State Fair of Texas reports 2,020,064 visitors in 2025; committee presses fair on pricing, parking and community reinvestment

Mitchell Gleiber, president of the State Fair of Texas, told the Parks, Trails and Environment Committee on Jan. 6 that the fair drew 2,020,064 visitors in 2025, down roughly 15% from prior years. "We were still very proud to be able to bring over 2,000,000 people to Dallas and to Fair Park," Gleiber said.

The decline, presenters said, reflected several factors. Gleiber listed regional economic pressures and inflation that squeezed discretionary spending; a perception problem around pricing even though admission and parking changes were modest (he noted a $2 admission increase), and misinformation circulating on social media that suggested immigration enforcement would be present at the fair — a concern the presenters said affected Hispanic and Latino attendance. The fair also confronted an unusually hot run of weather during its 24-day run and the Oct. 1 federal government shutdown that coincided with the event.

Carissa Condellanes, senior vice president of public relations, emphasized the fair's community contributions and earned media reach, saying the 2025 event produced large audiences and charitable work, including scholarship support and the Big Tex Urban Farms program. Gleiber and Condellanes said the fair contributed approximately $2.63 million to the city for Fair Park maintenance in 2025 and paid annual rent of about $1.75 million.

Committee members focused much of their questioning on where "excess revenues" go and how the fair's financial returns translate into tangible benefits for the South Dallas and Fair Park communities. "Are there any strings attached to that money?" one council member asked. Gleiber replied that excess revenues are calculated in audited financials, that there are no strings attached, and that the fair coordinates with the city (through the director John Jenkins, he said) to identify projects in Fair Park that the city retains full discretion to implement.

Parking and future Fair Park development drew sustained scrutiny. Council members asked how the fair would make up lost surface parking if a proposed community park is built on a lot currently used for fair parking. Gleiber said the fair supports the community park concept and described plans to redirect event parking to other lots the fair owns and to reroute traffic to alternative gates.

The committee also pressed the fair on pricing and the tradeoff between attendance and gate revenue. Fair staff described a dynamic pricing model: weekday discounts can bring admission as low as $7, full adult tickets reached $27 at full price in 2024/25, and the fair reported an average paid ticket price of $16.65 (excluding complimentary tickets). Presenters said parking was $30 in 2024 and 2025 and acknowledged vendor-controlled food and ride pricing remain a challenge.

The fair framed pricing as a top priority for 2026 and said it will pursue vendor conversations and internal analyses to balance affordability and financial sustainability. The chair commended the fair's operational improvements (including a second-year Coliseum command center, prepaid parking trials and Apple Pay adoption) and thanked presenters for the briefing.

Committee members requested further briefings and follow-up materials — including a clearer accounting of how fair-related revenues have been applied to Fair Park projects and how the city and State Fair coordinate on long-term capital priorities. The fair reminded the committee that planning for the 2026 State Fair (Sept. 25—Oct. 18, 2026) is already underway.