It’s time to try your luck on the midway, indulge in the latest deep-fried delight, pick out your next dream car and stroll through a cattle barn or two at this year’s State Fair of Texas.
The theme for this year is “24 Days of Fun.” And believe me, you'll need 24 days to see all that the 2024 edition of the State Fair of Texas has to offer.
Here’s a list of what’s new at the Fair this year and things you’ll need to know before you go.
Remember to check the Fair’s website at bigtex.com and its social media channels for any last-minute changes. You can find more events at Go See DFW.
DATES/HOURS
The run of this year’s State Fair of Texas is Sept. 27-Oct. 20.Hours are Sunday-Thursday 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Friday & Saturdays 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
ADMISSION
Prices for daily admission tickets vary by day of week. Ticket prices range from $15-$25 for adult tickets and $5-$18 for child and senior tickets. Children under 2 are free.
DISCOUNTS AND VALUE DAYS
Adults pay children's prices after 5 p.m. every day.
Military/First Responder Discount: All active military, retired military and veterans save $5 any day when they present valid documentation of military service at the gate or online. Spouses of service members and accompanying children under 18 also receive discounted admission. This offer also extends to first responders and their families.
Opening Day: Bring two jars of peanut butter to donate to the North Texas Food Bank and receive $10 admission at the gate. This discount is only available at the gate.
Tuesday and Thursday Value Days: Purchase your admission ticket online on Tuesdays and Thursdays for a reduced price of $10. Only Big Tex Insiders receive the promotion code for this exclusive savings. Sign up at bigtex.com/Insider.
Wednesdays: Bring five canned food items on Wednesdays and receive admission for only $5. All canned donations go to the North Texas Food Bank.
Thursdays: Senior citizens 60 years and older get into the Fair for $5 on Thursdays.
OTHER DISCOUNTS
4-Coupon Rides on Tuesday
Tuesdays, most rides on the Midway are 4 coupons, with Kiddie rides discounted to 3 coupons. Excludes the Thrillway and the Texas Star Ferris Wheel.
Thrifty Thursdays Discount Fair Food
Every Thursday participating food vendors offer one of their signature menu items at a reduced price, ranging from mini versions to regular-size items.
Discounts with McDonalds
Save $5 off your ticket price with discount coupons available on tray liners and inside meal bags.
PARKING/DART
Parking in official State Fair of Texas parking lots is $30 per space.
Solve the predicament of parking and traffic by riding DART Rail. Take the Green Line to two stations – Fair Park Station on Parry Avenue at the entrance to the fairgrounds, and MLK, Jr. Station, on south of R.B. Cullum Blvd. near the MLK fairground entrance (Gate 6).
POLICIES
Minors Policy: Starting at 5 p.m. daily, all minors, age 17 and under, must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone (21+) when they enter the Fair. Parents, guardians, or chaperones may accompany no more than six minors 17 years of age and under.
Firearms Policy: The State Fair of Texas prohibits fairgoers from carrying all firearms, knives with blades over 5.5 inches long, clubs, explosive devices, ammunition, chemical dispensing devices, replicas or hoaxes, or weapons of any kind. This includes concealed carry and open carry of firearms anywhere on the fairgrounds including Cotton Bowl Stadium. This policy does not include elected, appointed, or employed peace officers. Previously, the weapons policy allowed licensed concealed carry. Now it does not.
Public Events or Protests: No staging any form of public event or protest, soliciting, or distributing information of any kind without the prior written approval of State Fair of Texas management or security personnel.
A full list of Fair policies can be found at bigtex.com/know-before-you-go
NEW SHOWS AND ATTRACTIONS FOR 2024
The State Fair of Texas features more than a 100 activities daily. Here a few new attractions added as part of the free entertainment lineup for 2024.
Cirque Du Soleil: Songblazers
The acrobatic and live musical performance showcases the artistry of Cirque du Soleil and the melodies of beloved country music. The show celebrates the diverse influences of country music and its stories. Performances of Songblazers are from Sept. 25 to Oct. 20 at the Music Hall at Fair Park. Tickets to Songblazers includes free admission to the Fair. Visit cirquedusoleil.com/songblazers to purchase tickets and for more information.
Performances are at 12 p.m., 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at the Music Hall.
Billy Kidd Show
Billy Kidd is an award-winning magician from Bath, England whose work has been seen all over the globe. She hosted Discovery Channel's Breaking Magic series and was a Wizard on Syfy's Wizard Wars with Penn & Teller. Stop by the Fringe Stage to catch her sleight of hand and mind-bending tricks. You'll be left wondering, "How'd she do that?"
Daily shows at 1:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m. & 5:45 p.m. on the Fringe Stage
Bryan Berg the Card Stacker
Guinness World Record-Holder Bryan Berg demonstrates his incredible card-stacking skills inside the Hall of State. Watch as he builds the Dallas city skyline using only a deck of cards. Trained as an architect, Berg first broke the world record for the world's tallest house of free-standing playing cards in 1992 at the age of 17, with a tower 14.5 feet tall. Since then, he has been commissioned to break his own Guinness Record approximately ten times.
The exhibition is on view inside the Hall of State daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Pint-Sized Parade
Follow the Showstoppers costumed characters around the fairground to the Hall of State, where they’ll put on a performance. This family-friendly procession includes music, dance, and fun surprises.
