> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.thebarbedwire.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Even Corn Dogs Aren’t Safe from Inflation. Now Some Texans Are ‘Done With the State Fair.’ - URL: https://www.thebarbedwire.com/texas-state-fair-inflation-attendance-prices/ - Published: 2025-10-06T17:04:13.000Z - Updated: 2025-10-06T17:04:13.000Z - Author: Isabella Zeff - Tags: Culture, Texas Inflation has come for our corn dogs. Reviews are flowing in from the State Fair of Texas as it enters its second week, and one thing is clear: Big Tex hasn’t been spared from the nation’s cost of living increases. “We are done with the state fair after this year,” Reddit user Lane8323 [posted](https://www.reddit.com/r/texas/comments/1ny6muh/state%5Ffair%5Freview/?ref=thebarbedwire.com) to r/texas Saturday. They added: “Paid $16 for two tiny fried tacos,” and lamented the expensive rides and games (“It’s $10 per play basically”). “Overall I’d say it’s just not worth it anymore,” they wrote on a post that has gained hundreds of upvotes. “It wasn’t always this way, but I can’t emphasize enough just how expensive it has actually gotten, to the point where it’s hard to really enjoy the day without thinking about how much it’ll cost.” DRIA, a Dallas food influencer, [posted](https://www.threads.com/@driaeatsdtx/post/DPMe74%5FjgFG?ref=thebarbedwire.com) on Threads that opening weekend was emptier than she expected, and said she spent $72 on entrance, parking and coupons. “The fair should be AFFORDABLE!!!!” she wrote. [ ![Profile](https://storage.ghost.io/c/4e/33/4e33350c-149c-451f-b54d-ac6957d94879/content/images/thebarbedwire-com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/544343580_17900833956260425_1508134390267096371_n.jpg) **@driaeatsdtx** Threads.net Opening weekend for the fair is not what I expected... it was lowkey empty with little to no lines. And honestly, I understand why. $17 - $27 for entrance $20 - $30 for parking $10 - $40 for ONE FOOD/DRINK ITEM I spent $72 alone between entrance, parking, and $30 coupons. Not to mention, $30 coupons is not enough to enjoy the visit. One turkey leg is $25... Realistically, one would need $100+ The fair should be AFFORDABLE!!!! TX STATE FAIR HAS LOST THEIR DAMN MIND @statefairoftx ](https://www.threads.com/@driaeatsdtx/post/DPMe74%5FjgFG?ref=thebarbedwire.com) [View on Threads → ](https://www.threads.com/@driaeatsdtx/post/DPMe74%5FjgFG?ref=thebarbedwire.com) Texas content creator Jared Guynes shared a now-viral [video](https://www.facebook.com/reel/1423692068698017) on his Facebook page on Oct. 1 of a sparsely populated Midway, the central stretch of the fair that contains most of the games and rides. “Did the economy do this?” Guynes asked under his video. Many commenters said yes, sounding off on everything from $25 turkey legs to overpriced games. “What I ended up accidentally cracking open was a lot of frustration that people have that they can’t go to the fair because of how much it costs,” Guynes told [*WFAA*](https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/viral-posts-spark-debate-over-state-fair-of-texas-attendance-costs/287-4994d76c-ddb1-45af-9f93-61ebab6ec5e0?ref=thebarbedwire.com)*.* “$150 for one day for food, drinks and parking … not including the cost (of the) season pass we bought months ago,” Allen Cabreros commented on Guynes’ post. “Yeah, it's slightly getting out of control on the pricing, but we still go.” [*WFAA*](https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/viral-posts-spark-debate-over-state-fair-of-texas-attendance-costs/287-4994d76c-ddb1-45af-9f93-61ebab6ec5e0?ref=thebarbedwire.com) estimated that a family of four could spend as much as $350 with tickets, parking, food and attractions. There are [discounts](https://bigtex.com/buy-tickets/discounts/?ref=thebarbedwire.com) to help with expenses if families have the time to spare to research cost-cutting techniques and then plan their trip around them. Early in September, the State Fair announced that it would no longer give away free tickets to high school students as it had for years, citing “rising costs, low redemption rates and increased safety concerns,” [*KERA News* reported](https://www.keranews.org/news/2025-09-08/state-fair-texas-ends-free-tickets-high-school-students?ref=thebarbedwire.com). Instead, the fair is offering discounted high schooler tickets Monday through Thursday, and tickets remain free for students from pre-K through 8th grade and for teachers at all levels. “Of course we’ve seen the posts, and it’s disheartening,” said Taylor Pulfer, director of communications for the State Fair, to [*WFAA*](https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/viral-posts-spark-debate-over-state-fair-of-texas-attendance-costs/287-4994d76c-ddb1-45af-9f93-61ebab6ec5e0?ref=thebarbedwire.com)*.* “The State Fair of Texas isn’t immune to whatever is going on in the world, and that includes inflation and the economy. Our vendors set their own prices for things, and they have to make from a business perspective what makes sense for them.” In another [comment](https://www.facebook.com/jguynes/posts/10163679012314516) on his Facebook post, Guynes said that Pulfer left out the fact that the fair charges the vendor to be there, an expense that plays a role in determining what vendors must charge to make a profit. “It’s choose your own adventure,” Pulfer continued, pointing out that to cut down on costs families could simply not do anything at the fair that costs money. She suggested families could bring in their own food and water and focus on free activities like live shows and music rather than rides or games. Still, adult admission [costs](https://bigtex.com/buy-tickets-new/?ref=thebarbedwire.com) between $19 and $29, depending on the day, and [parking](https://bigtex.com/plan-your-visit/?ref=thebarbedwire.com) costs $30. Another fair spokesperson told [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/families-say-cost-is-keeping-them-from-state-fair-of-texas/?sfnsn=mo&fbclid=IwY2xjawNQoxNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFnYlNiWXpocjRHb1p3ZHpLAR7Cie7CrVRFZWSbYJcoKhPAorDdejtbcuXL1hn6KR7LZk2Dm0z6pnaiGKIlkQ%5Faem%5Fq-eXo%5FnUuEMVBN0lSr3HRA&ref=thebarbedwire.com) that despite online chatter, fair attendance this year is doing just fine. “The first eight days of the fair are usually our slowest days,” she said. On Saturday, Oct. 4, a few days after his video and one week before the Texas-OU game descends on the fair, Guynes attended the fair again and [posted](https://www.facebook.com/jguynes/posts/10163688642124516) photos of a packed Midway. “EVERYONE IS HERE,” he said. **Read more at** [***WFAA***](https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/state-fair/viral-posts-spark-debate-over-state-fair-of-texas-attendance-costs/287-4994d76c-ddb1-45af-9f93-61ebab6ec5e0?ref=thebarbedwire.com)**.**