ALASKAN PIG RACING/THE BUG BARN

The racing pigs return to a familiar location on the beautiful lawn near the Livestock Area. And they will be entertaining cheering crowds daily at the Santa Cruz County Fair.

These prestigious porkers are returning to the Fair for three appearances daily! Although the Alaska State Fair has been their home for 35 years, they have a soft spot for Santa Cruz County, according to manager Bart Noll. “We first played here thirty four years ago. It was a full house for our first show and hasn’t stopped since” he says, adding “We’re humbled by the overflow crowds and hope you’re having as much fun as we are.”

The famous All-Alaskan Racing Pigs are a team of the fastest and funniest athletes to serve up entertainment anywhere! Two of the main ingredients for the All-Alaskan Racing Pig shows are comedy and competition. These perky pigs are natural hams, so to speak, and they’ve brought home the bacon at shows all over the western U.S. and Alaska.

Another important ingredient of the race is cookies, which is the treat that the pigs are racing to win. Each race only lasts about six seconds (these pigs are fast!) and each 20-minute show features four races.

Bart Noll admits that his eight pigs are a little spoiled. They live in an air-conditioned trailer, eat well and get a fresh cedar or pine bedding change twice daily. “They love what they do,” Noll says, “and they like people and are fun to work with.” After the show stick around for an opportunity to meet one of these cute little porkers, they love to pose for pictures!

Watch to see which one of the All-Alaskan Racing Pigs tries to hog the limelight at races held every day in their Fair home on the Livestock Lawn. Check the online or printed schedules for daily race times!

Don’t overlook some of the tiniest treasures at the Fair. They’re tucked away inside the Bug Barn.

This year’s theme is “A Habitat is a Home: Learning about Central Coast insects in their natural environment.”

Visit the Bug Barn to find out how our Central Coast natural environment is an amazing home to plants, animals, people and other living things. Join us to venture through a wetland, imagine life as a monarch living near the ocean, and so much more!

For nearly three decades, the Santa Cruz County Fair Bug Barn has investigated the fascinating relationship between insects, agriculture and people.

The Bug Barn returns with old favorites like Bugs Alive! Live Insect Display, edible insect tastings, Bugsy Games & Crafts, and

The Bug Gallery with children's artwork from across Central Coast. Bug Barn experts, student interns and volunteers will be available to answer questions and lead insect investigations. Visit the Bug Barn and discover the fascinating connection between insects, agriculture and you!

Gilroy Gardens. Step into the magical world of Gilroy Gardens while you're at the Bug Barn. Watch the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly unfold before you in the live Monarch Pavilion. Read a buggy book to Booker, the original read-aloud Golden Retriever. Find out how to grow plants through hydroponics. Ask expert Gilroy Gardens Volunteers about the fascinating Tree Circus and how to appreciate horticulture.

Gilroy Beekeepers Association. Check out the secret life of honeybees. Meet Roark Diters and the amazing Gilroy Beekeeper Association team. View honeybees at work in a live demonstration hive. Find out about beekeeping and the crucial role honey bees play in food crop production. Learn how you can save bees in your own backyard and become a bee advocate.

It’s Alive! Live Insect Station. Have you ever heard a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach hiss or held a Walking Stick from Australia? Let our Bug Barn staff show you the way to handle and care for live insects at our It's Alive! live insect station.

Children’s Programs and School Displays. Once again, the Bug Barn Gallery will feature buggy projects from children’s programs and P-12 schools across the Central Coast.

UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology Mounted Insect Displays. Each year, the UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology provides mounted insect displays and live insects to the Santa Cruz County Fair Bug Barn. Live insects, mounted displays and other resources are used to train Bug Barn Staffers on insect care, handling and education each year.

We want to thank our 2022 Bug Barn partners: UC Davis Bohart Museum of Entomology, Gilroy Gardens, Gilroy Beekeepers Association, The Santa Cruz County Museum of Natural History, Wetlands Watch and Curbside Bead Art and Tri-County area schools and children’s programs.