Fair celebrates opening of Pacific Amphitheatre plaza

Orange County Fairgrounds officials hosted a grand opening ceremony Thursday night for Plaza Pacifica, a new lobby and entrance area for the Pacific Amphitheatre.

Administrators and fair board directors cut an oversized orange ribbon to complete the task.

Plaza Pacifica — a name suggested by fairgrounds staff and approved by the fair board earlier this year — was designed to more directly connect the amphitheater with the fair itself. Before its construction, concert attendees could enter the theater through the back end of the Centennial Farm area or at the venue’s box offices outside the fair.

Now, concert attendees can come into the venue through the plaza that sits near the children’s fair rides. They will walk into a 2,700-square-foot, airy lobby before heading to their seats. The plaza, which has its own stage area and lobby will also be available for other events. Fair board Chairwoman Ashleigh Aitken noted that many experts in labor, finance and construction helped complete the project. She proudly noted that it was a “union-built” structure that “won’t collapse.”

Aitken also recalled with a laugh board discussions that the lobby should contain more women’s restrooms than men’s because, well, ladies’ rooms have infamously long lines.

“We could never come to any sort of agreement,” she chided. The lobby contains an even amount of restrooms for both genders.

Construction efforts for Plaza Pacifica began in early 2013, as part of a larger renovation of PacAmp that cost around $15 million.