The price is the highest the fair has ever paid an act for a grandstand show, the newspaper said.

The most expensive fair performers until now were Earth, Wind & Fire -- which is booked for the fair this summer and also performed last year -- and ZZ Top, which performed in 2005.

Both groups earned $150,000 for their gigs, while Barry Manilow was paid $130,000 in 2002, the Union-Tribune said.

Tickets for "An Evening with Fergie" June 27 range from $35 for general admission to $131 for reserved seats.

"We're investing a lot of money in her," Barry Nussbaum, a board member for the 22nd District Agricultural Association, a state agency that oversees the Del Mar Fairgrounds, told the newspaper.

"Our staff is incredibly scientific about this," Nussbaum added. "In the past, we've done fine on expensive acts. ... I think Fergie will be a tremendous draw. She's the biggest female act in America today."