2025 Arizona State Fair: Everything you need to know

The Arizona State Fair is here! Here's everything you need to know about the concerts, shows, food, tickets and much more.

BY JEFF VINTON

Sep 19, 2025, 11:47 AM Updated: 11:48 am

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PHOENIX — Get ready for five weeks of concerts, rides, food, games and more as the 141st Arizona State Fair has arrived.

The fair opens Friday at 5 p.m. and will run Thursdays-Sundays until Oct. 26. It is located at the intersection of 19th Avenue, Grand Avenue and McDowell Road.

“It’s good fun,” Arizona State Fair Assistant Director Jen Yee told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News Friday. “You walk around. You share food. It’s a place where you can just get away from it all.”

What are the hours for the Arizona State Fair?

For the first two weekends of the fair, Sept. 19-21 and 25-28, gates will open at 5 p.m.

Once the calendar flips to October, gates will open at noon.

On Thursdays and Sundays, the last fairgoers will be admitted at 9 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, no one will be admitted after 10 p.m.

The fair will close each night when the lights on the Ferris wheel on the southwest corner of the fairgrounds turn off.

What concerts will be at the Arizona State Fair?

The biggest acts performing at this year’s fair will be part of the Coliseum Concert Series at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, and one show is generating a lot of buzz among concertgoers.

“This year, for the first time in as long as I can remember, we sold out a show,” Yee said.

That show will kick off the series on Sept. 27 and will feature The Format, which is comprised of former Fun frontman Nate Ruess and longtime friend Sam Means.

This will be the first time the Deer Valley High School alumni will perform together since 2007. Tickets for the concert sold out in less than 10 days, which Yee said was a record for the fair.

Other acts performing in the Coliseum Concert Series include:

Pop trio AJR on Oct. 3.
Latin pop band Reik on Oct. 10.
Grammy Award-winning metal band Mastodon on Oct. 17.
Country music star Brett Eldredge on Oct. 18.
Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist 2Chainz on Oct. 24.
Veteran hard rock band The Cult on Oct. 25.

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Tickets are still available for every concert other than The Format’s.

Ticket prices for the Coliseum Concert Series vary by show but range from $53 to $110 and include admission to the fair.

There will also be nightly concerts at The Backyard stage near Grandstand Arena. Groups that will be performing there will include Canadian rock ‘n’ roll group The Dreamboats and tribute bands Gotcha Covered and Cassie B’s 90s Remix.

Shows at The Backyard stage are free with fair admission.

What shows will be at the Arizona State Fair?

Several other shows and events will be held at the fair.

A show for the entire family, Cocomelon Sing-a-Long Live, will be held at the coliseum on Oct. 4 and 5 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets for the show cost anywhere from $43 to $79 and include fair admission.

Grandstand Arena, on the west side of the fairgrounds, will host several different shows during the duration of the fair.

Figure 8 races, a dirt-track race where drivers try to avoid other cars while racing on a figure-eight-shaped track, will be held nightly at 7 p.m. for the first two weekends of the fair.

Grandstand Arena will also host the Arizona High School Rodeo Association’s rodeo (Oct. 2), Xtreme Bull Riding (Oct. 4) and the Native American Rodeo (Oct. 10-11).

The venue will end the fair by hosting All Star Monster Trucks for the final two weekends (Oct 17-19 and Oct. 24-26). The high-flying trucks will hit the dirt six times each weekend.

All shows at Grandstand Arena will be free with fair admission.

What food will be available at the Arizona State Fair?

Yee highlighted several of the fair food favorites returning in 2025, including a colossal container of curly fries, deep-fried Oreos, a turkey leg covered in macaroni and cheese, a slice of pumpkin cheesecake with Biscoff crumbles on top and birria baked potatoes.

Foods available at the 2025 Arizona State Fair will include curly fries and a birria baked potato. (KTAR News photo/Kevin Stone)

She added that a brand-new addition to the lineup that fairgoers should be excited about is deep-fried Hawaiian sweet rolls.

“It’s a little aloha spirit as you walk around the fair,” Yee said.

Other stands at the fair will offer snacks like kettle corn, bacon, and crepes, as well as meals such as cheeseburgers, tacos, corndogs, hot chicken, and lobster, according to the state fair’s website.

On Fridays in October, the fair will offer “Food Flight Fridays,” where fairgoers can pre-purchase a pass for $26.75 that will be good for admission to the fair and five vouchers that can be redeemed for tasting portions of foods such as corn dogs, funnel cakes and ice cream. The pass will also come with a souvenir lanyard.

What is September Nights at the Arizona State Fair?

September Nights will be a nightly event at the fair for the first two weekends from Sept. 19 to Sept. 28.

“It’s a little bit of fair under the stars,” Yee said.

There will be special deals and performances during the promotion.

Some of the deals available will include a “Dream Pass,” a package of 10 rides or games and fair admission available for $45, and a coupon book that will have special savings for anyone who attends the fair during the event. The coupon book will also include a ticket for free admission to the fair in October.

There will also be special deals available on food from 10 p.m. to closing during September Nights.

Some of the special performances during September Nights include Wrestling Superstars Live, Shanghai Circus Acrobats, a Japanese drum show and an agriculture show featuring large animals such as longhorns, Watusi cattle and a mammoth jack.

The state fair will also have giveaways for those who get to the fair when gates open at 5 p.m. during September Nights, which include:

Light-up wands and tote bags on Sept. 19.
An Arizona State Parks day pass on Sept. 20.
A Napier Outdoor hat and an Arizona Game and Fish Magazine coupon on Sept. 21.
A Panda Express bowl voucher and tote bag on Sept. 25.
A Texas Roadhouse entree voucher on Sept. 26.
A NYPD Pizza voucher for a 14-inch pizza and a Gorilla energy drink on Sept. 27.
A Capri-Sun drink and a Maricopa County Fair Family Pack on Sept. 28.

What animals will be at the Arizona State Fair?

Along with the animals mentioned above, fairgoers will be able to see many farm animals through this year’s fair.

Each weekend at the Agriculture Center, there will be farm tours, an agriculture display and a petting zoo.

A youth livestock show and a poultry show will be held Oct. 2-5.

A goat show will be held Oct. 9-12, along with a show for rabbits and rodents known as cavies.

A sheep show and a camel show will also be held on the weekend of Oct. 16-19.

How much are tickets to the Arizona State Fair?

Tickets purchased online in advance of the state fair cost $15.43, including fees. Tickets purchased at the fair will cost $17.50. Tickets are required for anyone who is 8 years old or older.

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How much do rides and games cost at the Arizona State Fair?

Rides and games cost extra at the state fair. A package of four tickets will cost $5, a package of $16 tickets will cost $20 and a package of 40 tickets will cost $50.

Wristbands that will allow for unlimited rides, not including the Slingshot, and two free games on Oct. 2, 9, 16 or 23 are currently on sale for $55.

Ticket purchases can be made at the fair or in the RCS FunPass App, which is available for both iPhones and Android phones.