‘It’s very important to this community’: Texas State Fair returns as in-person event in Dallas

The Texas State Fair will return as an in-person event this fall. 

The State Fair of Texas, held annually at Fair Park in Dallas, will be held from Sept. 24 to Oct. 17. 

The site was previously being used as a mass vaccination location. The theme for 2021 will be “Howdy, folks” two words famous for being uttered by Big Tex. The previous 2020 State Fair of Texas was a drive-thru-only event, with this year marking a return to an in-person mass gathering. 

“Every year the fair is about balancing tradition with new and innovative attractions to get our fairgoers excited,” Karissa Condoianis, senior vice president of Public Relations for the State Fair of Texas, told the Dallas Express. “Our goal is to provide that same standard that people expect from the state fair with 135 years of history there’s a lot of tradition here and Texans love tradition. It’s a way to come together and celebrate all things Texan every year.” 

Condoianis also promoted the fair’s economic impact on the Dallas and North Texas area. 

“Well, from an economic impact standpoint based on a study that was done by the University of North Texas a few years ago, the fair is estimated to bring in more than $400 million to the North Texas economy every year and that doesn’t even include the Texas auto show, which is a huge part of the fair so it’s quite a big impact,” Condoianis said.

Condoianis explained why it was important that Dallas continue to host the Texas State Fair.

“It’s a piece of history and it brings so much to the community from the economic impact, to all of the incredible things the fair does to support the community, to the sense of community that the fair brings every year,” Condoianis said. “It’s very important to this community.”

This year’s Texas State Fair will utilize health and safety measures recommended by federal health agencies like the CDC. The Texas State Fair has been held annually since 1886. It is generally held concurrent to the annual Texas-Oklahoma football game played each year in the Cotton Bowl, which overlooks the fair site.