By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Coming off a strong year, the 2026 Florida State Fair is set to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, with the promise “for red, white and blue surprises around every corner.”
Count among them the Racing Corgis Freedom Dash, living patriotic statutes, the Spirit in the Sky Drone Show (Feb. 5), Star-Spangled Fireworks (Feb. 7), and AmirrorCAN MEN, a show featuring three mirror-suited performers creating “memorable moments that sparkle with patriotic pride.” Add to the mix America’s Birthday Cake Iced Tea and the Star-Spangled Cookie Sundae.
The Florida State Fair offers a wide range of rides, from family-friendly attractions to high-thrill rides, providing entertainment for visitors of all ages.
Last year’s motto, “Let the Funshine,” gave a nod to “Sunny,” the fair’s mascot, established two fairs earlier. This year’s motto, “America’s Sunniest Celebration,” pays tribute to America 2050, with fair dates set to run Feb. 5-16, with advanced purchase ticket discounts available through Feb. 4.
America 250 pays homage to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which mark’s the nation’s founding.
The fair’s Salute to America Day and Military Appreciation (Feb. 16) offers free admission for kids 17 and under accompanied by a paying adult, and free admission for active/retired military with valid military identification. Youth in Ag Day is Saturday, Feb. 14, with free entry for FFA, 4-H and YLPA (Youth Leaders in Production Agriculture) members in official dress or club shirt, or with membership identification.
Heroes Day is Feb. 5, with free admission for law enforcement, first responders, active or retired military and, new this year, medical personnel and teachers. Also new this year, an additional admission ticket at no charge for every guest who enters with a paid admission ticket opening day (Feb. 5). The additional ticket is valid for a single-day entry Feb. 6-16.
In like manner, BOGO Bowl Sunday (Feb. 8) allows also for the same free admission, adding Girl Scouts in uniforms to the list. Also similar, one free ticket with one paid admission, but also one free armband for each armband purchased after 3 p.m., bought on site and used the same day.
Food promotions run rampant at the annual Florida State Fair in Tampa.
For Hillsborough County residents, the state fair is a backyard gem, showcased at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, at 4800 U.S. Highway 301 North.
Established in 1904 in Pensacola, the Florida State Fair in 1977 moved to Tampa, setting midway spending records in 2025, as general attendance reached 397,992 fairgoers. This represented an increase of 17.5 percent from 2024, which suffered in part to the prior year’s inclement weather, according to a Carnival Warehouse report. The fair in 2024, on its closing weekend, closed early Saturday, and delayed opening Sunday, due to heavy rains. Meanwhile, last year’s fair clocked the third-highest Saturday attendance, amounting to 70,061 fairgoers.
Additionally, tickets for the 2025 fair hit a new record, “and we also broke the $5 million mark on the midway for just the third time,” said Cheryl Flood, the fair’s executive director, in a report from Carnival Warehouse, a leading online hub for the amusement industry.
With 200 acres of exhibit space, 90 rides, and roughly 400,000 attendees annually, the Florida State Fair is a love letter to agriculture, hosting more than 1,400 competitive exhibits showcasing crops, livestock and horticulture. It features the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame, Florida Heritage Exhibit and petting zoos and craft workshops for kids, as well as competitions for crafts, art, food and more. The Florida State Fair by some accounts contributes more than $6 million to the local economy through tourism and vendor participation.
Live shows include those featuring cowgirls, circus acts, racing pigs, a tribute to the American daredevil, and motorcyclists performing stunts, defying gravity through friction and centrifugal force, in the “Wall of Death,” a large, vertical, barrel-shaped wooden cylinder.
Animal offerings include camel rides, pony rides and milking demonstrations. Entertainment includes live music from the Dennis Lee Band, The Dweebs, the Mark Dobson One Man Band, Dig a Pony, Binge, Smokey Jones and the $3 Pistols, Southern Express, Frankie Raye, Buffalo Barfield, Rockland Road, and The Bus Stop Band.
New this year is a parking fee, which fair officials say has become necessary in light of rising costs for infrastructure, safety and logistics. Fair officials say discounted parking, purchased in advance, and promo days aim to “keep things affordable.”
Toward that end $5 Freedom Friday is set for Feb. 6, featuring, $5 admission and $5 parking after 5 p.m. Hospitality and Service Industry Day (Feb. 9) likewise offers $5 admission, for service and hospitality staff (with employer ID) and for college students (with college ID).
The Florida State Fair is an annual event in Tampa that features agricultural exhibits, live entertainment, carnival rides, games and a wide variety of food, drawing visitors from across the state.
Also on Feb. 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., exceptional citizens, plus one accompanying guest, qualify for free admission. The perk is designed for guests with lifelong developmental, physical and sensory disabilities. The midway opens at 1 p.m.
Senior Savings Day (Feb. 11) gives 55-plus citizens $5 admission all day, which is an additional discount to the discounted $11 admission seniors receive fair dates Monday through Friday.
Rounding out the discounted days are $3 Thursday (Feb. 12), for admission, plus select rides, games and food items after 3 p.m.; One Great Price Day (Feb. 10), allowing for $25 admission and unlimited rides all day, save for select specialty rides; and Family Day (Feb. 13), which allows attendees 17 years or younger to gain free admission until 5 p.m., if accompanied by an admission-paying parent or guardian, age 21 or older, with valid ID. One parent or guardian can supervise up to four children age 17 or under.
One dollar from every ticket redeemed Feeding Tampa Bay Day (Feb. 8) will be donated to the nonprofit focused on alleviating hunger.
For more on the Florida State Fair, and to check and search for all events and happenings, visit www.floridastatefair.com.