State Fair Opens Friday With Vendors Eager to Greet Visitors Once Again

Food vendors at the Dallas Fair Grounds said they are excited to finally welcome people back Friday for the State Fair of Texas.

For many, it will be an emotional moment to see people come through the gates once again after a hiatus in 2020.

“It draws from all the cultures. This is the one place that is truly a melting pot,” Smokey John’s Bar-B-Que co-owner Juan Reaves said. “You can see a reflection of the whole Metroplex at the fair. Every ethnic group, every age group – it’s a really great view of what Dallas should be.”

It’s the same for iconic Fletcher’s Corny Dogs.

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“We thank everyone for sticking with Fletcher’s for 79 years now,” Amber Fletcher said. “I think coming back to the real deal this year and having the State Fair is definitely a celebration.”

“I really hope that people come into the State Fair this year and they hold on a little bit tighter to their family members and make those memories and give those memories to their friends and their families,” Fletcher said.

NBC 5's Larry Collins reports from Fair Park, where gates opened Friday morning for Opening Day of the State Fair of Texas.

Opening Day Schedule of Events

10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Gates open for the 2021 State Fair of Texas.

Discount opportunity: Bring two plastic jars of unopened peanut butter for $10 general admission, Sept. 24. All donations will proceed to the North Texas Food Bank.

12 p.m. Opening Day Parade
Fair Park
The parade begins near First Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. and wraps through the fairgrounds, by Cotton Bowl Plaza, then in front of Big Tex and the Hall of State, then down Nimitz to end by Chevrolet Park Plaza.

7 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Opening Day Ceremony & 2021 Pride of Texas Award
Hall of State Steps

7:15 p.m. (approx.) Nightly Kroger Starlight Parade
Parade Route throughout fairgrounds, following Opening Ceremony

8 p.m. Nightly Mattress Firm Illumination Sensation
Esplanade

8:30 p.m. Clay Walker Concert
Chevrolet Main Stage
All concerts are included with State Fair admission. Tickets can be purchased and the daily schedule of all attractions, shows, and concerts can be found at BigTex.com.