Aldrich M. Tan • The Indio Sun
Several new carnival rides are coming to the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival.
The Viper, Balloon Samba and Hip Hop Fun House are the newest rides that will be at the festival’s carnival grounds.
Butler Amusements, based in Fairfield, has provided the carnival rides for the Indio-based festival since 1997. They are also at 37 fairs in six Western states.
Desert Hot Springs resident Dani Moreno (left), 10, and Coachella resident Alex Lucero, 5, ride the Grand Carousel at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival at the Riverside County Fairgrounds in Indio. Even more family-oriented rides will be featured at this year's event. (Marilyn Chung Indio Sun File Photo)
The rides are being aimed more toward families so children can enjoy them with their parents, said Andrea Owen, marketing director for Butler Amusements.
“We try to purchase new rides every single year to keep the experience fresh so that the Midway is not the same thing every year,” she said.
The Viper seats 24 people and has more than 3,000 lights, Owen said. The ride’s large arm tilts and spins. Two clusters at the end of each arm will also twist and spin.
The Viper debuted last year and has been known to be a high-capacity thrill ride, Owen said.