Beach Boys to bring good vibrations to 2023 Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days

The Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days has announced that in 2023 they will bring to town another world-renowned musical act — The Beach Boys will take the big stage Wednesday, Aug. 30, to kick off festivities.

"We are excited," said fairgrounds manager Greg Lybeck. "They have a great track record of doing well everywhere they go."

In keeping with the vibe, the theme for the fair this year will be "Fun in Fairadise."

The fair will be Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 and will include consistent favorites such as three nights of PRCA Rodeo beginning Sept. 1, the Demolition Derby, Davis Shows Carnival, and other acts taking place throughout the weekend. 

Tickets will be available starting at 9 a.m. Friday, March 31, and all events will take place at the Walla Walla County Fairgrounds, 363 Orchard St. in Walla Walla.

The Beach Boys formed as teens in California in 1961 and created a unique sound that has sold more than 100 million albums with music that has held up over the decades.

Brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson along with their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine began as a garage band and were managed by the Wilson boys' father.

Brian composed, arranged and produced the band's music.

With hits such as "Surfin' USA" and "Good Vibrations," they are now considered one of the most commercially successful bands of all time.

They have had 37 songs reach the U.S. Top 40, four of those topping the Billboard Hot 100.

Founding members were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Original members who are still with the band include Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine.

The Beach Boys are the most recent in a long line of highly successful artists to perform at the Walla Walla Fair & Frontier Days starting in 1974 with Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton, and including big names such as Tanya Tucker, John Denver, Blake Shelton and Chicago.

Chicago's performance at the 2021 fair drew an audience of almost 5,000 people from Walla Walla and beyond as the pandemic-induced silence at the fairgrounds broke into cheers.

The fairgrounds followed up with a popular country act last year, bringing Brothers Osborne and Jackson Dean to the main stage.

"Chicago sold a whole lot of tickets," Lybeck said, "we're going back to rock this year."

The Beach Boys have more than 10 million followers on the popular music streaming app Spotify, compared to about 3 million for other big artists, according to Lybeck. 

For more information about the fair and events, visit wallawallafairgrounds.com.