Carnival & Fair News

Celebrating its 140th year, the Arizona State Fair ran September 20th to October 27th and provided a wide range of new attractions and concerts, as well as new carnival rides. 2024's  theme was “Birthday,” notable throughout the fair's logo and marketing.

Wanell Costello, Arizona State Fair manager, relates that “140 years is not a small milestone. We are thrilled to celebrate over a century of traditions and bring the community together for the biggest birthday party in the state.”

Fair admission was priced at $15 for ages 8 and up, kids 7 and under were free. There were also a variety of discounts from Feel Good Fridays supporting St. Mary's Food Bank, during which ten cans of donated food equated to free fair admission.

Veterans, active-duty service members, and up to 4 family members received free admission on Friday, October 11 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., while on October 18, from noon to 6, seniors were celebrated with bingo games and dance hits from a Prince Tribute Band.



The fun events of the fair did get warm this year. With many attractions set on blacktop rather than on a grassy field, the Arizona State Fair is consistently positioned to be higher in temperature than many state fairs. Add to that the sizzling thermometer readings this year, and the fair's frequent placement of water stations throughout the grounds was well founded.

To beat the heat and keep things as cool as possible, there was plenty of air conditioned indoor fun during the day, including everything from arts and craft exhibitions to animals and agriculture. The Great American Petting Zoo showed off a collection of goats, pigs, and even a miniature donkey and zebu; the Shopping Pavilion drew buyers interested in local wares. The Heritage Museum revisited fair milestones for the course of its history, according to Jen Yee, the fair's assistant executive director. Pumpkinferno, another indoor attraction featured glowing, hand-carved faux pumpkins in another air-conditioned hall. the latter was separately ticketed at $8 for adults.

Arizona State Fair marketing director Brianda Martinez noted that this year the fair provided additional port-a-cools and shade at workstations for its vendors, as well as offering ice, water, neck coolers and popsicles. Paramedics and EMTs were on site along with a dedicated fairgrounds first aid station.

Of course, there were also cool treats from ice cream to lemonade; and at the carnival, the Wild River water ride kept things cool.

Speaking of rides, Ray Cammack Shows was the ride purveyor. There were more than 60 rides with popular attractions including three different Ferris Wheels. RCS debuted it's brand-new roller coaster, the Heidi Coaster, recently imported from Germany. Also new this year, per Martinez, were Overdrive, and Enchanted Castle. Thrill seekers could jump on Joker 360, Raptor Coaster or Sling Shot, while kids could enjoy teacups, tug boats, monster trucks, the merry-go-round and more.


On Thursdays, ride wristbands were available on site from 12 to 6 p.m. for $50, and usable until 8 p.m. A ride fast pass, available in limited quantities was also available for $30.

Games were plentiful on the midway, too, including old-fashioned fan favorites such as ring toss and bottled up, according to Chris Lopez, vice president of Ray Cammack Shows, who adds, “We've got all the classics.” Balloon darts and water races remained popular, too.

Just as thrilling as the rides and the possibility of winning a big midway prize was the Coliseum Concert Series, with national acts including All-American Rejects, I Love the 90s Tour featuring Vanilla Ice, Rob Base, and Montell Jordan, and teen sensations Big Time Rush. Prices for the concerts started at $25 for reserved seating and included fair admission. There were also a number of free tribute bands paying homage to big acts including Bee Gee Gold to Black Eyed Tease and Bruno Mars, performing daily at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. in the Backyard.

Guests could also enjoy exciting Grandstand Series events such as Figure 8 Races, All Star Monster Trucks, Xtreme Bulls, and Quarter Midget Racing. The Native American Rodeo was also a big draw with events such as bareback riding.



There were new food items too, including funnel cake on a stick, chicken and waffles on a stick and cheese corn dogs. Also new: Mac and Cheese from Maggs Mac Shack; Greek Gyros from a new stand, Apollo Greek; a lobster baked potato from the Lobster Shack; Spam fries, a fried green tomato burger, Southwest Chicken egg rolls, and a Birria Birthday box featuring a variety of birria filled foods. There were new sweet treats too, including Banana Pudding from Famous Pudn and Chamoy Apple Slices from the Candyland booth.

Martinez noted new additions such as “the cotton candy cake, which is a multi-layered cake made entirely of fluffy cotton candy,” and “the pickle split, which is a sour twist on the classic banana split.” Other notable items included candied pineapple and watermelon; Hot Cheeto Fries, Cheeto Pickle Pizza, and Oysters on a Stick, as well as tacos and tortas, and giant turkey legs.



There were food discounts, too: also held every Friday except opening day, from noon to 5 p.m., $3 food items were available from many vendors.

Promotion for the fair was robust and began early in 2024. Along with conventional advertising, social media was big across the board, with the fair offering special flash sales of discounted ticket prices. New park ‘n' ride shuttle options were also touted, helping to alleviate traffic and save on the $15 parking fees. Shuttle ride site parking was free with the shuttle itself priced at $2.

All in all, fairgoers beat the heat and enjoyed the large selection of rides, foods, and fun at the fair. While attendance numbers were not in at press time, in 2023, some 1.4 million people attended the event. It's the state's largest event, and despite the heat, numbers were predicted to be over one million this year as well.