The Central California Koi Society (CCKS) is hosting its 45th annual Fresno Koi Show on Saturday-Sunday, September 27-28, 2025, in partnership with the Shinzen Friendship Garden and presented by Hikari USA!
Thank you to Champion Nishikigoi for sponsoring the amazing auction and Nijikawa USA for being a Gold sponsor (flyer will be updated soon)!
Admission to the koi show is free and open to the public. Set-up and koi entry day is Friday, September 26, 2025.
Get involved in the 2025 Fresno Koi Show! Sponsorship Opportunities, Exhibitor Packet, Vendor Packet, and Fresno Koi Show Flyer are available to download below. Contact Rosimeri Tran, Show Chair, at cencalkoi@gmail.com for information.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 SPONSORS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT!
2025 Fresno Koi Show Flyer
About the Fresno Koi Show
Guests at the koi show can visit Shinzen Friendship Garden to see the amazing gardens with waterfalls, koi pond, iconic moon bridge, and the Clark Bonsai Collection.
The Fresno Koi Show is one of the longest-running events of its kind in the Nation. Local and out-of-area hobbyists and enthusiasts exhibit their prized koi fish and share their passion and knowledge with the public.
The koi fish exhibited in competition at the Fresno Koi Show range in size from about 6 to 36 inches long and can be of superb quality.
Hundreds of koi fish will be for sale at the Fresno Koi Show from local and state vendors. Many koi are imported directly from top breeders in Japan.
“Koi fish are like living art, they have a variety of patterns, colors, and make amazing pets. Koi can recognize their owners and be extremely friendly,” said Lisa Lamoure, CCKS President.
Vendors will offer koi food and products, art, unique home décor, gift items, and local food trucks with food available for purchase. Koi and non-koi related items will also be raffled or available for bidding in a silent auction.
With over 1,500 people in attendance each year, this highly anticipated and fun event is the only fundraiser hosted by CCKS each year. Proceeds are used to host the show and to continue the centuries of tradition, art, and culture of koi and pond keeping flourishing in our community. CCKS will also make a donation to the Shinzen Friendship Garden to support their koi pond and koi health.
2025 FRESNO KOI SHOW VENDORS – Sign Up Now!
Thank you to our Vendors (more added soon)!
- Hikari USA – Presenting Sponsor
- Champion Nishikigoi – Auction Sponsor
- Shinzen Friendship Garden – Venue Sponsor
- Nijikawa USA – Gold Sponsor
2025 Fresno Koi Show Judges
CCKS is proud to have three judges from the American Koi Judges Association (AKJA) – and the head judge is also a ZNA Certified judge – to judge the koi in the 2025 Fresno Koi Show. They critique the koi for best quality, variety, and size.
Ray Alexander, AKJA and ZNA Certified, Head Judge
Ray started in the Koi hobby in 1996 with a small pond of about 1,500 gallons. He and his wife Teri began traveling to Koi shows in 2000 where he was able to ask questions and really piqued his interest in this hobby. When he moved to a new home, he built a 10,000-gallon pond in 2005, utilizing all the information and knowledge he gained from talking to so many hobbyists and vendors at koi shows. His first membership to a Koi organization was the Mid-Atlantic Koi Club (MAKC) in 1999 and he began helping with its Koi Show, Koi America, whether it be setting up the show site, benching, bowling or tearing down. Since then, he has also volunteered and helped at many other Koi Shows.
Attending AKCA Seminars in Jacksonville, San Diego and Nashville and ZNA Enlightenment Weekends added to his knowledge base. He was President of the Michigan Koi and Pond Club from 2008-2018, Vice-President for 2 years before that and has been Koi Person of the Year for the MKPC. In 2012, the MKPC along with the IKONA Koi Club, held the first Koi Show in Michigan. He has served as Chair or Co-Chair of every MKPC Show.
Ray entered the AKJA Judge Program as a Candidate Judge in 2014 and became a Certified AKJA Judge in 2017. He also entered the ZNA Judging program in 2019 and became a ZNA Certified Judge in 2024. He and his wife have received numerous awards from various Koi Shows, from Grand Champion to Best in Variety, Judges Award and President’s Award.
He is an active member of the Northern Midwest ZNA club since 2014, which is now his home club, has been a member of the Michigan Koi and Pond Club since 2005, and a member of the Gateway Koi & Pond Club.
Teri Alexander, AKJA Certified Judge
Teri lives in Michigan with her husband, Ray and she works as a Registered Nurse at a local community hospital. Their children and grandchildren live close by.
