DALLAS — Fairgoers who are 17 years old or younger will need to be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or chaperone who is at least 21, after 5 p.m. daily during the State Fair of Texas this year, officials announced Tuesday.
Under the new "minors policy," parents, guardians, or chaperones may accompany no more than six minors 17 years of age and under. The State Fair of Texas will require all accompanying parents, guardians, and chaperones to present a valid ID upon entry starting at 5 p.m. daily. The policy states, however, once inside the fairgrounds, the parent, guardian, or chaperone is not required to remain with the minors. The State Fair of Texas still "encourages that they stay in communication with each other and be aware of their location on the fairgrounds during their visit."
The Fair did not say specifically what prompted the new policy.
Last year, there was a false shooting scare was caused by fairgoers running through the crowd "trying to create chaos." Shortly after the commotion, a spokesperson told WFAA, things were back to normal on the midway and throughout the fairgrounds, with people again lining up for rides and food stalls. Still, due to the incident, the fair closed its daily operations an hour earlier than usual.
In March, the winning design of Big Tex's boots was revealed. The winning design was created by a young woman from Irving, Texas: 23-year-old Jessica Bonilla.
The State Fair of Texas runs from Sept. 29 through Oct. 22 in 2023. For a look at what's new this year in the concession stands, click here for the Big Tex Choice Awards finalists.
More Texas headlines: