Carnival & Fair News

Banning fairgoers from bearing firearms is common practice at many fairs and other outdoor events across the nation. But all fairs, like politics, is as they say, local, and in Texas few issues get as heated as gun-rights.

The 2024 State Fair of Texas attracted 2,385,855 over 24 consecutive days, saw across the board increases in revenue, per-cap spending and fundraising, making it by all accounts one of the most successful editions of the second largest fair in North America, according to Carnival Warehouse annual top-50 fairs.

“As we close the chapter on another successful State Fair of Texas, the 2024 exposition met expectations with nearly 2.4 million fairgoers entering our gates,” said Karissa Condoianis,  Senior Vice President, State Fair of Texas.” We are thankful to those who showed their continued support and loyalty to our nonprofit organization by attending our largest fundraiser of the year. Whether indulging in mouthwatering food or experiencing thrills on the Midway, proceeds from the Fair are used to preserve and improve Fair Park; underwrite community initiatives, support scholarship programs for students throughout the Lone Star State pursuing higher education, and Fair Park's museums; and help improve State Fair operations. A successful 24-day run for the Fair means more support for Fair Park and the surrounding community.”

Fair Park Rules

But one very vocal non-supporter of the fair this year was the state's Attorney General. A shooting incident during the highest attended Saturday of the 2023 fair  injured three patrons, caused a fairgoer stampede before the police evacuated the event and searched the 277-acre site and eventually arrested othe shooter.  The 2023 State Fair of Texas allowed licensed gun owners to bring firearms onto the ground, in keeping with Texas law, which was changed in 2021 to no longer require a separate license  to openly carry a handgun  in a "shoulder or belt holster."

By all accounts, the 2023 shooter legally owned the gun which he used to fire into a crowd. The 2024 State Fair of Texas instituted a far more restrictive complete firearm ban – a common practice at state fairs as well as other large-scale events across the U.S.—but one the Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said violated Texas laws.

At the core of the case was the issue was of who has ultimate policy making power over an event – its organizers or the property. The legal case boiled down to is whether the fair is co-operated by both the fair and the city, which would mean that guns should be allowed, or if it is a wholly autonomous nonprofit event.
The State Fair of Texas is held at Fair Park, one of the most iconic and versatile fairgrounds in the U.S. The property is owned by the city of Dallas, and Paxton claimed the city was violating state law by allowing the fair to ban firearms. “Municipalities cannot nullify state law nor can they avoid accountability by contracting official functions to nominally third parties,” said Paxton in a statement. “Neither the City of Dallas nor the State Fair of Texas can infringe on Texans' right to self-defense.”

Paxton's action was also supported by 71 Texas State legislators, who signed a petition stating that a firearm ban makes the fair “less safe” because, “Gun free zones are magnets for crime because they present less of a threat to those who seek to do evil.”

No Guns, Safer Fair

Eight days before the fair opened, following a two hour hearing, a district judge ruled against Paxton's injunction finding that prohibiting guns didn't violate state laws, thus allowing the fair to implement security policies it sees fit.  Attorneys for the fair stated there is “no overlapping leadership structure”  between the fair and the city of Dallas, that none of its 20-person board of directors are “government employees, government officials, or government appointees” and is financially independent, receiving no tax dollars from the “City to host the Fair.”

Paxton and his supporters have vowed to fight on in both the courts and legislature to force the fair to allow armed fairgoers into the annual celebration of everything Texas. He's vowed to continue the fight to allow guns at the state fair. "This case is not over. I will continue to fight this on the merits to uphold Texans' ability to defend themselves, which is protected by State law,” he said.

"There was a shooting last year, and we decided that ultimately it was in the best interest for the safety of our fairgoers, vendors and staff to prohibit firearms," Mitchell Glieber President, State Fair of Texas, after the ruling in the fair's favor. We're just ready to turn our attention to the State Fair of Texas," Glieber said. "Eight days away from opening, we're ready to go in, hoping that we can keep our folks as safe as humanly possible. That's the goal."
The State Fair of Texas is one of the largest annual events in the world, creating an estimated economic impact of $680 million to Texas. According to Jaime Navarro, chief operating officer for the State Fair of Texas, in the wake of last year's shooting, increased security was the top agenda item, which in addition to the ban, included new scanning equipment, CEIA Opengate metal detectors, a redesigned layout consolidating entry gates, a new high-tech command center to monitor Fair Park 24/7 and more than 2,400 security staff members, including 100 retired officers.  

“The State Fair of Texas engages leading security experts in the industry,” said Navarro. “We are constantly evaluating our security plan with the Dallas Police Department (DPD) and the Fair's other security partners to adopt the most up-to-date recommended security practices for special events of our size and regularly implement additional measures to increase our effectiveness  We are proud to create a family-friendly environment where visitors of all ages can come together to celebrate all things Texan at the Most Texan Place on Earth.”

Navarro noted the importance of safety at the fair, pointing out banning firearms is now considered a best-practice throughout the industry: “The safety of our fairgoers, employees, and vendors remains the Fair's number one priority. We are committed to providing a safe and welcoming experience for every single person who attends our annual celebration of Texas, Comparable policies are in place industry-wide, and the State Fair of Texas believes these policy additions will further enhance our existing safety and security protocols.”

