All's Fair At Florida State Fairgrounds Feb. 6-17: Things To Know

TAMPA, FL — More than 500,000 people will head to the Florida State Fairgrounds Feb. 6 to 17 to revel in artery-hardening fried foods and nausea-inducing thrill rides during the annual Florida State Fair.

One of the largest events in the state, the 12-day fair features the country's largest midway, along with stage and roving entertainment, livestock competitions, a circus, animal acts a robust agricultural program and a showcase of the best of everything residents have to offer.

The fair at 4800 U.S. 301 N., Tampa, will open Thursday, Feb. 6, from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., with a plant sale from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., arts and crafts demonstrations from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and free admission for all first responders and active and retired military along with a guest.

Entertainment during the 12-day fair will feature music by the Dennis Lee Band, Antwan Towner, Junnk, Rob Hazen, Bits of Grass, Born Lonesome, Buffalo Barfield, The Southern Express, Dueling Pianos, SFO: Journey Tribute, Right on Key, Free Fallin', Luke Langford Band, Southbound 75, One Man Band, Josh Carroll and the Fresh Fix Band and a Community Stage Showcase featuring local talent that auditioned prior to the fair.

Fair-goers will also enjoy performances and demonstrations by Soar by Natural Encounters, a wild bird show; the Extreme Dogs stunt show; Team Big Air, an acrobatic slam dunk performance; XPogo, a Pogo stick performance team; Funny Little People; Sea Lion Splash; the Daredevil Daze motorcycle thrill show, Hollywood Racing Pigs; Circus Hollywood; and Kids Can Cook, an interactive program that introduces kids to cooking.

Special Events

• Junior Chef Showdown Friday, Feb. 7, at 1 p.m.
• Uka-Palooza, a one-day ukulele festival featuring performances and workshops, Saturday, Feb. 8, from 10 a.m.
• Superdog Eating Contest Saturday, Feb. 8 from 3 to 3:30 p.m.
• Demolition Derby, Saturday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m.
• Baton Twirling Contest, Sunday, Feb. 9, at 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
• Donut-Eating Contest Tuesday, Feb. 11 from 3 to 3:30 p.m.
• Country Gold Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. featuring country music stars Leroy Van Dyke, Linda Davis, The Malpasse Brothers and Steve and Rudy Gatlin.
• Draft Horse Pull Thursday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m.
• Fair Foodie Crawl Thursday, Feb. 13 after 5 p.m. giving fair foodies a chance to explore the best fair foods. Register for $25.
• Chocolate-Eating Contest Friday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m.
• Deep Fried Dash Saturday, Feb. 15, a 5K and fun run through the fairgrounds. Register here.
• A schedule of events is available on the fair's website.

Promotional Days

• Hero's Day Thursday, Feb. 6: All active, reserve and retired military along with first responders, including law enforcement, EMTs, corrections officers and a guest, get in free with a valid ID.
• Family Day Friday, Feb. 7: Hillsborough County students get in free. To enter, students must show a student ticket or student ID at the gate. All students must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 with a government-issued ID after 6 p.m.
• $2 Tuesday Feb. 11: Everyone gets $2 admission, $2 select rides and $2 select sample food items after 2 p.m.
• College Night Feb. 13: College students get in free after 5 p.m. with a valid college or university ID.
• Date Night Deal Friday, Feb. 14: Celebrate Valentine’s Day at the Florida State Fair with $5 admission after 5 p.m.
• Fair Cares for the Hungry Day Sunday, Feb. 17: Donate two or more canned or nonperishable food items from Publix at the gate for Feeding Tampa Bay and receive $5 Florida State Fair admission.
• Student Day Monday, Feb. 17: Students in Pinellas, Pasco, Polk, Hardee, Manatee and surrounding Florida counties get in free to the Florida State Fair. To enter, students must show a student ID or report card at the gate. All students must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 21 with a government-issued ID after 6 p.m.

Rides

With the largest midway in the country, the Florida State Fair will feature 96 rides from Wade Shows Inc. this year for fair-goers of all ages.

Popular rides include the Street Fighter, a whip whirl and twirl gravity-defying thrill ride; Wipeout, an upside-down topsy-turvy ride; and the Midway Sky Eye, North America's tallest traveling Ferris wheel. A full list of rides and height limits is available on the state fair website.

Hours, Tickets, Parking

The fair is open daily from Feb. 6-17. Gates open at 10 a.m. Monday through Thursday (excluding President’s Day) and the midway opens at 1 p.m.

On Friday, Sunday and President's Day (Feb. 17), gates open at 9 a.m. and the midway opens at 1 p.m.

Tickets are $9 for adults, $5 for children age 6 to 11 and $7 for seniors age 55 and older. An armband for single-day use on any day is $30 and a single-day weekday armband is $20. In addition to the fair's website, tickets are available at participating Publix stores.

Parking is free for all fair attendees.

Almost all entertainment, including thrill shows, musical acts, circus shows, educational exhibits, agricultural competitions and tours of Cracker Country are included with the price of admission. Rides, midway games and food items must be purchased separately.

Admission tickets and ride tickets or armbands may be purchased with cash or credit cards. Some vendors at the fair may only accept cash. ATMs will be located throughout the grounds.

Scooter and wheelchairs are available just inside Gates 1-4 on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations are available online or by calling 1-888-441-7575.