For the first time in its history, the State Fair of Texas will welcome a million or more people into Dallas’ Fair Park during a pandemic.
The fair was canceled in 2020, making this year’s event all that much more anticipated for State Fair president Mitchell Glieber and his staff.
“Every year, we go into the fair trying to make it the safest possible environment for fairgoers. [COVID-19] creates a few more obstacles, but we feel like we’ve got the bases covered,” he says.
The State Fair of Texas spent $75,000 this year buying masks and hand sanitizer and printing signs that say “masks required while indoors.” They have also added a new safety team of 65 people who will act as an “extra set of eyes,” offering assistance to those who need it, Glieber says. They plan to set out 500 hand sanitizer stations.
“We ask that everybody respect the other fairgoers that are here,” Glieber says. “Come out and enjoy yourself, leave the politics at home.”
The State Fair runs Sept. 24 through Oct. 17, 2021. Here’s a look at each protocol, with tips from a public health specialist on how to stay safe.
Bring a mask.
Everyone is asked to bring a mask to Fair Park.
The fair is following Dallas County’s mask rules. Indoors, all fairgoers are required to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. Outdoors, attendees can make their own judgment.
“Masks required indoors should make everyone breathe a little easier, no pun intended, about going to the fair,” says Erin Carlson, associate clinical professor and director of graduate public health programs at UT-Arlington’s College of Nursing and Health Innovation.
She says the fair’s commitment to indoor masking, even when it is not required in Texas, shows a higher level of concern for guests.
When it comes to which mask you wear, Carlson suggests bringing several paper masks. “They’re lighter weight and you won’t feel as hot,” she says. Anytime a mask gets damp from sweat, it doesn’t offer as much protection, she notes. Toss a moist mask and put on a new one.
Anyone riding DART to the fair will be required to wear a mask while on public transportation. In pre-pandemic years, Glieber estimates that 500,000 guests entered the grounds each year from the Fair Park DART station, making it a potentially crowded area where fairgoers might want to don a mask outdoors.
Carlson has a simple rule: “I wear a mask if I cannot be distanced from other people,” she says.
COVID-19 vaccines are available.
Fair execs encourage everyone who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but no one will be required to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative test.
Dallas County Health & Human Services is giving out free Pfizer vaccines during the fair from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. all 24 days of the fair run. Dallas County residents who receive their first or second shot will get an incentive: $20 in food and ride coupons.
Carlson believes the strongest way to keep yourself and others safe is to get vaccinated.
“We could be around a very vulnerable person and have no idea of their level of vulnerability,” she says.
She notes that restaurants in New York City and concerts across the country have required proof of vaccination or a negative test, and that’s a good way to try to curb the spread of COVID-19 in crowds. But, she says, kids ages 11 and under cannot be vaccinated yet — and the State Fair is largely geared toward kids and families.
“We’ve got to wear our masks and get vaccinated to provide optimum protection for the whole community,” she says.
The fair’s 2,000-or-so employees were required to get fully vaccinated. Its independent contractors — the people who work concessions booths and exhibits, for instance — were strongly encouraged to be vaccinated, but the fair will not require proof of vaccination for them.
Avoid crowds.
The State Fair of Texas implemented new prices in 2021 so that admission Monday through Thursday is less expensive than on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“The goal is to drive some of that weekend traffic, where it can get shoulder to shoulder out here — to drive that to weekdays. And to give a financial incentive,” Glieber says.
“In doing so, hopefully it’ll help us spread out the crowd.”
Find other State Fair discounts here.
Some 2.5 million people attended the fair in 2019, but this year, Glieber says “it’s not our goal to break attendance records.”
When it comes to social distancing, the fair doesn’t have 6-foot requirements, but its COVID-19 guidelines tell patrons to spread out when possible.
Fairgoers are asked to stay home if they’re not feeling well, and to get tested if they have come in contact with someone who has COVID-19.
Sanitize commonly-touched areas.
The State Fair will be full of high-touch areas, like door handles going into the Hall of State and handles on Midway rides. Carlson suggests bringing antibacterial wipes.
“Wipe down sticky hands after eating State Fair food, because sticky hands are really good reservoirs for germs,” she says.
“Keep in mind, it’s not only about COVID. It’s flu season, it’s pink eye, it’s strep, it’s stomach bugs.”
Don’t bring a concealed weapon.
Despite a new law that went into effect Sept. 1, 2021, allowing people over 21 to carry a handgun without a license or training, the State Fair of Texas will only allow people with a license to carry a firearm. All handguns must be concealed.
The fair is a private entity, and its gun rules remain the same as they were before Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the new handgun law, a State Fair spokeswoman says.
Additionally, weapons are not allowed where a high school, collegiate or professional sporting event is taking place, and that includes at the football games at the Cotton Bowl during the State Fair of Texas.
Plan to spend $1 per coupon, not 50 cents.
In 2021, all coupons will cost $1. The State Fair of Texas previously charged 50 cents per coupon, and it was one of the last large-scale fairs that hadn’t changed to $1, Glieber says.
The move will cut their paper supply in half, and it will shorten the amount of time concessionaires spend weighing their coupons — which is how the fair determines how much money they took in. Glieber notes that it doesn’t mean items will cost twice as much; it’s just a change in how much each coupon is worth.
The fair will continue to honor old coupons, but there’s an added perk: All 50-cent coupons are now worth $1. Better go digging in the junk drawer to see if you saved any.
“You just doubled your money,” Glieber says. “We thought that would be a nice perk for our fairgoers.”
For more news stories like this, follow Sarah Blaskovich on Twitter at @sblaskovich.
Check out more State Fair of Texas stories:
- 10 ways to get cheap tickets
- 25 new food items
- A deep dive on all 10 Big Tex Choice Awards finalists
- How to get a vaccine at the State Fair of Texas
- Why Big Tex won’t be wearing a mask this year
- 100,000 gumbo balls? How one State Fair food family is preparing for their biggest year yet
- Did you know you can use old coupons at the State Fair of Texas?
