Rock On Series
Featuring a late-night lineup, this series of top bands, singers and tribute bands for the 21 and up only! All shows begin at 8:30pm unless otherwise noted. Psych rockers Children of Nova kick off the fair June 8, The Doors tribute band Wild Child (June 9), Backwater Blues Band (June 12), Belly Up Music Festival (June 14, June 21, June 28), 70’s cover band The Disco Kings (June 17), 80’s cover band Neon Nation (June 24), country/rock band Talk Like June (June 27), 90's alt rockers Grunge Monkeys (July 1) and Bruce Springsteen tribute band Thunder Road play on July 2.

Ford Dealers Paddock Concert Series at the Ford Dealers Paddock Stage
For a more intimate setting, head to the Ford Dealers Paddock Stage for nationally known artists and tribute bands. These concerts begin at 9:00pm. Highlights include Rock N Roll Hall of Fame inductee Dave Mason (June 13), Led Zeppelin tribute band Led Zepagain (June 19), Who’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band (June 24), Rolling Stones tribute band The Ultimate Stones (June 27), Pink Floyd LaserSpectacular (July 3) and a Journey tribute band DSB (July 4). For the complete schedule, visit sdfair.com.

Fests
San Diego County Fair Wine Festival, Saturday, June 9
One of the newest additions to the festival, the inaugural San Diego County Fair Commercial Wine Competition & Festival shows off the rich local wine scene. Located in the Paul Ecke Jr. Flower and Garden Show area from 1-5pm try dozens of wines that competed in the festival competition earlier in the year. Though the 2012 Wine of the Year was chosen as the 33 Degree N Rosato from Fallbrook Winery, savor unlimited samples from other wineries such as Bernardo Winery, Azul Wines, Hawk Watch Winery, Rock Canyon Vineyards, Twin Oaks Valley and Lenora Winery and more.

Tickets are priced at $53 with Fair admission; $40 without Fair admission. All visitors to this event must be 21+.

San Diego International Beer Festival, Friday-Sunday, June 22-24.
One of the largest in the country, the 6th Annual International Beer Festival brews from June 22-24th at the San Diego County Fair. om ales to stouts, the festival will let you try them all, whether it's the Boston Beer Company of Boston, or the Brewery Bockor of Belgium, Fuller’s of England, or Goose Island of Chicago. So come thirsty for over 140 breweries and more than 300 beers from around the world, all taking place inside the Chevrolet Del Mar Arena.

VIP? The VIP experience in the Brewers Lounge comes complete with a special lounge area overlooking the beer festival, a 6-oz. souvenir glass, access to five craft beer stations with food pairings, unlimited grazing for the first two hours of each session, and half-hour early admission before the general public and admission to the Fair. Fr

General admission tickets are priced at $48 per session, with Fair admission; $35 per session without Fair admission. Brewers Lounge tickets are priced at $90 per session with Fair admission; $80 per session without Fair admission.

Food Truck Festival, Monday, July 2.
Debuting in the Infield, the Food Truck Festival will be the delight of foodies everywhere. Guests can catch their favored food trucks specialties. So whether you've been known to stalk a truck through the city or just want to see what the food on four wheels craze is all about, hustle there because these trucks will drive away as soon as their food runs out!

Parking
$10.00 per vehicle ($15.00 for RVs) in the Fair's paid parking lots. Free parking and shuttle service is available every day at Horsepark, 2.5 miles east of the Fairgrounds at the intersection of Via de la Valle and El Camino Real. On weekends and Wednesday, July 4, free parking and shuttle service is available at MiraCosta College's San Elijo campus and Torrey Pines High School.

Special Days
Opening Day, Friday, June 8.
Albertsons $4.00 Fair Days, Friday, June 8 and Tuesday, June 12. Fair admission is just $4.00. Tickets are sold only at Albertsons|Sav-on and are not sold at the Fairgrounds.
Kids' Day, every Tuesday. Special activities for the younger set, and all kids 12 and younger get free admission!
Tuesday Taste of the Fair, every Tuesday, featuring $2.00 "tastes" of delicious Fair food.
Pepsi Pay-One-Price Ride Days, every Wednesday and Thursday, plus special online-only "bonus days."

2012 SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR DETAILS
Del Mar Fairgrounds
2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd
10:00 AM-10:00 PM
The dates for the 2012 San Diego County Fair are Friday, June 8, through Wednesday, July 4. The Fair is closed on Mondays, except for July 2.
.sdfair.com
SD Fair Facebook

Admission
Adults $13
Ages 62+ $7
Ages 6-12 $7
Ages 5 and younger FREE