DALLAS — It’s time to indulge in all things fried and partake in some family fun at this year’s State Fair of Texas. But before we even get there, you've got to figure out a plan to get to the front gate.
So what’s the best mode of transportation to get to and from Fair Park?
We vote by train.
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) has released its full schedule to travel to and from Fair Park when the State Fair kicks off:
DART says service changes will begin Monday, Sept. 26.
- Extra Green Line trains will run on a loop between downtown Dallas and Fair Park approximately every 10 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
- Orange Line service will be extended to Parker Road Station on all trips, weekdays and weekends (except for Saturday, October 8).
- Trinity Railway Express (TRE) will operate on all four Sundays during the fair.
Visit DART.org/statefair to view these special DART Rail schedules.
Green Line service
The Fair Park Station is located at Parry Avenue at the entrance of the fairgrounds, and the MLK Jr. Station is located at south of R.B. Cullum Boulevard. These two stations are most convenient to enter Gate 6 and the Cotton Bowl Stadium.
The Green Line will be available about every 10 minutes between downtown Dallas and the Fair Park stations. Click here for details.
How to save with DART
DART says if you would like discounts on your fair admission throughout the week – use the DART GoPass. You can receive $5 off admission Mondays-Fridays, and you can save $7 Saturdays-Sundays. To access it, go to the app and enter the code when purchasing your fair tickets on the State Fair of Texas website.
Using Trinity Railway Express (TRE)
You can ride the TRE from any of the ten stations in Tarrant County to Dallas County to meet up with the DART Green Line in Dallas. You’ll look for trains that say, "Fair Park," "Buckner" or "Lawnview."
Denton County residents
If you’re traveling to the State Fair from Denton County, you can take the A-train from one of five stations and transfer to DART’s Green Line at Trinity Mills.
*Note: The A-train doesn’t operate on Sundays.
Uber/Lyft
The State Fair has a rideshare pick-up/drop-off area located just inside Gate 5, where you’ll meet your driver whenever you leave.
Keep in mind, the estimated price we found doesn't look pretty!
We looked at the cost of an Uber ride from Downtown Dallas to the fairgrounds for the first Saturday morning of the fair. That tab's likely to cost over $30.
The price for advance trip on Lyft wasn't available at the time.
Remember that these ride-sharing apps could raise the pay if you schedule the trip ahead of time. Also, there might be a price surge during the fair.
Driving your own car
But if you want to drive your own vehicle (and battle traffic) we get it! Click here to view the parking map.
Parking will cost you $20 per spot.
If you're looking to avoid traffic, consider going to the fair on a weekday. Attendance data from 2021 shows Wednesdays were the least-crowded days on average.