Remember Those National Orange Show Black-and-White Portraits? The Fair Returns April 15-19

Across the Inland Empire, hundreds of families still have them: the posed black-and-white photos from the National Orange Show Fair — couples dressed up for a night out, friends squeezed into a tight frame, families lined up like the fair lights are still glowing behind them.

Those prints have lived on for decades in albums and shoeboxes — proof that for generations, the Orange Show wasn’t just something to do. It was where memories got made.

Inland Empire Community News is asking readers to dig out their old National Orange Show Fair snapshots and share them. Email photos to msandoval@iecn.com for a chance to be displayed in the fair’s art exhibit alongside Orange Show historical memorabilia inside the Orange Pavilion from April 15-19.

The call for photos is meant to tap into something locals already know: the Orange Show has always been part of the region’s rhythm. And organizers, including the Orange Show’s new CEO Sheri Raborn, say 2026 is built to make that return feel familiar — and fuller — with a mix of classic fair staples, an all-new layout, and attractions.

“April 15th through the 19th,” said Alan Conrad, Director of Events and Production at the National Orange Show. “This year we’re bringing back a circus.”

He said the circus will be included for fairgoers — a Big Top-style show visitors can step into after arriving. The fair’s opening day, April 15, is also planned as a free-admission day, he said.

Beyond the circus, Alan said the fair is leaning into what people expect when they hear “Orange Show”: carnival rides, classic fair food and a mix of exhibits that don’t require an extra ticket; which may even include little people wrestling.

Among the included attractions, he listed animal encounters and interactive exhibits aimed at families — including stingrays, sharks and sea lions — along with pig races and hands-on activities for kids.

“It’s interactive,” Alan said. “It’s hands-on for kids — big games like giant Jenga, Connect Four, puzzles — things that keep them engaged.”

He said vendors are also being asked to lean into the “Orange Show” identity in a way fairgoers can literally taste.

“One thing we’re pushing is orange-themed options,” he said. “We want food and drink vendors to offer something with an orange twist.”

Some of the experiences, Alan said, are the kind that become instant memory-makers — the ones families talk about on the drive home.

A butterfly exhibit will return, which is described as a walk-in, greenhouse-style space where visitors can buy nectar and feed butterflies up close.

“You walk in and they’re everywhere,” he said. “They’ll land on you.”

This year’s reptile exhibit is also being upgraded to include scheduled educational talks, Alan said — shifting it from a simple walk-through into a set of presentations throughout the day.

“In the past, people would just walk through and look,” he said. “This year, he’s going to do more speaking — take an animal and talk about it at different times during the day.”

The fairgrounds are being reworked for 2026 with a new layout designed to improve flow so visitors can navigate without missing entire sections.

“We’re revamping it so it flows better,” Alan said. “It’ll move like a big circle — the idea is that people see everything.”

On the fair’s Saturday, he said Speedway races are expected — part of a long-running Inland Empire tradition that brings its own kind of nostalgia: the sound, the dust, the rumble you feel in your chest.

“It’s stock cars. It’s loud,” he said. “But it’s a cool experience.”

For many locals, the Orange Show’s appeal is bigger than any one attraction. The fair’s history stretches back more than a century — the National Orange Show has taken place every year since 1911, with exceptions during World War II. And like many major public events, the fair’s rhythm was disrupted again during the COVID-19 pandemic.

That long arc is part of why the Orange Show grounds have always carried a certain weight in San Bernardino — not only for the fair, but for the entertainment history tied to the site.

Alan said the former Swing Auditorium once hosted major acts, including Elvis Presley, Bob Hope, Sammy Davis Jr., Judy Garland, Ike and Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin and the Grateful Dead. He also noted the venue is tied to a piece of rock history: the Rolling Stones’ first U.S. tour opened in San Bernardino at the Swing Auditorium on June 5, 1965.

The Swing Auditorium is no longer standing. It burned down in 1981 after being struck by an airplane — an incident reported at the time as a fatal crash into the fairgrounds auditorium.

“That’s the kind of history people don’t always realize happened here,” he said.

For Alan, the Orange Show isn’t only history — it’s personal. He remembers coming to the fair as a kid in the 1990s, when going to the Orange Show was a rite of passage for Inland Empire families.

“It felt huge,” he said. “I remember the rides, the variety of things to see — and I remember my first turkey leg.”

He also remembers livestock being part of the experience then, he said — a piece of the fair’s earlier identity that isn’t the same today. But Alan said the goal now is to deliver that same “big fair” feeling through a mix of classic midway energy and included experiences.

Parking still remains one of the Orange Show’s simplest conveniences.

“It’s right next to the gates,” he said. “You don’t have to cross streets or walk through neighborhoods. It’s literally right there.”

For the Inland Empire, the Orange Show has always been more than a checklist of attractions. It’s the lights on E Street, the smell of fried food you can’t talk yourself out of, the midway music leading into the night — and the photo you take for memories.

That’s why IECN is asking readers to email the old ones in — the posed black-and-white photos, the group shots, the couple portraits, the family frames that feel like a time machine.

Email your National Orange Show Fair photos to msandoval@iecn.com to be featured — then come take a new one when the fair returns April 15-19.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the community to the Orange Show’s new layout and added attractions for 2026,” concluded CEO Sheri Raborn.

Learn more here.