Stay in Plano, Get Home Sooner

Fletcher’s Corny Dogs, fried butter, turkey legs, fried Thanksgiving dinner, and chicken fried bacon; oh, and of course, the Midway, shopping, live music, auto show, football, and livestock. Find all this and so much more at the State Fair of Texas September 30 through October 23 at Fair Park! 

For 130 years, the State Fair has graced Dallas for 24 days a year on 277 acres in the heart of downtown Dallas. Known as the country’s largest fair, The State Fair of Texas has 100 daily shows and activities, 140 rides and games in the Midway, 85 free concerts on the Chevrolet Main Stage, and 225 concession stands throughout the fairgrounds. There’s so much to see, so much to do, and way too much to eat!

This year’s iconic AT&T Red River Showdown football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the University of Texas Longhorns is October 8 at Cotton Bowl Stadium inside Fair Park.

Stay in Plano and Get Home Sooner Oklahoma fans! We have special hotel rates in Plano just for you. Don’t want to drive to Fair Park? No problem. Stay in Plano and hop on the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) train from Parker Road or Downtown Plano stations and ride to Fair Park. There are plenty of activities to keep you busy before and after the fair; with more than 700 restaurants in Plano, you can keep the foodie adventure going all weekend. For a complete list of hotels in Plano, click here.

Hotel Offers:

Find more about the State Fair by visiting their website:

Fun facts about The State Fair of Texas:

• The State Fair has an estimated $608 million annual economic impact on the North Texas community.
• Fair attendance topped 1 million for the first time in 1916.
• In 1916, the new sandwich sensation of the World’s Fair was introduced at the State Fair of Texas; it was known as the hamburger.
• The Texas/OU game was first played in Fair Park during the run of the Fair in 1929.
• A shout-out to Plano-based Frito-Lay: Fritos corn chips were successfully introduced to the public during the 1936 Texas Centennial at Fair Park.
• Fletcher’s Corny Dogs were introduced at the Fair in 1942 during the summer Midway operation. The first corny dogs sold for 15 cents each. Fletcher’s representatives say they now sell roughly 500,000 corny dogs each year during the 24 days of the Fair. The term “Corny Dog” is trademarked by Fletcher’s. Other vendors sell “corn dogs.”
• Big Tex made his first debut at the 1952 State Fair.
• The 212-foot-tall Texas Star, the tallest Ferris wheel in North America at the time, was built in Italy and moved to Fair Park in time to operate during the 1985 State Fair.
• 2005 brought the first annual Big Tex Choice Awards, a challenge for concessionaires to create new and unique food items to be sold at the Fair.
• The Top o’ Texas Tower ride was completed in time for the 2013 At 500 feet tall, it remains the tallest tower ride in the country to date.
• In 2014 Big Tex was voted “Quirkiest Landmark in America” by USA Today & 10Best and received a new red, white and blue shirt from Dickies as a tribute to the Lone Star flag.
• More about Big Tex: His voice was first added in 1953, then a friendly wave in 1997. On October 19, 2012, Big Tex was destroyed by an electrical fire, the same year he celebrated his 60th birthday. New and improved, Big Tex returned in time to welcome fans for the 2013 State Fair. He stands 55 feet tall, wears a 95 gallon hat and a 33-foot-long belt. His outfit is sewn in the original Dickies plant that opened in 1922 in Fort Worth. It takes a week to make Big Tex’s jeans; they weigh 100 pounds and are replicas of Dickies popular 5-pocket jeans.

All photos except the Texas Star Ferris Wheel are provided by the State Fair of Texas. The Texas Star photo is credited to Visit Plano.