Big Tex in his new uniform and custom Lucchese boots at the State Fair of Texas on Oct. 15, 2026 in Dallas.
Ella Gonzales
egonzales@star-telegram.com
Big Tex waved his final goodbye at the 2026 State Fair of Texas on Sunday. Let’s take a look at how this year’s fair fared.
Around 2.1 million visitors roamed the most Texan place on earth this year over the 24-day stretch, fair officials said in a release.
The busiest day at the fair was Oct. 10 during the annual Red River Rivalry football game between Texas and Oklahoma, when more than 203,000 fans flooded Fair Park. More than 92,000 fans attended the game at the Cotton Bowl.
Big Tex Choice Award finalist Flamin’ Crunch Pizza, of Tommy G’s Catering, used 15,000 bags of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. About 450,000 Fletcher’s Corny Dogs were sold, and about 10,000 watermelons (an acre’s worth) were used for Chamoy Treats’ Candy Watermelon.
Half a million prizes were awarded to midway attendees, equating to an estimated $1.8 million of winnings, or about 90 semi-trucks full of stuffed animals.
The Livestock Birthing Barn celebrated more than 90 animal births of piglets, goats, calves, lambs and chicks.
The State Fair of Texas is a non-profit organization whose proceeds pour back into Texas communities. This year, a record-breaking $2.7 million was raised for students through the Big Tex Youth Livestock Auction. $1.2 million in new college scholarships were awarded to 103 students across the state.
Additionally, more than 110,000 pounds of food were donated to the North Texas Food Bank. And Big Tex Urban Farms donated 22,000 pounds of fresh produce to help feed South Dallas and Fair Park communities.
The State Fair of Texas generated an estimated $600 million in economic activity.
Dates for the 2027 season have not been announced.
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Ella Gonzales is a service journalism reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She is part of a team of local journalists who answer reader questions and write about life in North Texas. Ella mainly writes about local restaurants and where to find good deals around town.