Have Fun for Less

State Fair of Texas lowers ticket prices and adds discounts for 2026

The State Fair of Texas runs September 25-October 18, 2026.

Photo by Kevin Brown

It will be cheaper to get into the State Fair of Texas this year. Admission and parking prices are being lowered for 2026, and kids will be able to get in for $10 every day, organizers have announced.

The 2026 fair runs September 25 through October 18 at Fair Park in Dallas.

Adult admission is dropping by $4, from $19 to $15 on weekdays and from $29 to $25 on weekends. Kids ages 3-12 will pay $10 every day, down from $14 on weekdays and $24 on weekends.

Additionally, entry after 5 pm on weekdays will be $10 for all visitors. On weekends, adults will see their ticket price drop from $25 to $20 after 5 pm. Seniors 60 and over will now pay $13 on weekdays, a $1 drop from the previous year.

According to a release, the decision to lower ticket prices came after feedback from fairgoers during the 2025 season and an evaluation of how to balance affordability with the quality of the fair.

Parking in official State Fair parking lots is also dropping by $5, to $25 every day.

“Families have always been at the heart of the State Fair of Texas, and every year we listen closely to what our fairgoers tell us about their experience,” said Karissa Condoianis, State Fair of Texas Senior Vice President of Public Relations, in a statement.

"This year, we are making meaningful changes to admission and parking while continuing to offer the experiences, traditions, and attractions our guests look forward to every fall. Our goal is to make it easier for families to plan a State Fair day that works for them and get the most from their time at the State Fair.”

More ways to save
There are a lot more ways to save during the 2026 State Fair of Texas. Here is a complete list of discounts:

Opening Day Peanut Butter Drive: On Opening day, Friday, September 25, visitors can enjoy the Fair while also helping the North Texas Food Bank by bringing two jars of peanut butter to donate to receive $10 admission at the gate.
Feed the Need Wednesdays: Every Wednesday, fairgoers can receive $7 admission by bringing five canned food items to benefit the North Texas Food Bank.
Dr Pepper Value Days: Every Tuesday and Thursday of the State Fair, Big Tex Insiders can purchase online admission for $12 with a promotional code. Guests can sign up for the Big Tex Insider program at BigTex.com/Insider.
Senior Day: Every Thursday, guests ages 60 and older can receive admission for $7 at the gate.
Military Appreciation Day Presented by Chevrolet: Active-duty military, retired military, and veterans can save $5 off admission any day with valid military identification.
First Responder Discounts: The State Fair honors active and retired law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other emergency services personnel with $5 off admission any day with valid department or organization identification.

Military and first responder guests purchasing discounted admission online will be prompted to verify eligibility through ID.me. Guests purchasing at the gate should bring valid documentation.

McDonald's Discounts: Participating McDonald's locations throughout North Texas will offer State Fair admission discounts through coupons available on tray liners and inside select meal bags. Adults can save $5 on admission any day with a valid coupon. Only one discount may be applied per guest, and discounts cannot be combined, stacked, or used in conjunction with any other offer.
Free Admission for Select Texas Students and Teachers: Students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade at participating school districts receive free admission tickets, and teachers and school faculty for grades 9-12 receive free admission through our voucher program. Teachers must visit the admission ticket sales window, provide a teacher voucher, and show their valid school-issued photo ID to receive an admission ticket to the Fair.

In addition, the State Fair of Texas has partnered with Dallas Park and Recreation on their Teen All Access Pass Program, which provides free admission to the city's most popular museums, libraries, entertainment venues, and leisure facilities to registered Dallas teens ages 13 to 17. More information can be found on DallasParks.org.

If you're a State Fair fanatic, then a Season Pass is your best bet to save money. Both the Digital Season Pass, available for $52, or the Commemorative Hard Card Season Pass, available for $62, pay off in as little as three visits.

Both passes include admission every day of the State Fair, but the Digital Season Pass includes admission only.

The Commemorative Hard Card Season Pass offers extra perks like:

A commemorative card featuring annual State Fair artwork
One free single-day Bring-a-Friend admission ticket, valid one time Monday through Friday
Complimentary admission to the Texas Discovery Gardens during the 2026 State Fair
Parking pre-purchase discount

Both types of passes are available now at BigTex.com/Tickets. For those who want to save a couple bucks, the Commemorative Hard Card Season Pass is also available at the gate for $60.

