FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — Whether you’re towering above the crowds on stilts or cruising through the fairgrounds, safety remains a top priority at the Big Fresno Fair.
The annual 12-day event offers two layers of protection to attendees: Fresno Police and the fair’s own private security company.
“It’s by far one of the safest places in Fresno to be,” said Fresno Police Lt. Anthony Dewall.
Fresno police will have a large presence at each of the four main entrances into the fair.
Once inside, attendees will see officers patrolling on the ground, in the air and across multiple camera screens inside its Police Command Station on the fairgrounds.
“There’s also some artificial intelligence built in,” Lt. Dewall said. “If we wanted to track somebody, if a suspect was involved in something, we could do that, too.”
Fair administrators collectively decided to make this Big Fresno Fair the inaugural year of the clear bag policy, modeling similar safety measures at other local venues.
“Like Saroyan Theatre, Fresno State football games, Grizzlies Stadium and even other fairs around California,” said Taylor Collins, Special Event and Program Coordinator for the Big Fresno Fair.
The Big Fresno Fair says the policy is part of the fair’s effort to stay up-to-date with current safety trends, with the hope of making crowd flow and security smoother for everyone.
“I go to a lot of different events, and the clear bags make it so much easier and you can see what’s going on,” Fresno County resident Denise Tomlinson said.
Permissible bags that don’t need to be clear include those smaller than 4.5″ x 6.5″ x 2″
Clear bags are acceptable up to 12″ x 6″ x 12″
Exceptions include diaper bags, medical bags and student backpacks during fair education days.
Attendees say the measure is absolutely needed in this era of outdoor safety and protection.
“Every event we’ve been to in the last couple of years has already been doing it, so I have no problem,” Tomlinson said.
“I’m comfortable with it. It’s pretty easy, I just put stuff in a clear bag,” said fairgoer Andy Rock.
The Big Fresno Fair will also enforce its Youth Admission Policy each Friday and Saturday. After 7 p.m., attendees under 18 must be accompanied by an adult who’s 21 or older.
For news updates, follow Christina Lopez on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Copyright © 2025 KFSN-TV. All Rights Reserved.
