Twenty-four days.
One 55-foot cowboy.
Roughly a hundred ways to eat something fried.
It’s the longest-running state fair in the country, and one of the largest by attendance — over two million visitors a year come through Fair Park.
The State Fair of Texas returns to Fair Park September 25 – October 18, 2026, and this year’s theme, “Stars, Stripes, and Howdies,” is about as on-the-nose Texan as it gets. Here’s what’s new, what’s worth the trip, and how to save a little money while you’re at it.
What’s New This Year
Good news for the family budget: admission actually got cheaper for 2026.
- Kids (3–12): $10 every single day
- Adults: $15 weekdays, $25 weekends
- After 5pm, Monday–Thursday: $10 for everyone
- Parking: down to $25
Doesn’t erase the corny dog bill, but it helps.
All the Ways to Save
Stack these with the pricing above and a day at the Fair gets a lot friendlier on the wallet:
- Opening Day Peanut Butter Drive (Sept. 25) — bring two jars for the North Texas Food Bank, get in for $10 at the gate
- Feed the Need Wednesdays — five canned goods gets you in for $7
- Thrilling Tuesdays — discounted Midway ride coupons
- Military & First Responders — $5 off any day, spouses and kids under 18 included
- Seniors (60+) — $13 weekdays
- McDonald’s tray-liner coupon — $5 off, any day, at participating North Texas locations
This Year’s Fried Food Champions
Every year, the Big Tex Choice Awards puts Fair vendors through a gauntlet — 77 entries from 46 concessionaires competed for 2026, and three creations came out on top:
- Best Taste, Savory — Burger Chop Tater Tacos: a fried cheddar-tater-tot shell packed with chopped burger, sautéed onions and jalapeños, topped with buffalo buttermilk ranch coleslaw ($16)
- Best Taste, Sweet — Fletcher’s Chocolate Corny Dog: milk chocolate fudge, hand-dipped in the original Fletcher’s corny dog batter, fried golden ($7)
- Best Taste, Sipper — Tropical Coco Fresca: pineapple-watermelon agua fresca with a Tajín rim and a coconut snowball scoop
Fried Beer. Fried Pho. A whole club of Fair legends came before these three — proof that at the State Fair, no idea is too wild to try.
Don’t-Miss Traditions
- Big Tex — the fairground’s oldest, tallest, most photographed cowboy
- Texas Skyway — a gondola ride that only runs 24 days a year
- The Midway — rides, games, the works
- Auto Show — the only full car show at any fair in the country, running since 1913
- Livestock & Barnyard — a favorite for the littlest fairgoers
The Practical Stuff
- Parking: Gate 2, 925 S. Haskell Ave, South Dallas — from $25
- DART: direct access to Fair Park, worth it to skip the parking lot altogether
- Season Pass: $52 online, unlimited visits all 24 days
See You at the Fair
Twenty-four days, a giant cowboy, and a chocolate corny dog nobody saw coming. Mark the calendar and start planning your Fair day now — Big Tex doesn’t wait