The State Fair of Texas is an annual state fair held in Dallas at historic Fair Park. The fair has taken place every year since 1886 except for varying periods during World War I and World War II as well as 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It usually begins the last Friday in September and ends 24 days later. The fair claims an annual attendance of over two million visitors through ticket scanning. The State Fair of Texas is considered one of the best in America as well as Dallas' signature event despite its troubled history regarding, among other things, its relationship with the surrounding predominantly African-American community.
Attractions
Security guards, the Dallas Police, the Dallas County Sheriff's Office & Texas Highway Patrol are the fair's patrollers.
The State Fair of Texas's opening day ceremonies are highlighted by the annual Friday parade rolling through downtown Dallas. In 2019, the parade moved to Fair Park. The fair also has a nightly parade called the Starlight Parade and a nightly light show called Illumination Sensation around the park's esplanade. However, the start of the fair is largely viewed negatively by local residents, as the blight it creates is so severe that it depresses the real estate value of neighboring homes, which are already in a depressed neighborhood. In addition, nearby businesses lose money while the fair is in operation.
Traditionally, the centerpiece of the fair has been the annual college football game between Oklahoma and Texas, nicknamed the Red River Rivalry (historically known as both the "OU-Texas Game" or "Texas-OU Game") and played in the Cotton Bowl at Fair Park. Also, the State Fair Classic, featuring Grambling State University and Prairie View A&M University, is played at the Cotton Bowl during the fair. In 2010, Baylor and Texas Tech played their game during the fair for the first time. During the opening weekend of the 2013 fair, Army and Louisiana Tech played in the only Heart of Dallas Classic at the Cotton Bowl; it was abandoned thereafter. The Texas State Fair Football Showdown took place on the third weekend of the 2018 and 2019 fair and featured Southern and Texas Southern. In 2020, the Southern versus Texas Southern game moved to Arlington, Texas.
The State Fair of Texas is the only fair in the United States to include a full auto show, dating back to 1913. However, the Texas Museum of Automotive History was forced to pull out as a tenant, blaming the fair for forcing it to close down during the annual event.
The State Fair formerly featured "Birds of the World" where several birds would fly overhead. It was removed from the Fair lineup in 2014, only to return in 2019. The $5-million Texas Skyway is a gondola ride which only operates 24 days a year, transporting visitors around the fairgrounds. There is also a BMX bike show as well as dog and pig races. For children, puppet shows, Children's Medical Center Barnyard, and Story Time also take place inside the fair.
In recent years, the fair has emphasized its reputation as an event featuring unique, albeit high-fat, foods. It has been known for years for Fletcher's brand corny dogs. Recent years have seen the introduction of new unusual deep-fried items, including deep-fried Oreos, deep-fried Twinkies, deep-fried s'mores, deep-fried pork ribs, fried cheesecake; deep-fried butter, fried avocados, fried alligators, deep-fried peanut butter, jelly, and banana sandwiches, and most recently a batter-based fried Coke. New foods in 2008 included chicken fried bacon and fried banana splits. For the 2012 fair, the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas added the deep-fried Samoa cookie in honor of the 100th anniversary of Girl Scouts of the US and the Girl Scout 100th Anniversary Experience at the Texas Hall of State at the fair. People travel from all around the world to attend the State Fair of Texas, including former talk show host Oprah Winfrey.
2025 saw boba drinks, as it was seen at other state and county fairs nationwide, and shows worldwide. The fair announced that the log ride would close after the 2025 season.
History The first state fair in Texas was established by the Mechanical and Blood Stock Association of Texas (MBSAT). The first fair convened in Houston on the north bank of Buffalo Bayou in 1870. The MBSAT hosted another state fair at the same location in 1871. Beginning in 1872, the fair moved to a new location south of Houston in an area more recently known as "Midtown", until the last state fair held by the MBSAT in 1878. After its last fair, the MBSAT declared bankruptcy, and no other organization in Houston emerged to restart the state fair in Houston.
In its modern incarnation, the State Fair of Texas was charted as a private corporation by local businessmen. It was an immediate success and attracted thousands of people. However, in 1904 a series of events led to a financial crisis and not enough income was available to keep the fair running. Therefore, the businessmen sold it to the city of Dallas with the agreement that 24 days during the fall would be set aside annually for the fair and exhibition.Nancy Wiley, "State Fair of Texas", Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/lks02), accessed August 16, 2012. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
On February 10, 1942, a fire-alarm blaze raged unchecked for an hour in the automobile building at the State Fair park causing damage estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. One fireman was hospitalized after being overcome with smoke and a half dozen others were given treatment at the scene. Roy Rupard, secretary of the State Fair association, said the loss was covered by insurance.Wire service, "Flames Sweep Texas State Fair Building", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Wednesday 11 February 1942, Volume 48, page 3.
