{"id":438109,"date":"2026-09-16T21:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T21:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/438109\/"},"modified":"2026-09-16T21:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T21:44:14","slug":"state-fair-of-texas-adds-drone-show-and-more-free-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/438109\/","title":{"rendered":"State Fair of Texas adds drone show and more free events"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spending money at the State Fair of Texas is easy to do, so it’s nice to know that there’s also a long list of free activities for visitors each year, including music, performing artists, educational exhibits, and more.<\/p>\n

A number of new free entertainment options are also on the docket for the 2026 event \u2014 running September 25-October 18 \u2014 including a dazzling new drone show among other highlights, according to a release.<\/p>\n

Stars of the Fair, a three-night drone show on October 2-4, features images of Big Tex and other State Fair icons lighting up the sky. Created by Coppell-based Sky Elements<\/a>, each of the three nights will feature two shows, beginning at approximately 8:15 pm and 9:15 pm.<\/p>\n

Other new entertainment choices include Wacky Chad, who delivers an action\u2011packed, interactive stunt comedy show; daily fountain shows at The Esplanade of State, running every 30 minutes from 1-5 pm; two new exhibitions at the Hall of State; Texas in the Saddle, an innovative and educational horse show; and more.<\/p>\n

\"Drone A drone show will be one of many free entertainment options at the 2026 State Fair of Texas. Photo by Kevin Brown <\/p>\n

Music and more free performances
As previously announced, the State Fair\u2019s live music lineup<\/a> will include nearly 100 artists performing across four stages, with the reimagined Chevrolet Main Stage now located inside Fair Park Coliseum.<\/p>\n

Main Stage headliners will include Clint Black, La Alianza Norte\u00f1a, Bowling for Soup, Paul Wall\u2019s Fall Ball, Kansas, 3OH!3, Gym Class Heroes, and more.<\/p>\n

Other performers include \u201c\u00a1Fiestas de Marionetas!,\u201d in which a small village of more than 85 handmade marionettes come to life to celebrate a fiesta of color, culture, and creativity, and World of Magic, featuring award-winning illusionists and futuristic elements.<\/p>\n

Free fun for the kids
The new children’s area<\/a> called Little Lone Stars Land will feature a variety of kid-friendly entertainers, including Wacky Chad (September 25-October 6), USA Breakdancers (October 7-18), and strongman Mighty Mike.<\/p>\n

And visitors should be on the lookout for State Fair-inspired inflatable characters like Little Big Tex, Amy-Dillo, and Champ, who will entertain guests with their wild antics.<\/p>\n

Other free fair favorites
At night, the Starlight Parade will light up the Fair Park skyline, featuring over-the-top spectacular floats. The parade wanders through the fairgrounds all 24 nights of the event, bringing a colorful assortment of floats, life-size puppets, animated characters in ornate costumes, and more.<\/p>\n

Car lovers can get their fix in two different ways: At the Texas Auto Show, where auto enthusiasts can browse the latest and greatest models, and via Chevrolet’s brand-new take on its Ride & Drive event, which gives qualified drivers the chance to get behind the wheel of the most anticipated vehicles of the year.<\/p>\n

The fan-favorite Pig Races will return to Chevy Park Plaza, with piglets dressed in racing silks running the course four times a day.<\/p>\n

Find these free events and more interactive experiences, photo opportunities, games, product samples, and giveaways offered by State Fair of Texas partners. A full lineup of entertainment options is available at BigTex.com\/Attractions<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Spending money at the State Fair of Texas is easy to do, so it’s nice to know that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":438110,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[244,2007,2038,116,118,117,6592,988,278,368,2509],"class_list":["post-438109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-worth","tag-animals","tag-fairs-festivals","tag-families","tag-fort-worth","tag-fort-worth-headlines","tag-fort-worth-news","tag-free-events","tag-kids","tag-music","tag-state-fair-of-texas","tag-theater"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=438109"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/438109\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/438110"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=438109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=438109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=438109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}