The Fair also offers a variety of FLEX options for anyone who want the flexibility to choose their State Fair visit date

Guests can purchase a one-day FLEX admission ticket online for $27. Two- and four-pack FLEX ticket combinations that come with food and midway coupons and one free parking space are available for a limited time, ranging from $104-$129.

Offers are available through August 31 or while supplies last.

Savvy visitors know that savings are available in areas besides tickets. Options include:

Thrilling Tuesdays: Guests can enjoy savings on Midway rides every Tuesday, with most rides available for four coupons and select kiddie rides available for three coupons. The Thrillway and Texas Star Ferris Wheel are excluded.
Thrifty Thursday Discount Fair Food Presented by T-Mobile: Every Thursday, participating food vendors offer select signature menu items at reduced prices, giving guests another opportunity to enjoy some of the State Fair's most popular food offerings.
Kids Win Every Time Midway Games: No more spending a lot in the hopes that your kid will win a prize. At select Midway games marked by the “Kids Win Every Time” sign, kids will, well, win a prize every time they play.

Daily tickets can be purchased online in advance starting September 1. Online admission prices at BigTex.com are inclusive of online processing fees and therefore higher than gate prices.

Admission tickets may be purchased at any State Fair Admission Gate starting on Opening Day, Friday, September 25.

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News for campers

Lake Palestine in East Texas will be home to new 650-acre state park

Photo courtesy of Texas Land

Lake Palestine will be the site of a new state park.

East Texas is gaining a new state park at Lake Palestine that will include amenities like hike-and-bike trails, campsites, and lakefront access.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation has paid more than $10 million for a 650-acre ranch at Lake Palestine that will be converted into a state park, the agency says. If the park opened today, it would be the 90th state park in Texas.

The ranch, roughly 100 miles southeast of Dallas, had been on the market for a little less than $10 million. Roughly 60 percent of the ranch is wooded, and about 40 percent is pastureland.

The foundation will make improvements to the site, about 18 miles west of Tyler, before handing it over to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in late 2027. That’s when funding from the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund will become available for the department to acquire the property.

The deal preserves one of the last large habitat sites in that part of East Texas and will ultimately expand public access to Lake Palestine. The lake encompasses more than 25,500 acres and touches four counties. White-tailed deer, bobcats, and waterfowl are among the creatures that populate the habitat.

“Opportunities to protect a property like this don’t come along very often, and when they do, timing is critical,” Anne Brown, the foundation’s executive director, said in a release. She said the land will “ultimately become a place where generations of Texans can enjoy the outdoors.”

The Pollard family had owned the ranch, which housed their pecan farm, since 1940. Aside from the pecan orchard, the property includes pine forests, ponds, a seven-acre lake, and Lake Palestine frontage.

Sam Pollard, president of Texas Pecan Nursery, said the property “is part of my soul. It means a lot to me that we can leave a legacy for people to enjoy.”

The foundation says visitors to the future park will be able to enjoy blufftop views of the lake, watch wildlife and birds, and walk around the pecan orchard. They’ll also be able to take advantage of boating, paddling, swimming, and fishing at Lake Palestine.

Rodney Franklin, director of the state park system, called the site an “East Texas gem” and thanked the Pollards for enabling “this special slice of the Pineywoods to be accessible for generations of Texans.”

The parks and wildlife agency plans to create the park in phases, starting with guided access, followed by daytime access and then full-day and overnight access. The agency will invite public input about the park’s development.

Planned amenities include hike-and-bike trails, traditional and primitive campsites, day-use areas and lakefront access.

The NextEra Energy Foundation, a philanthropic arm of NextEra Energy and NextEra Energy Resources, chipped in $100,000 to support the future park. NextEra supplies electricity to about one million customers in Texas, mostly through its Gexa Energy subsidiary.

In addition, the wildlife foundation tapped into the state’s Land Conservation Loan Fund for the ranch purchase. The voter-approved, donor-supported fund aids land conservation efforts. Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies was an inaugural backer of the loan fund.

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