Big Tex, a tall cowboy statue, has been its symbol since his introduction in 1952. In 1953, Big Tex's jaw was hinged, so that he appears to "speak" the announcements that promote fair events.Steven Butler. Fair Park Timeline, part 4: The Post-Exposition Years (1938-1984) After a fire on October 19, 2012, destroyed the original Big Tex, he was rebuilt and reintroduced for the 2013 fair. Big Tex is claimed to be the world's tallest cowboy.State Fair of Texas rove.me
Its Texas Star Ferris wheel was the largest in North America when it debuted in October 1985, just months before the Texas Sesquicentennial. It has since been dwarfed by Ferris wheels in Las Vegas and Orlando."What makes us unique," BigTex.com. Retrieved 2008-09-24.Norman Anderson. Ferris wheels: an illustrated history, Popular Press, 1992, page 138-40.
DART's Fair Park Station and MLK Jr. Station opened in 2009 to serve Fair Park and the State Fair. In addition to regular service on the Green Line, the Red Line and Blue Line also run "special event" trains to Fair Park Station for major fair events.Dallasnews.com
In 2017, Foundation for Community Empowerment commissioned a major report laying a major portion of blame against how the State Fair of Texas has hindered development at and around Fair Park.
Timeline
The State Fair of Texas opened its gates for the first time on October 26, 1886. Approximately 14,000 people attended the opening day. On November 7, 1886, the Fair closed, having attracted over 100,000 people its first year. The State Fair of Texas had a history of racial discrimination dating back to the 1880s. The first designated day for African Americans to attend the fair was held in 1889 and was called "Colored People's Day". Educator Norman Washington Harllee organized exhibits and planned events and speakers including Booker T. Washington in 1900. In 1910, "Colored People's Day" was discontinued. It reappeared in 1936 as "Negro Achievement Day", set to coincide with the Texas Centennial Exposition. Despite the fact that African Americans were not allowed to participate in entertainment or eat at restaurants and concession stands on other days during the run, Fair officials touted "Negro Achievement Day" as a way to recognize the accomplishments and progress of the Negro race in Texas and the United States. The Hall of Negro Life was the only building demolished after the Texas Centennial ended. In 1913, the Fair introduced the first Automobile Building, where 175 vehicles were exhibited. The Fair was canceled in 1918 due to the US Army taking control of Fair Park to establish an aviation boot camp known as Camp Dick. It resumed the next year. In 1921, Boston College beat Baylor in the first game ever played between teams from the Southwest and Northeast. In 1921, Texas and Vanderbilt started a series, which was played at the Fair every year from 1921 to 1928 with the exception of 1924. In 1923, the Fair hosted Ku Klux Klan day. Thousands of new Klan members were sworn in at the fairgrounds. More than 150,000 people were at the Fair that day. In 1925, the first State Fair Classic was played. In 1929, Texas and Oklahoma played their Red River Rivalry at the Fair for the first time. In 1930, construction of a new Fair Park Stadium (now known as the Cotton Bowl) began. In 1932, Texas and Oklahoma played their Red River Rivalry at the new Fair Park Stadium for the first time. In 1937, the first Cotton Bowl Classic was played in Fair Park. World War II cancelled fairs from 1942 to 1944. In September 1945, the Fair resumed and was held for the next 75 consecutive years. Big Tex made his first appearance in 1952. In 1955, a seat filled with members of the Memphis High School marching band broke free from the top of a 92-foot Sky Wheel, killing a 15-year-old girl. Also that year, a Denton, Texas, high-school senior, Doris Mae Dukes, was named Miss Bronze Texas from among 15 Texas high-school and college contestants during the Fair's "Negro Achievement Day". The award was presented by a Neiman Marcus official. In 1956, the Trailblazer monorail began operation at Fair Park. It was the first commercially-operated monorail system in the United States. Elvis Presley performed in the Cotton Bowl during the Fair in 1956.
In 1960, the Dallas Texans (AFL) and the Dallas Cowboys (NFL) played their first seasons in the Cotton Bowl. In 1964, the monorail closed and was replaced by the Swiss Sky Ride, a 64-car aerial ride that traveled over a 3,800-foot path, the longest ever built. In 1966, the State Fair commissioned a report on the redevelopment of the Fair, which concluded that the land around Fair Park should be "bought up and turned into a paved, lighted, fenced parking lot" that would "eliminate the problem from sight". "If the poor Negroes in their shacks cannot be seen, all the guilt feelings . . . will disappear, or at least be removed from primary consideration". As a result, numerous homes were taken through eminent domain condemnation, and the mostly poor African-American owners were underpaid for their property. In 1979, a Sky Ride accident occurred during the last day of the Fair, prompting the removal of the attraction. In 1983, an 18-year-old boy was killed and several bystanders were injured when a gondola fell off the Enterprise. In 1985, the Texas Star opened as the largest ferris wheel in North America. In 1989, The Comet Roller Coaster, a Fair Park landmark since 1947, was torn down. Following the 2001 September 11 attacks, Dallas Police and State Fair officials announced the implementation of new security measures during the annual event. In 2005, the Fried Peanut Butter, Jelly and Banana Sandwich was introduced at the Fair.
In 2007 the Texas Skyway aerial ride opened in Fair Park. In 2010, the 8000-foot Greenhouse on the Midway was built to house 1000 hanging baskets, beehives, and Farmer Mike the Pumpkin Carver. In 2010, fairgoers spent more than $37 million, which broke the Fair's record.