October is on our doorstep, and that means it’s time for the return of the great State Fair Of Texas to Dallas! This state fair is the single biggest fair in America. Every year visitors flock from all over the state into the DFW metroplex to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the State Fair. It’s always great to see icons such as the ferris wheel, and of course everyone’s favorite mascot Big Tex.
Whether you’re into wild rides or exotic eats, there’s something to pique your interest at the fair.
The Food
Famous for unique and unusual food, the Big Tex Choice Awards are always good for some buzz. This year you can try the following culinary creations…
Savory Foods
- Deep Fried Brisket Cheese Sticks
- Dim Sum Loco Burritos
Sweets
- Deep Fried Praline Cheesecake Eggroll
- Crunchberry Shortcake
- Raspberry Chipotle Sopapilla Cheesecake
- Fried Texas Fruit Salad
- Deep Fried Southern Dessert Dumplings
- The Ultimate Brookie Monster
- Deep Fried Blue Bell Rocky Road Ice Cream
In addition to these wacky concoctions, you can enjoy tried-and-true fair classics like Fletcher’s corny dogs, funnel cake and much more.
The Football
Every year, the crown jewel of the fair is the college football game between the University of Texas and Oklahoma University known as the “Red River Showdown”. Since 1900, this classic matchup typically happens on a Saturday in October – and this year it will take place on October 8. This is usually one of the highest attendance days, and is quite a spectacular sight with the Cotton Bowl Stadium divided right down the middle with maroon and burnt orange. Even if one of the teams is having a rough season, they both show up for this storied rivalry, and almost always make a great game out of it.
The Fun
If you like live Texas music, you can see headliners like Summer Dean, Joshua Ray Walker, The O’s and plenty more. There are also regional acts that play several times a day on certain days. You can find the entire music schedule here.
If cars and trucks get your motor running, check out the Texas Auto Show. This exhibition of new vehicles includes the latest and greatest model years available, along with futuristic concepts. This show has been at the State Fair for over 100 years.
Every weekend you can experience the State Fair Of Texas Rodeo, and in addition to this pairing of people and critters you can see lots of other animal shows like pig races, dog stunt shows, petting zoos and wildlife shows.
Every night there is a parade at 7:15pm that wonders the fairgrounds, bringing a blast of light, color and fun to every corner of the fair, and this is followed up by a fireworks show over the iconic reflecting pool.
It will take you several trips to visit everything the State Fair of Texas has to share with you, so get outside and have some fun the next few weeks!
Author: Simon Trask
Simon loves Texas and the Great Outdoors. From East Texas pines to West Texas mountains, he calls North Texas home but is always ready to float a river in Hill Country or go fishing on the Gulf Coast. Simon loves camping and road trips as well, whether it's cruising Highway 287, 82, 69 or 281, that's the true way to see what Texas is all about!
