Last updated October 1, 2026

12 Ways to Save Money at the State Fair of Texas

You know what time it is, the weather is thinking about getting cooler, the days are getting shorter and fair season is here. It’s the time of year when Big Tex puts on his boots, every kind of food you could possibly imagine gets fried and animals get ready to be shown. The State Fair of Texas is here! 

If your family is like mine, going to the fair is a family tradition. Maybe you love spending time at the fair but then you look at the price tag and start to think, “I wonder if there is a cheaper way we can enjoy the day?”.

Well, I am here to share the best money saving tips and tricks I have found to help lower the cost for you…

BEFORE YOU GO:

LOOK AT SPECIAL DISCOUNT DAYS

As the fair begins, one way to save money is by checking their websites for different daily admission ticket discounts. You will also want to check what days specific foods and midway activities are cheaper. It may be as simple as bringing some canned food to donate or attending on a specific weekday to help get a cheaper ticket. Attending the fair on certain days or times can help knock a few dollars off your ticket price and if you have a big family that can add up quickly.

GET A DISCOUNT TICKET COUPON FROM MCDONALDS

McDonalds restaurants in the DFW area often have fair coupons they will hand you upon request. These coupons provide a discount on your admissions ticket into the fair. Bring your coupon to the ticket booth at the fair and enjoy your discount!

GO TO THE FAIR ON A WEEKDAY INSTEAD OF THE WEEKEND

Ticket prices are typically higher on the weekends so if you have the option of going on a weekday it can help reduce the cost of getting into the fair. Going on a weekday can often mean it will also be less crowded as well. You can check prices for the day you want to go using this link starting on September 1st – https://bigtex.com/buy-tickets-new/

BUY A SEASON PASS

If you plan to visit the fair more than once you might want to look into buying a season pass. I LOVE fair season, so for me, season passes are a great deal with as many times as I like to go. Season passes also typically come with coupons that can be used for things like parking or a one time pass to bring a friend for free during the week. Season passes allow you to visit as often as you want so you do not have to try and fit everything into one day (Raise your hand if you’ve done that before and then were exhausted!).

GETTING TO THE FAIR:

FIND PARKING OUTSIDE OF THE FAIR GROUNDS

Usually, the costliest place to park is on the fair grounds themselves (although we’ve noticed that isn’t always the case). While it can be nice to park a little closer, to help reduce parking cost, there are plenty of parking lots surrounding the fair that you can park at for a cheaper rate. In my experience, the lots also have cheaper parking if you are going on a weekday verses a weekend. 

CARPOOL

Carpooling with other family members or friends can help you split the cost of parking. Bring 3 friends with you and your $25 – $40 parking is now just $6.25 – $10 for the day! This can be a great way to reduce your cost.

TAKE THE DART

Depending on how many people are in your party, it can be cheaper to travel by DART down to the fair. The good news is there are DART trains that drop you off right at one of the fair entrances, making it easy to come and go. To make it even easier, you can buy your DART passes using the DART app. This can also be a great option if you don’t want the hassle of driving downtown and dealing with traffic. I would compare the costs of parking and taking the DART to see which will help you save the most.

AT THE FAIR:

ATTEND FREE SHOWS AND ACTIVITIES

All throughout the fair there are MANY different types of entertainment that is FREE to attend. Beside the free shows, you can check out the arts and crafts building, stroll along the sculpture walk, check out the car show and so much more. It’s also not uncommon to find free samples of local foods in the Go Texan Pavilion along with a free dairy giveaway (potentially ice cream, milk, yogurt, etc.) There are also little known areas throughout the fairgrounds that can be explored. These include the green house in the middle of the midway, the Vietnam memorial near gate 4 or the natural history museum in a building over near the Dinosaurs at the Lagoon.

SHARE SPECIALTY FOODS WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY

One of the biggest attractions to the State Fair of Texas is all of the new unique foods you can eat. Besides the classic fair foods like the must have corn dogs and funnel cakes, you can try new foods that contestants have entered to be named one of the Big Tex finalists of the year. Because these creations are usually fried and sometimes very sweet, you might only need or want a couple of bites. One thing my family does if we want to try one of these new foods is buy one order and share it. This way we get to try more foods without spending as much money.

BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH OR DINNER

To help save on food costs, you can also pack a lunch or dinner to bring with you and eat while at the fair. There are many places you can sit and eat your packed meal allowing you to eat at the fair without it breaking the bank. You could also bring your lunch to eat and then buy a small treat at the fair for dessert.

BRING YOUR OWN WATER

Besides your lunch, make sure to pack plenty of water for you to drink throughout the day. It is often fairly warm out on fair days and it will become important to stay hydrated. You can buy bottles of water for 2 coupons this year making them pretty cost efficient. If you want to skip this cost though, you can bring your own water bottles in to use throughout the day. I like to bring a water bottle with me and then I purchase an extra one if needed while at the fair.

REUSABLE BIG TEX SOUVENIR CUPS

Each year the State Fair sells Big Tex souvenir cups that once you have purchased it, it can be refilled at a discounted rate. This souvenir cup can also be brought back each year and you can still take advantage of the refill discount. If you want to drink sodas or tea throughout the day this can be a good way to save money.

I hope these money saving tips help you enjoy the fair without breaking the bank. Let us know in the comments what your favorite money saving hack is and I will see you at the fair!

– Pepper and Passports

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You may also like to check out THIS ARTICLE that shares some of the things I would do if I only had one day to spend at the fair.