First opening its doors in 1886, the State Fair of Texas reopens yearly from late September to late October. It is a staple in the lives of Texans; some fairgoers even travel across the country to experience it. An annual attendance of two million people come to the fair within the 24 days it’s open. Located in Dallas, the fair is an event full of animals, food, and rides.
Tickets to the fair are easily accessible, as Texas students K-12 get a free admission ticket from their schools every year. The only downside of this is that student admission tickets are only valid on Monday-Fridays. For adults or those without student tickets, there are many discount days. For example, on Food Bank Wednesdays, when you bring five canned goods to donate to the North Texas Food Bank, you can receive a five-dollar admission ticket.
This year, I decided to go to the state fair with my family. Taking advantage of my student admission, and the not-so-long drive to Dallas from Frisco.
As an overall experience, I did enjoy attending the fair this year. The first time I went was last year with my family. I didn’t get to explore the entire park because it was Friday and incredibly crowded and hot. This year, when I received my annual ticket, I went on a Wednesday, and it was a much better experience. The park was calm, there was room to walk, and it was easier to really soak in what was going on around me.
Taking up over 277 acres, the fair has many different activities from the truck zone to the Ferris wheel. My family and I spent the majority of the time checking out the different attractions before we settled in the area containing the rides. One of my personal favorites was the agricultural aspect of the fair. Being in Texas, many farmers bring their show horses, pigs, chickens, goats, sheep, boars, and many more. I think it was really interesting to see these animals up close because I have always loved all animals. My family’s overall favorite activity was the RAM TRX thrill ride.
“In terms of how I felt about the animals, they were all really cute and they looked like they were being treated really well,” Freshman JV Tennis Player, and my little sister, Nia Zadi-Pauyo said. “I just liked seeing them. We also went to the RAM trucks, and they drove so quickly over the ramps and the dirt area, that we flew into the air and it was very fun.”
Regarding the food, the state fair is not scarce in any way, shape, or form. As someone not from Texas, I was surprised to see that almost anything under the sun could be found battered and fried at the fair the first year I attended. Things I didn’t even know could be fried were advertised on banners at all the various booths.
Though my family and I, not including my stepdad, are all vegetarians. Walking into the park, I didn’t expect many food options for my family and I, being that this state is the land of gigantic barbecues. From the five hours I spent at the park, I had only eaten a bland vegetable pizza and a chocolate-covered banana. More than my sister on the other hand, who had fried Oreos for dinner, yet was perfectly content. Sugarwise, the deserts at the fair are all wonderful, and there are so many things for everyone to enjoy.
When it comes to pricing, the fair can get a little expensive. After admission, you have to buy tickets, each ticket equaling one dollar. Food can be 8+ tickets, attractions 7+, even water can be six tickets. For a group of five people, those can run out pretty fast. Overall, we spent around $180 on tickets to be content at the park. The items we spent the most on were the food and drinks. Our water kept running out and walking can make you hungrier than you’d expect.
“You can’t really expect fair food to be that cheap so, I’m not going to say that the prices were low,” Zadi-Pauyo said, “but they definitely weren’t outrageous or anything. And the food was really good anyway.”
All in all, the State Fair is a cultural event for Texans, and I believe anyone living here should experience it at least once. There are so many beautiful things to see, from museums to the sweetest horses. To wonderful things to try, from fried Oreo, to creole beignets, to fried pumpkin pie. You could even get lucky and see two Dalmatians, Gus and Bud, who are complete farm dogs in the horse barn. Students should take advantage of the free tickets because, for seniors, this is our last year getting one. The Texas State Fair is open from 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and Oct.22 is the last day to attend before it closes until next fall!
