weirdness · Sep 26, 2026 · DAILY TRANSMISSION
The County Fair Went Goth, and Ventura Said Come On In
The fifth Seaside Oddities Expo opens today at the Ventura County Fairgrounds, turning a civic hall into a handmade horror bazaar with a sideshow pulse.
No prize cows. Plenty of skulls.
Picture a county fair building full of vintage Halloween décor, antique medical equipment, dark art, and taxidermy. Every hour, a sideshow act pulls eyes away from the tables. That’s the Seaside Oddities Expo, opening today at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
The fifth annual expo runs Saturday, September 26, and Sunday, September 27. Saturday hours are noon to 8 p.m. More than 150 artists and vendors are expected, alongside immersive photo spots and special guests.
This isn’t a haunted house with a gift shop stapled on. It’s a giant market for people who think a strange old object deserves a better fate than a dusty garage.
A craft fair with a tiny bat wing
The shopping list gets gloriously specific: dark photography, occult-themed goods, antiques, preserved natural objects, and clothing for people who enjoy black as a lifestyle. “Ephemera” is the fancy word for old paper stuff made for everyday use, like flyers, tickets, and postcards.
There are vintage Halloween goods, too, which means the holiday’s orange-and-black past gets to escape the plastic bin. The expo puts handmade art beside weird collectibles and body-art culture in one big room.
Vita DeVoid serves as master of ceremonies, meaning the person guiding the show from the stage. That role fits the event’s whole deal: this is not a silent aisle-by-aisle collectibles hunt. It has a pulse, a schedule, and recurring performances.
The weird kids are not hiding
Sunday’s costume contest is the clearest sign that the crowd is part of the attraction. Kids and adults have separate prize categories. Contestants register in person from noon to 3:30 p.m. inside San Miguel Hall, then take the stage.
That small ritual is kind of perfect. You don’t just buy a spooky thing and leave. You put on your weirdest outfit, stand under the lights, and let strangers appreciate the work.
The event is deliberately all ages. Children 10 and younger get in free with a paying adult, and past editions reportedly included a children’s arts-and-crafts area. So yes, this is a goth market where a family costume plan can be completely normal.
Five years is how a ritual starts
Seaside Oddities first came to Ventura in October 2022. It returned in 2023, 2024, 2025, and now 2026. Five straight editions makes this feel less like a seasonal stunt and more like a local date on the calendar.
That repeat business changes the vibe. Goth style, tattoo culture, horror fandom, antique collecting, and maker markets often live in separate little rooms. Here, they share the same fairgrounds roof and trade recommendations about the freakiest booth.
The Ventura County Fairgrounds usually reads as public, familiar, and broad enough for everybody. The expo flips that expectation in a cheerful way. A civic venue becomes a place where dark aesthetics can be social, visible, and maybe even a little wholesome.
Bring your best haunted self
Advance admission is listed at $10, with weekend-of admission listed at $20. There will be food and drink, according to reporting on earlier editions, because browsing a table of antique oddities is hungry work.
The best part may be the lack of a secret handshake. You can arrive in full vampire finery, a carefully patched jacket, or plain old sneakers. The doors are open either way.
For one weekend, the county fairgrounds get to be a midway for misfits. Somewhere between the taxidermy and the costume stage, the strange stuff gets fresh air.
SOURCES FROM THIS TRANSMISSION
Seaside Oddities Expo ↗Events I Produced — Christina Van Ryzin, M.A. ↗5th Annual Seaside Oddities Expo - Ventura County Fairgrounds ↗Seaside Oddities Expo ↗ ↗Costume Contest — Seaside Oddities Expo ↗