Welcome to Friends of the Cow Palace
Now celebrating 75 years! ...Everybody has a story about the Cow Palace—stories as diverse, inspiring, and often eccentric as Northern California itself. That’s what you’d expect for Northern California’s gathering spot since the 1930s.
From its start in the depths of the Great Depression to today, the Cow Palace has hosted the famous and infamous, traditional and rebellious, serious and hilarious, local and international. With a winning combination of size, affordability, location, convenient parking and history, the Cow Palace is an invaluable “People’s Palace” now and for the future. Together we’ll keep it a vibrant part of the Bay Area for decades to come.
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Visit the museum exhibit, The Extraordinary Cow Palace, at the San Mateo County History Museum thru November 2026. Learn more here.
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The Cow Palace--owned by the people of California--is a locally managed State Fairground. Since 1941, the Cow Palace has hosted an array of events as diverse as the Grand National Rodeo, Dickens Christmas Fair, Billy Graham Crusade, and HempCon.
The Golden Gate Kennel Club Dog Show is the premier benched dog show on the West Coast. Attendees can meet and get to know outstanding dogs by breed.
On November 2, 1960, JFK gave his last major speech before the election at the Cow Palace. His speech laid out plans for the Peace Corps, which has served around the world since the early 1960s.
The Cow Palace--owned by the people of California--is a locally managed State Fairground. Since 1941, the Cow Palace has hosted an array of events as diverse as the Grand National Rodeo, Dickens Christmas Fair, Billy Graham Crusade, and HempCon.
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