Poppy Festival 2022 Returns At The AV Fair & Event Center In Lancaster

Lancaster, CA. – After two years of cancellations, the City of Lancaster’s iconic and highly-anticipated California Poppy Festival™ will finally return to the Antelope Valley Friday, April 22 through Sunday, April 24, 2022, to celebrate springtime and the City’s world-renowned, vibrant orange poppies. “The 2022 California Poppy Festival™ will be bigger and better than ever before! As you know, we’ve canceled this event for the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. So, we have some time we need to make up for,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “Our team is hard at work and pulling out all of the stops - this will be nothing like you have ever seen or experienced before at the California Poppy Festival™!” To accommodate even more events, people, and entertainment, the California Poppy Festival™ will be held at the AV Fair & Event Center, at 2551 W. Avenue H in Lancaster, for the first time ever. For three days, Lancaster residents and people from across the state will be able to enjoy live entertainment, a beer garden, food, live animal exhibits, over 200 vendors, and more amidst the sunshine. New to the California Poppy Festival™ this year will be high-energy arena events, including Motor Mayhem, a Monster Truck show, the Rural Olympics, and more. This year’s California Poppy Festival™ will also host world-class amusement rides, attractions, and entertainment. “All of us at the AV Fair & Event Center are thrilled to partner with the City of Lancaster as we bring one of the most iconic events in the State to the Antelope Valley Fair & Event Center. Hosting this event is a terrific way to kick off our 2022 event season,” said Drew Mercy, Antelope Valley Fair Board of Director President. “A dynamic California Poppy Festival™ with an unprecedented 2022 AV Fair & Alfalfa Festival 'What a Ride' planned to take place in late September, and a ton of diverse and exciting community events happening in between these two treasured events. We’re determined to create as many opportunities as possible to make lifelong memories in 2022. Get ready, it’s going to be an exciting event season.” The California Poppy Festival™ will be open:

• Friday, April 22 from 2 to 10 p.m.

• Saturday, April 23 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Sunday, April, 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

A springtime favorite, the City of Lancaster spotlights California’s state flower in abundance, and thousands of visitors come from all over to view the breathtaking poppy-

blanketed, orange hills. With the Poppy Festival’s move to the AV Fair & Event Center, the Antelope Valley will be able to welcome even more visitors to the Lancaster area to enjoy this springtime attraction. “I am so glad to see the partnership between the City of Lancaster and the AV Fair & Event Center for the 2022 California Poppy Festival™! This is a landmark event for not only Lancaster but for the entire state of California,” declared Lancaster Vice Mayor Marvin Crist. “We are so proud of how this event has grown over the years, and that we'll be able to expand this year thanks to the AV Fair & Event Center! Thank you to everyone who helps keep this event fun and successful for our community each year.” The festival originally began as part of an Earth Day celebration but has since been combined into one event. This year Metrolink is offering free rides on Earth Day (April 22) to encourage the use of public transportation. Metrolink offers a regular schedule to the Antelope Valley (Lancaster) from a variety of locations in LA County. This is a great opportunity for a wider audience to hitch a ride to Lancaster to participate in this one-of-a-kind festival on Earth Day! Learn more about the California Poppy Festival™ on the City’s website at PoppyFestival.com.

City of Lancaster Press Release