Every summer, for five days spanning late July and early August, Redmond becomes the undisputed center of Central Oregon: the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo takes over the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center with carnival lights, rodeo dust, headline concerts, and several generations of 4-H families. And when the fair packs up, the Expo Center keeps going year-round. Here’s your guide to Redmond’s event engine.
What is the Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo?
The Deschutes County Fair & Rodeo is Central Oregon’s biggest annual event — a five-day county fair held each summer at the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center in Redmond. The 2026 edition, the fair’s 106th, ran July 29–August 2 with carnival rides, NPRA rodeo performances, livestock shows, and nightly entertainment.
It’s a proper old-school county fair at heart: 4-H and FFA kids showing animals they’ve raised all year, blue-ribbon pies, and grandstand rodeo nights — wrapped in a modern event with big-name concert acts and a midway that lights up the whole south end of town.
What should first-timers do at the fair?
Prioritize the animal barns in the morning (cooler, calmer, and the 4-H kids love talking about their animals), hit the midway rides before evening lines build, and claim rodeo or concert seats early. Fair food is half the point — budget accordingly.
Local wisdom: weekday mornings are family gold, Friday and Saturday nights are the big social scene, and closing Sunday has the shortest lines. Central Oregon’s summer heat peaks in fair week almost every year, so water bottles and sunscreen are non-negotiable with kids in tow.
What happens at the Expo Center year-round?
The Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center works all year: concerts and touring shows in the First Interstate Bank Center arena, plus home shows, horse events, holiday bazaars, gun shows, RV sales, and community gatherings nearly every weekend.
For Redmond, that’s a quiet economic superpower — the Expo Center pulls visitors from across the region twelve months a year, filling hotels and restaurants far beyond fair week. If you’re visiting Redmond and wondering “what’s going on this weekend,” the Expo Center calendar is the first place to look.
Why does the fair matter to Redmond?
Beyond the fun, the fair is Redmond’s identity anchor — the event that made “The Hub” the gathering place for all of Deschutes County. More than a century in, it’s still where Central Oregon’s ranching roots and its booming new population share a grandstand.
For newcomers (see our Redmond dining guide for the rest of the year’s eating), fair week is the fastest crash course in what makes this town tick — equal parts agriculture, community, and unpretentious fun. Plan next year’s visit via Visit Redmond or explore the wider region with the Guide to Central Oregon.
Deschutes County Fair: Common Questions
Click a question to reveal the answer.
+When is the Deschutes County Fair each year?
+What happens at the Expo Center the rest of the year?
+Is the fair good for young kids?
+Where do you park for fair and Expo events?
About Chance & Tianna
Team Homeward Found · Realty One Group Discovery
Chance and Tianna Jackson are a husband-and-wife real estate team serving Bend, Sunriver, Three Rivers, La Pine, Redmond, Prineville, Tumalo, and Sisters. Between military roots, marketing expertise, and years of investing in Central Oregon, they guide retirees, families, Veterans, and investors through buying, selling, and relocating with a level of care that only locals can offer.
Chance Jackson
Oregon Realtor® · Top Producer
(503) 816-2780
Mr.ChanceJackson@gmail.com
MLS #201227270
Tianna Waite-Jackson
Oregon Realtor®
(503) 207-8636
Ms.TiannaJackson@gmail.com
MLS #2012482478