DEL MAR, Calif. — Even though the Del Mar Fairgrounds is able to put on drive-thru events like Jurassic Quest, all indications show that the pandemic hit the fairgrounds hard in 2020, and things aren’t looking much brighter in 2021.
Towering above cars in a drive-thru experience in the Del Mar Fairgrounds, realistic-looking animatronic dinosaurs roar and move to the delight of car-bound families.
Dustin who is a dinosaur trainer for Jurassic Quest told News 8, “So these dinosaurs are worked on with paleontologists. They inform how they look because we find it very important for us to have an accurate view of these dinosaurs.”
Dustin says the experience is very educational for all those that love dinosaurs, “Most people just know about five dinosaurs off the top of their head. But here we have over 70 that you can learn from.”
Much like the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs, the COVID-19 pandemic that’s hitting Southern California has rocked the Del Mar Fairgrounds. The lack of in-person events like the San Diego County Fair, concerts and horse race attendance has hurt the historic fairground's bottom line.
Back in June, the Fairgrounds CEO Tim Finnell said, “If you consider that we weren’t able to have events in March, April, May and now in June we had to cancel the fair, that’s $54 million in lost revenue.
Events being held at the fairgrounds in 2021 doesn’t look promising either.
To stay afloat, the fairgrounds has adapted by offering drive-thru concerts, light shows and fair food. They even launched a website in hopes that California’s elected representatives will help keep the historic fairgrounds afloat during these uncertain times.