The parade steps off daily at 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. near the Lagoon and ends at the steps of the Hall of State
NEW FOOD FOR 2024
Get your taste buds ready. The State Fair of Texas premieres 6 new concessions for the 2024 season. Here’s a sneak peek at what to expect.
Rita’s Italian Ice - located on Grand Avenue
Try their new menu item, The Cool Combo. It's an Italian ice paired with vanilla frozen custard.
Korean Corn Dogs - located on Coliseum Drive
The Hot Cheetos Korean Corn Dog makes its debut at this year's Fair. It's half hot dog and half mozzarella cheese, battered with wheat and rice flour, coated with panko breadcrumbs and then deep-fried. The whole thing is then topped with a spicy mayo and coated with Hot Cheeto crumbs.
Crepes and Co. - located in the Tower Building
The Fried Apple Cinnamon Crepe is the specialty of the house. It's a crepe filled with a Biscoff cookie butter spread and caramelized apple cinnamon. It’s then topped with additional caramelized apples, cinnamon and served with Biscoff mousse, whipped cream, and a Biscoff cookie on the side.
So Eggciting Deviled Eggs - located in the Tower Building
Don't miss a Texas twist on the beloved deviled egg. The classic is topped with coleslaw and barbecue rib meat tossed in a beer barbecue sauce.
Smith Spot BBQ - located in the Tower Building
For their debut at the State Fair of Texas Smith Spot BBQ is offering up their signature dish called "The Nephew." It's a glazed donut topped with brisket, mozzarella cheese, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of powdered sugar.
The Dumpling Experience - located in the Funway
Pick your dumplings -- pork and vegetable, chicken and vegetable, and edamame. Customized them with one of five sauces, including ponzu lime, Thai chili, sriracha, homemade barbecue, and reaper barbecue.
FARM ANIMALS
While you’re perusing the animal barns and checking out the Blue Ribbon winners, don’t miss these farm-related activities.
Pig Races
Sure, we’ve all seen a horse race and maybe even a wiener dog or two, but bless the person who said, "What about pigs?" The porkers race snout-to-snout down the stretch in fetching racing silks at Chevy Park Plaza.
The pig race daily at 11:30 a.m., 1 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at Chevy Park Plaza
Farm and Fork University
Ever wonder why chickens lay different colored eggs or if horses really sleep standing up? Have all your burning barnyard questions answered by Cowboy Trey. The talk show-style presentation will enlighten you on all the animals you'll encounter while touring the livestock barns.
Daily at 11 a.m., 12::30 p.m., 2 p.m. 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. in Bull Alley
Big Tex’s Discovery Farm
Learn about agriculture and the impact of livestock on our daily lives through interactive exhibits as well as live animal displays.
Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. near the Bandshell and the Lagoon
PARADES, FIREWORKS AND AN ALL-NEW DRONE SHOW
There’s no better way to end a day at the Fair than with a glowing after-dark parade followed by a fireworks show.
Starlight Parade
The perfect ending to your day at the Fair is the Starlight Parade that winds its way around the fairgrounds nightly throughout the run of the fair.. The bright procession features a colorful assortment of floats, life-size puppets, animated characters in ornate costumes and more.
Nightly at 7:15 p.m. through the fairgrounds
Illumination Sensation
After the parade head over to the reflecting pool on the Esplanade for the nightly Illumination Sensation. The synchronized pyrotechnics and special effects show features dancing waters, fireworks, pop music and performances by dancers and acrobats.
Nightly at 8 p.m. on the Esplanade
NEW for 2024: The Stars Over Texas Drone Show
The State Fair of Texas brings a drone show to this season’s lineup. Catch four performances immediately after the Illumination Sensation firework show.
Oct. 3-6 at 8:25 p.m.
LIVE MUSIC
Throughout the fair's 24-day run you can enjoy a variety of musical talent from country to hip-hop. What's more, these concerts are free with admission.
There are multiple stages located throughout the grounds. Here's a sampling of the headliners coming to the Chevrolet Main Stage. For a complete list of musical performances go to bigtex.com/live-music
Opening Weekend:
Fri. Sept. 27, 8:30 p.m. – Jo Dee Messina
Sat. Sept. 28, 4 p.m. – Deitrick Haddon
Sat. Sept. 28, 8:30 p.m. – Big Daddy Kane
Second Weekend:
Fri. Oct. 4, 8:30 p.m. – Shakey Graves
Sat. Oct. 5, 5:30 p.m. – Payton Howie
Sat. Oct. 5, 8:30 p.m. – Grace Potter
Third Weekend:
Fri. Oct. 11, 8:30 p.m. – Wyatt Flores
Sat.Oct. 12, 8:30 p.m. – St. Paul & The Broken Bones
Sun.Oct. 13, 8:30 p.m. –Hannah Dasher
Closing Weekend:
Fri. Oct. 18, 8:30 p.m. – Spin Doctors
Sat.Oct.18, 8:30 p.m. – Foghat
Sun.Oct.19, 4:30 p.m. –The Commodores
The Go See DFW calendar is a partnership between KERA and The Dallas Morning News.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, The University of Texas at Dallas, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
