Grammy winner coming to Turlock. No tickets needed for her ‘high-energy’ show
Get the Eat. Sip. Play. newsletter in your inbox
Available now: Sign up here for the best food, drink and entertainment coverage in Stanislaus County.
Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and actress Ashanti is the latest artist announced to play this summer at the Stanislaus County Fair.
The R&B singer will perform on the Modelo Variety Free Stage at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 16. The concert is included with the price of fair admission.
The show “promises an unforgettable night of chart-topping hits and high-energy entertainment,” according to a press release from the fair.
Ashanti hit the music scene in 2002 with her self-titled debut album, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and R&B album charts, the press release said. She’s released six studio albums and was among Billboard’s Top Females of the Decade from 2000-2010.
In 2005, Ashanti made her telefilm debut starring as Dorothy in “The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz,” according to the release. She’s appeared in several series and movies, including her feature film debut in “Coach Carter,” with Samuel L. Jackson.
She’s also produced films, the release said, including as executive producer and star for “Nelly and Ashanti: We Belong Together” on streaming service Peacock, with her husband Nelly, a rap, hip-hop and R&B artist.
Ashanti joins country music’s Clint Black as one of the bigger-name artists coming to the county fair’s free stage.
Black will open the 10-day run on July 10. Other artists set for the free stage this year are country band Diamond Rio, (July 13); Taylor Swift tribute Twist on Taylor (July 14); pop group 3OH!3 (July 15); and Mayday Parade (July 17).
More shows are expected to be announced over the coming months.
The 2026 Stanislaus County Fair will run July 10-19 at the fairgrounds, 900 N. Broadway in Turlock. See www.stancofair.com for more.
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 11:30 AM.
