Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee2026 · Date · History
Calaveras tourism sources describe the Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee as an annual four-day event held the third Thursday through Sunday in May, with frog jumping throughout the event.
About Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee
The Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee is a four-day May fair in Angels Camp, California, combining a county-fair program with the long-running frog-jumping tradition associated with Mark Twain’s Calaveras County story.
The current event is held on the third weekend in May, running Thursday through Sunday.
Why Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee matters
The event combines agricultural-fair traditions, local history and the frog-jump competition that became a distinctive Calaveras County identity.
Its history is best understood as two strands that later merged: a county fair dating to 1893 and a modern Angels Camp frog jump first held in 1928.
History of Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee
Official fair history traces the Calaveras County Fair to an 1893 event in Copperopolis.
The City of Angels Camp held the first modern frog jump in 1928, inspired by the local Mark Twain connection.
Current official sources agree that the frog jump later became part of the annual fair, but reviewed sources give different exact merger-year wording; this guide therefore keeps the precise first combined edition unresolved.
The Calaveras County Fairgrounds is the 39th District Agricultural Association, a California fair agency governed by an appointed board.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Calaveras County Fair
The county-fair tradition later combined with the Angels Camp frog-jump tradition to form the modern Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee.
Angels Camp modern frog-jumping contest
The modern frog jump later became part of the annual county fair; reviewed sources differ on the exact merger year, so the transition is stored without inventing one date.
39th District Agricultural Association
Frogtown governance material states that the Calaveras County Fairgrounds is the 39th District Agricultural Association, an agency of California Fairs & Expositions governed by an appointed board.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
8 fields not established in reviewed sources
Predecessor and precursor observances
Earlier or merged observances are kept separate from former names and later institutional actions.
Also known as
Frog Jumping Jubilee Day, Jumping Frog Jubilee
How to Observe Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee
If attending, use the official fair schedule because competitions, livestock events and stage programming are distributed across the four-day weekend.
Learn the separate 1893 fair and 1928 frog-jump histories before treating the modern combined event as a single-origin tradition.
Watch frog-jump events with attention to the fair’s animal-welfare rules and current competition procedures.
Explore the Angels Camp and Mark Twain history that gives the frog-jump tradition its local context.
Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee Facts
The current fair is held Thursday through Sunday on the third weekend in May.
The Calaveras County Fair traces its roots to 1893.
The first modern Angels Camp frog jump was held in 1928.
The Calaveras County Fairgrounds is governed as the 39th District Agricultural Association.
Reviewed official sources do not align on one exact merger year for the fair and frog jump, so the first combined edition remains unresolved.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
California Department of Food & Agriculture (opens in a new tab)
Frogtown frog-jump history (opens in a new tab)
Frogtown governance (opens in a new tab)
Frogtown history (opens in a new tab)
GoCalaveras — Annual Events (opens in a new tab)
Official Destination Calendar
GoCalaveras — Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee (opens in a new tab)
Official Destination Event
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee?
Third Thursday through Sunday in May The documented recurrence rule is: Third Thursday through Sunday in May.
Does Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee fall on the same date every year?
It follows a recurring calendar rule, so the Gregorian date can change from year to year.
Is Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: Angels Camp, California / Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee?
The documented basis is: Calaveras tourism sources describe the Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee as an annual four-day event held the third Thursday through Sunday in May, with frog jumping throughout the event.. Supporting evidence includes GoCalaveras — Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee. The site does not infer a separate creator or founder unless reviewed evidence establishes one.
Is Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee international or country-specific?
No single country is assigned to this observance. Its documented scope is: Angels Camp, California / Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee. Use that scope rather than assuming worldwide or country-specific status.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-09.
When is the Calaveras County Fair & Jumping Frog Jubilee?
It is held on the third weekend in May, running Thursday through Sunday.
When did the frog-jumping tradition begin?
Official fair material identifies 1928 as the first modern frog jump in Angels Camp.
How old is the Calaveras County Fair?
Official history traces the county fair to 1893 in Copperopolis.
When did the fair and frog jump merge?
Reviewed official sources agree they later merged but give differing exact-year wording, so this record does not assert a single precise merger year.