Big Tex is taking on “the swamp” — or at least, his boots are.
For the first time in more than 70 years, Big Tex’s signature boots are leaving the Lone Star State. According to the State Fair of Texas, the 12-foot-tall, size 96 Lucchese-made boots are en route to Washington, D.C., where they’ll be featured in a Smithsonian American Art Museum exhibit opening August 22.
“Big Tex’s boots are one of the most beloved and recognizable symbols of the State Fair of Texas and of Texas pride itself,” the fair said in a statement.
Big Tex has towered over the Texas State Fairgrounds in Dallas since 1952. This marks just the second time his boots have left Texas — the first was in 1953, for a National Jaycees Convention in Minneapolis.
Before heading to the capital, the Big Tex team gave the boots a proper sendoff, signing them with farewell messages, good-luck notes, and a hand-drawn stamp, according to a Facebook post.
The exhibit at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery runs through September 7, 2026. But don’t worry — according to the Texas Department of Agriculture, the boots will be back in time for this year’s State Fair of Texas.