Warm & Sunny

Banning firearms certainly didn't quell turnout. In fact, the perception the fair addressed the violence of the 2023 fair likely eased the anxiety of many attendees. In addition to surpassing  2023 by a couple of percentage points, the fair had three high attendance near-record days: Saturday, October 12: 212,003; Monday, October 14: 143,103; Thursday, October 17: 139,472.

The fair was also completely dry. “For the first time in several years, we had no rain during the Fair,” said Condoianis “The average high temperature over the 24-day event was almost 87 degrees, about 3 degrees higher than the 2023 Fair and the highest average temperature since we started tracking attendance in 2016, with 11 days of our 24-day event exceeding 90 degrees. The Dallas Morning News also noted that October 2024 was the warmest on record since at least 1898.”
Were they spending in keeping with last year? The fair had not yet fully completed financial audits as of press time, but the attitude among attendees was upbeat and enthusiastic. “During the annual 24-day exposition, the Fair's 277 acres are filled with an indescribable electric and vibrant atmosphere unlike any other,” said Condoianis.  “Everywhere you look, fairgoers are experiencing their own sense of enjoyment, whether that be through food, rides, games, shows, music, livestock, or creative arts, we pride ourselves on having something for everyone,. We find the attitude of our fairgoers was on par with trends seen in 2023, as we consistently aim to ensure an unforgettable experience for all fairgoers.”

Most Texan

Not surprisingly, with one of the most iconic mascots in the industry – Big Tex, a 55-foot tall Cowboy welcoming folks at the admission gates – the fair again leaned into state-pride with its 2024 marketing campaign, repeated the "Celebrate with us at the Most Texan Place on Earth" theme from last year, thus reinforcing the “Most Texan” aspect in its branding.

But according to Condoianis, state pride was augmented by highlighting the scope of the event as well as by strengthening ties with more demographics. “  The title of our yearly commemorative art also plays a large part in our marketing language and this year's art played off the fact that the Fair is open for 24 days during the fall,” said Condoianis  “So in addition to marketing ourselves as the Most Texan Place on Earth, this year we encouraged all guests to experience their own unique "24 Days of Fun.” We also enhanced our Hispanic Heritage Month celebration with the new tagline "Viva la Feria."

The fair's 2024 advertising budget was approximately $1.3 million, about the same as 2023. The marketing mix for this year was: Integrated Print – 22 percent; Broadcast – 20 percent; Radio – 20 percent; Internal Communication Channels – 10 percent; Paid Social Media – 12 percent; Direct Mail & Direct-To-Home – 8 percent; Outdoor – 8 percent.

“This year dollars were shifted out of some traditional broadcast to support paid social media, however through trade and paid placement, more targeted promotional campaigns that included sponsors recognition were initiated through enhanced radio spots built in house,” Condoianis explained. “We also continued to be more mindful in targeting in our direct mail campaigns and experimented with additional ways to get sponsor recognition and ticket promotions on collateral that previously was mainly focused on experience and fair information. “

The fair also reenergized its social media presence with more video and direct engagement. “In 2024, our social media strategy emphasized video content and real-time event coverage,” said Condoianis. “By featuring unique events and spotlighting an attraction each day, we emphasized that every day at the State Fair offers something new, encouraging people to plan their visit ahead of time and entice repeat visits. Focus was also placed on connecting directly with fairgoers by creating content from their perspective, capitalizing on video trends, and utilizing relatable, shareable memes that allowed fairgoers to engage in a shared experience.”
She added, “For paid social campaigns, we honed in on audience demographics that mirrored our current attendee demographics and expanded outreach to specific geographical areas and zip codes that exhibited growth potential.”

The State Fair of Texas operates an independent Midway, featuring 73 total rides, one less than 2023. Revenue was down only 3 percent off the 2023 figures, with the top grossing rides: The Texas Star Ferris Wheel (Tom and Mary Talley); The Texas Skyway- (State Fair of Texas- Mike Demas);  The Love Bug- (State Fair of Texas – Maurice Haworth.)


A total of 91 food and beverage concessionaires  were featured at the State Fair of Texas this year. The annual Big Tex Choice Awards – the fair's new fair cuisine promotion – recognized such innovate reimaginings as Dominican Fritura Dog; The Drowning Taquitos; Hippie Chips; Hot Chick-in-Pancake Poppers; Nevins Nutty Bar-laska; Rousso's Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick;  and Texas Sugar Rush Pickles.  



“Some of the biggest-selling food items in 2024 were approximately 100,000 pieces of Rousso's Cotton Candy Bacon on a Stick from Magnolia Beer Garden.  Holy Biscuit, and Who Dat Daiquiri were enjoyed throughout the run of the Fair, and more than 60,000 individual taquitos were hand rolled and sold in 24 days at Tony's Taco Shop — home of the Big Tex Choice Awards Finalist, The Drowning Taquitos,” said Condoianis.

Reimagining fair food  was part and parcel of the fair's 2024 balancing act of reinventing traditions for new generations. “Though there have been many changes since the State Fair of Texas began in 1886, we feel confident in our ability to stay true to beloved and time-honored traditions while also acknowledging the need to add new elements and attractions to our annual exposition,” said Condoianis. “ One of our organization's core values is Stewardship of the Tradition, acknowledging the preservation of those traditions while also investing in and embracing our future. Through our long history, we've made great strides to be where we are today as an organization, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to maintain and enhance our appeal to fairgoers.”