Here is what you need to know about the 2018 Arizona State Fair

PHOENIX — It’s that time of year again: The Arizona State Fair is back in town, which means all the rides, delicious food and music you can handle.

The fair will run from Friday to Oct. 28, 18 days “full of Arizona local talent, community and other fun stuff like food, rides and games,” Brianda Martinez with the fair told KTAR News 92.3 FM. 

If you are one of the 1.4 million people who are expected to attend this year’s event, expect to see “community stages full of local talent,” like singing, dancing and comedy.

“You will probably see your neighbor performing,” she added. “It’s really fun for the whole family to come and experience.”

Here is everything you need to know about the fair:

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Who will perform?

Some of the artists performing at the fair will include Grammy-winning rapper Pitbull, country stars Big & Rich and Casting Crows. All of these concerts are included with admission, but reserved seating can be purchased for an additional cost. All shows will start at 7 p.m, except for Sesame Street Live, which will start at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.

• Oct. 5: Gary Allan

• Oct. 6: The Flaming Lips

• Oct. 10: 38 Special

• Oct. 11: The Wallflowers

• Oct. 12: Baby Bash, MC Magic, Lil Rob, Brown Boy

• Oct. 13: Arizona State Fair Dance Competition

• Oct. 17: Pitbull

• Oct. 18: Anthrax

• Oct. 19: Paulina Rubio

• Oct. 20: Big & Rich

• Oct. 24: Casting Crows

• Oct. 25: Nathaniel Ratliff & The Night Sweats

• Oct. 26: Coolio, Petey Pablo, DJ Quik, Luniz, Ying Yang Twins

• Oct. 27: Sesame Street Live

• Oct. 28: Sesame Street Live

What else will there be to do?

The music is not all that will be present during the weeks-long event: “We always have a special exhibit and this year we have ‘King Tut and his Egyptian Treasures,'” Martinez said.

“What you’ll find here is really extraordinary artifacts from Egypt, especially from King Tut and other world-famous tombs like Ramses, Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and other artifacts from the Islamic Museum of Art.”

Martinez said the exhibit is great for families, children or anyone who loves museums.

In addition, visitors can check out the Tapigami exhibition, where flowers, animals, jewelry and scaled cities all made from Scotch tape by California artist Danny Scheible will be on display, and the Megasaurus attraction, a 50-foot-tall robotic dinosaur.

What will there be to eat?

There will be plenty to eat: Martinez said you will want to come with your wallets full and your stomachs empty.

“Every year our food vendors come up with the craziest ideas,” she said.

Some of the new food items that will be offered, according to ABC15, include:

• Unicorn Cotton Candy: Pink cotton candy with a Unicorn horn lollipop and topped with sprinkles.

• Unicorn Nitro Pop: Nitrogen-infused candy popcorn surrounded by cotton candy and topped with Fruity Pebbles cereal and a lollipop.

• Unicorn Float: Blue raspberry soda topped with whipped cream, sprinkles and cotton candy.

• Orange Dream Float: Orange soda topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, sour orange slice candies, and orange cotton candy.

• Mermaid Float: Blue coconut and lime soda topped with whipped cream, sprinkles, sour candy strips, Life Savers gummy candy, and sour green apple cotton candy.

Where can I park?

Parking in the nearby lots owned by the fair will run you anywhere from $5 at the southwest corner of 19th Avenue and Encanto Boulevard to $10 at 19th Avenue and Monte Vista or Encanto Boulevard between 17th and 19th avenues.

Those who do not want to drive can use the ride-sharing app Lyft. Existing users can get 20 percent off two rides with “AZFAIR18,” while new users can get $5 off four rides with “AZFAIR.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Kathy Cline contributed to this report. 

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