The Merced County Fair is gearing up for its five-day run in June and has announced its entertainment lineup.

The 2023 Merced County Fair will take place June 7-11, and tickets go on sale May 1. 

“Get your calendars out and be sure to mark down all the days you want to be at the 2023 Merced County Fair,” said Teresa Burrola, CEO Merced County Fair. “We’ve got five nights of concerts and shows, plus your favorite fair foods, carnival rides, exhibits, livestock, community performances, the beloved tractor parade and so much more! We look forward to seeing our community out at their Merced County Fair, June 7-11.”

The free outdoor theatre concert series will be presented by Coors Light 8:30 p.m. nightly. The Fair also features five nights of action-packed Grandstand shows, sponsored by Coors Light, Save Mart and O’Reilly Auto Parts. All Grandstand shows begin at 7 p.m. and admission is $5, except for June 7 (Auto Racing) and June 8 (Go-Kart Racing), which are free with paid fair admission. Children 5 years or younger can watch Grandstand shows for free with a paid adult ticket.  

Outdoor Theatre shows include:

·         June 7 — George Michael Reborn: The incredible tribute to the late, great George Michael and WHAM! is a must see on opening day of the 2023 Merced County Fair. With his live vocals, Robert Bartko exudes the energy and passion of George in the 198’s and 90s, getting the crowd going on the dance floor with hit songs like “Wake me Up Before You Go-Go” and prompting standing ovations for his performance of “Careless Whisper.”

·         June 8 — Smash Mouth: Like a fine Napa Valley wine, this internationally loved and wildly successful San Jose pop-rock group seems to only get better with time. Formed in 1994, Smash Mouth almost immediately began recording demos and showcasing in San Jose and Hollywood. In June of 1997, Smash Mouth signed to Interscope Records after only one spin of their song “Walking on The Sun.” Smash Mouth’s major label debut album Fush Yu Mang went Double-Platinum and set the table for what most consider their masterpiece, Astrolounge. With three top 10 hits coming from the album such as “All-Star,” “Then the Morning Comes,” and “Can’t Get Enough of You Baby” Astrolounge surpassed their debut album by nearly quadrupling the Platinum status. Now nearly two decades later, Smash Mouth continues to release several new tracks penned by bassist and hit songwriter, Paul DeLisle, alongside his band members, Randy Cooke (drums, vocals), Zach Goode (lead vocals), Sean Hurwitz (guitar, vocals) and Michael “Hippy” Klooster (keyboards, vocals).

·         June 9 — Lonestar: Award-winning country band, Lonestar, first formed in 1996 and have recorded top hits like “No News,” “Come Cryin’ to Me” and “Everything’s Changed.” The band’s Quadruple-Platinum 1999 album Lonely Grill spawned four No. 1 hits, including the beloved global smash “Amazed” and established Lonestar as music’s preeminent pop country band – a status they’d maintain through the 2000s and beyond. Now, over 25 years later, the band is taking a fresh look at all 10 of their chart-topping country songs with their latest record, Ten to 1. Lonestar’s hits have garnered the band many winnings in the music industry including receiving awards in the Academy of Country Music awards for New Vocal Group (1996), Single and Song of the Year (2000), Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year (2001), International Artist Achievement award (2001), and Humanitarian of the Year (2002). All told, Lonestar have sold more than 10.5 million records since their formation.

·         June 10 — The Purple Madness: The Purple Madness – A Tribute to Prince is the ultimate celebration of the most widely beloved entertainer and profoundly influential artist of all-time. Bobby Miller, the front-man of The Purple Madness, presents an electrifying and high-energy performance that you won’t want to miss! The Purple Madness portrays some of Prince’s most memorable concert moments, including a production team that consists of some of the most talented dancers and musicians in the U.S. and abroad. Collectively, the team consists of over 100 years of music experience. 

·         June 11 — Banda Machos: Forming in 1990 from Jalisco, Mexico, Banda Machos never could have imagined how popular, and controversial, they would become in the music scene. Known for being brash, infectious and eventually inescapable, Banda Machos updated and modernized the traditional Sinaloan banda style. The band electrified and augmented the genre’s big, brassy sound with amplified instruments, flashy keyboard flourishes and their longtime battle cry “Arre Macho!” Banda Machos' 1992 breakthrough album, Sangre de Indio, included 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 achieved even wider exposure in 2008, when they released their first YouTube video in conjunction with the album, Proximo Tonto, filming clips that have been viewed millions of times from viewers all over. Following the release of "La Huella de Mis Besos" in 2018, Banda Machos was acknowledged by the International Human Rights Commission for its commitment to fighting music piracy.

Grandstand entertainment includes:

·         June 7 — Merced Speedway Auto Racing

·         June 8 — Merced Speedway Go-Kart Racing

·         June 9 — Valley Tractor Pullers’ Tractor Pull

·         June 10 — Destruction Derby

·         June 11 — Humpz & Hornz Gran Jaripeo