10/14/2026
Friends, N.C. State Fair opens TOMORROW 🎡 Don’t pay full price! Save this post:
🎡 NEW THIS YEAR: THE America 250 Wheel! The world’s largest portable observation wheel is at the fair, make sure to check it out!
💸 Advance tickets: $10 adult / $5 youth (gate is $13 / $7). Buy online through Oct. 15, or skip the 10% online fee by picking them up at a kiosk, Gate 9, or the Farmers Market.
🎟️ Dizzy Pass: $38 for admission + a one-day unlimited ride wristband (online only, through Oct. 15).
🍔 Weekday lunch pass: Free entry 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Pay a $20 cash deposit at Gate 1 or 9, then get it back by 1:30.
🥫 Oct. 22: Bring 6 canned or non-perishable items for free admission.
🎓 Oct. 15: $8 for college students with ID.
👵 Oct. 20: Free for seniors 65+.
🎖️ Oct. 21: Free for military and veterans + 3 guests.
🚗 Parking: Free at the fairgrounds and Carter-Finley Stadium. Take Wade Ave. (I-40 Exit 289) to Edwards Mill Road. Heads up: Lenovo Center parking is paid on Oct. 21. Coming from Durham? There’s a free express bus from Durham Station to Gate 1.
💙 Sensory Day: Sun. Oct. 18, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Rides, vendors, and music go lights-and-music-free, with a quiet “Chill Out Zone” in the Graham Building and noise-cancelling headphones available to borrow.
🥪 Outside food and water are allowed!
🎡 For more info, visit ncstatefair.org for tickets, schedules, deals, and everything happening Oct. 15–25.
What’s the FIRST thing you’re eating at the fair? 🍗🍩 Tell me below!
📌 Save this post so you have it when you go, and share it with someone who’s heading to the fair!