Their first pond was built in 1996 and was around 1,500 gallons with both koi and water plants. Their second pond was built in 2005, held 10,000 gallons and became strictly a koi pond. This pond was rebuilt in 2021 with the hope of simplifying maintenance and improving water quality and is now 13,500 gallons. In the winter, the pond is covered due to the cold Michigan winters.
Teri and Ray attended their first koi show in 2000, which was the Mid-Atlantic Koi Show (MAKC). They attended every annual MAKC show after that, joined the MAKC and became involved in many aspects of the koi show, from setting up the show site, helping the raffle or MAKC booths, participating in the benching process, working in the show ring during judging, to tearing down on the last day. It was a great experience. In 2005, they joined a local club, the Michigan Koi & Pond Club and actively participated in every aspect including chairing events, helping with pond tours and working hard to host the first Koi Show in Michigan in 2012. In 2009, Teri joined the Board of Directors, was the Secretary from 2011 through 2017, has been the AKCA rep, the Newsletter Editor, helped with the pond tours, wrote articles for KOI USA highlighting the club’s pond tours and was the co-chair for the MKPC Koi Shows. Since 2014, they have been active members of the Northern Midwest ZNA Koi Club, which is now their home Club.
In 2014, Teri was accepted into the AKJA Judging Program as a Candidate Judge and was certified in 2017. Between attending shows to support a club or to enter their koi in the show, participating as a worker bee or to Judge the show, Teri and Ray generally attend 6-8 Koi Shows per year. They have been fortunate to be able to travel to a variety of Koi Shows and turn them into mini vacations. Their first trip to Japan was in February 2019 for the All Japan Koi Show and they visited numerous Koi Farms.
Teri looks forward to many more years of enjoyment in the hobby of Koi.
David Gabriel, AKJA Candidate Judge
David grew up in a rural setting and was active in livestock shows and judging. He took part in livestock judging, poultry judging, land judging, and forestry judging. After High School, he began a career in Law Enforcement. He worked at Athens-Clarke County for 26 years (UGA) before retiring to pursue elected office.
During this time, David helped his father build his first real koi pond. He originally had a small preform with three koi in it. The koi grew to a size to where they could not maneuver in the pond. So, after a lot of digging and learning how to build a pond, he gave his koi a new forever home. That was about 25 years ago and that pond is still going strong. When David built his new home, obviously he included a koi pond. It was eighteen inches deep, and he was very proud of it. That was until Mr. Heron showed up. So, a pond rebuild it was, eight feet deep this time.
In his professional career, he ran successfully to be elected Sheriff of Oglethorpe County. More responsibility, more stress, more koi. He had many special memories with his four children around the koi pond. They even gifted him a three-ton boulder for a bench they could all sit on and watch their wet pets. After the kids all grew up, graduated, and moved out, he had an old pool that wasn’t used anymore. So obviously he made it a koi pond.
He always enjoyed judging against a standard and working with animals, so he decided to pursue being a koi judge. He was attracted to the challenge of learning the finer points of his favorite pets while also appreciating the great variety and unique forms koi can come in. The koi community is a great group to spend time with. They are always cordial and wanting to learn better husbandry, filtration, and feeding regimes. These are his people.
2025 Fresno Koi Show Information Packets
Sponsorship Opportunities
Exhibitor Packet
Flyer
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday
| Show Setup: | 7:00 am to 2:00 pm |
| Koi Entry Check-in : | 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm |
Saturday
| All Koi Ready to Show: | 8:00 am – 9:00 am |
| Taiko Drummers: | 9:00 am |
| Introduction of Judges: | 9:30 am |
| Judging Begins: | 10:00 am |
| Judges Break for Lunch: | 12:00 pm |
| Judging Resumes: | 1:00 pm |
| Presentation: | 1:00 pm |
| Award Banquet: | 5:00 pm |
Sunday
| Grow Out Competition Koi Check-in: | 8:00 am – 9:00 am |
| Grow Out Competition Judging: | 9:00 am – 10:00 am |
| Judges Tank Side Talk: | 10:30 am |
| Raffle Prizes Awarded: | 12:30 pm |
| Silent Auction Winners Announced: | 1:00 pm |
LOCATION
The 2025 Fresno Koi Show is held in Woodward Park next to Shinzen Friendship Garden, 114 W. Audubon Drive, Fresno, CA 93720.
