{"id":141015,"date":"2026-02-02T19:44:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/141015\/"},"modified":"2026-02-02T19:44:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T19:44:11","slug":"florida-state-fair-kicks-off-this-week-with-wild-rides-new-foods-and-america250","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/141015\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida State Fair kicks off this week with wild rides, new foods, and America250"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

The Florida State Fair is an annual tradition where we collectively agree to suspend the laws of physics, biology, and basic self-preservation for twelve glorious days. It\u2019s taking place from February 5th through February 16th, at the Florida State Fairgrounds (4800 US-301). <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s theme is \u201cAmerica\u2019s Sunniest Celebration,\u201d and the headline for 2026 is America250, as the fair is leaning into the nation\u2019s 250th anniversary with a literal hologram show and a butter sculpture titled \u201cSunny\u2019s America250 Road Trip.\u201d Yes, a 250th-anniversary celebration made entirely of refrigerated cow fat. If that isn\u2019t the most American thing you\u2019ve ever heard, I don\u2019t know what is. See below for dates, times, and all the new food items to try.<\/p>\n

\"America\"AmericaPhoto via Wade Shows Inc<\/p>\n

The major logistics<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s the when. Entry gates are open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday through Sunday plus President\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n

Tickets are pretty reasonable for something that can occupy an entire day. One-day admission is $11.75 for adults (12+), $7.50 for kids (6\u201311), and children 5 and under are free. Seniors (55+) can snag weekday admission for $9.75 on select Monday to Friday dates during the fair.<\/p>\n

Parking is its own mini game. The fair lists advance parking at $8 (through Feb. 4), online parking during the fair at $10, and onsite parking at $15. Yes, your wallet will feel it, but that\u2019s still cheaper than the emotional cost of circling for 20 minutes while your passengers start bargaining with God.<\/p>\n

Now, what do you do once inside? A lot. The fair promises more than 90 rides on the midway plus a rotating slate of entertainment and exhibits, including big \u201cmust-see\u201d attractions like the Spirit in the Sky Drone Spectacular<\/a> and the America 250 Wheel. <\/p>\n

\"Sushi\"Sushi<\/p>\n

\"Deep\"Deep<\/p>\n

\"Reese's\"Reese's<\/p>\n

Photos via Florida State Fair<\/p>\n

A culinary journey into the heart of madness<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s be honest: we aren\u2019t here for the holographic history lessons. We are here for the food\u2014culinary creations that look like they were designed by a six-year-old who just won a \u201cchoose your own adventure\u201d contest at a sugar factory.<\/p>\n

Behold the 2026 food lineup, which includes:<\/p>\n

The Reese\u2019s Pieces Donut Burger: An Angus beef patty topped with bacon, cheese, Nutella, chocolate peanut butter, vanilla icing, and Reese\u2019s Pieces, all served on a donut. It\u2019s basically a legal document declaring war on your pancreas.<\/p>\n

The Deep-Fried Cuban Burrito: Because apparently, the only way to improve a classic Tampa Cuban is to wrap it in a tortilla and subject it to a boiling vat of oil.<\/p>\n

Dubai Chocolate Funnel Cake: Topped with pistachio cream and crispy kataifi, proving that even fair food can have a midlife crisis and try to act sophisticated.<\/p>\n

The Sushi Corn Dog: A corn dog sliced like sushi and topped with jalape\u00f1os. It\u2019s a fusion dish that precisely no one asked for, yet everyone will inevitably buy.<\/p>\n

Beyond the deep-fried fever dreams, you\u2019ve got the Mooternity Ward (where you can watch a cow give birth) and the Cracker Country living history museum, for those who want to remember a time before we invented the \u201cAmerica\u2019s Birthday Cake Iced Tea\u201d (which, yes, comes topped with an actual cupcake).<\/p>\n

So, head to the fairgrounds this February. Bring your family, bring your sense of wonder, and for the love of everything holy, bring some antacids.<\/p>\n

For more information, check out their website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A\"APhoto via Florida State Fair\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Florida State Fair is an annual tradition where we collectively agree to suspend the laws of physics,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":141016,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":{"0":"post-141015","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-tampa","9":"tag-tampa-headlines","10":"tag-tampa-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141015"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141015\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/141016"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}