The Washington State Fair returns to Puyallup Sept. 4–27 for 20 days of iconic experiences you simply can't find anywhere else. For 126 years, the Washington State Fair has brought communities from across the state together to celebrate the arrival of September. It’s where once-a-year traditions meet new memories, and where no two Fair days look exactly alike.
Maybe your perfect Fair day starts with a Fisher Scone and ends under the midway lights. Maybe you’re here for the animals, blue ribbons and giant pumpkins. Maybe you want thrill rides and Fair food with your best friends. Or maybe you’re bringing your kids for their very first Fair.
However you choose to spend it, September days are precious. So why spend one of yours at the Washington State Fair?
We can think of at least 20 reasons.
Twenty Fair days. Twenty ways to Do the Puyallup.
1. Bring the Kids for FREE During BECU Free Kids Weekend
Start the Fair with one of the best family deals of September. BECU Free Kids Weekend returns Sept. 4–7, when all kids ages 18 and under receive FREE Washington State Fair admission, courtesy of BECU.
That's four days to introduce a new generation to the animals, rides, Fair food, free entertainment and traditions you remember from your own childhood or start brand-new traditions together.
And don't forget: Kids ages 5 and under are FREE every day of the Fair.
Make a Weekend of It
Opening Weekend is Labor Day Weekend, and there’s a lot happening Sept. 4–7. Along with BECU Free Kids Weekend, you’ll find special admission offers, FREE entertainment across our stages, Fair attractions and exhibits, plus a Labor Day Dizzy Pass for unlimited rides on Monday, Sept. 7. Stick around Monday night for Reggae Vibrations featuring The Legendary Wailers featuring Julian Junior Marvin, Third World, Inner Circle and The Skatalites.
Whether you’re planning one big Fair day or making the most of the long weekend, check out our Labor Day Weekend Guide to see what’s happening and start building your perfect Fair day.
2. Do Opening Day for FREE - and Do Some Good
Want to kick off Fair season and save your admission money for something delicious?
On Friday, Sept. 4, bring a suggested non-perishable food donation to the KOMO Opening Day Food Drive between 10:30 am and 2:30 pm and receive FREE gate admission for all ages while helping support the Puyallup Food Bank.
Because starting the Fair with a good deed and a little extra Fair food money in your pocket is a pretty great way to Do the Puyallup.
PLUS: If you attend during Opening Weekend, you can receive a coupon to return to the Fair for FREE on any weekday! It's just one of many ways we're celebrating America250. Check out all the details here!
3. Bundle Your Fair Day and Save Up to $65
If you already know your Fair day is going to involve food, rides and games, do your wallet a favor and plan ahead.
Fair Bundles presented by Washington’s Lottery put some of the most popular parts of a Fair day together—and offer some serious savings.
The Ride & Admission Bundle is $59 and includes two admission tickets and one 6-Ride or Game Card, saving $26.
The Fair for 2 Bundle is $99 and includes two admission tickets, $30 in Food Bucks, one 8-Ride or Game Card and two Fisher Scone tickets, saving $38.
Bringing the whole crew? The Fair for 4 Bundle is $149 and includes four admission tickets, $60 in Food Bucks, one 8-Ride or Game Card and four Fisher Scone tickets, saving $65.
Admission? Check. Food? Check. Rides? Check. Scones? Obviously.
Fair day = handled.
4. Find a Full Meal for $12
The only thing better than Fair food? Finding a great deal on it.
Visit Monday–Friday and keep an eye out for the Fair Value Menu, featuring select $12 meals and $8 deals from participating food vendors.
With deals like these, deciding what to order might be the hardest part.
5. Eat the Thing You’ve Been Thinking About Since Last September
You know the one.
The food you only get at the Fair. The first bite that somehow tastes like September, tradition and Doin’ the Puyallup all at once.
Maybe it’s a warm Fisher Scone with raspberry jam. Maybe it’s an onion burger, corn on the cob, a turkey leg, barbecue, a corn dog, cotton candy or an elephant ear. Every Fairgoer seems to have that one food they make a beeline for year after year.
6. Find Something You Didn’t Know You Came For
You can plan your Fair day down to the last scone, but some of the best moments are the ones you never saw coming.
Follow the live music you hear from across the grounds. Wander into an exhibit you’ve never visited. Stop to watch a competition. Talk to a farmer. Try the food everyone walking past seems to be carrying. Take the ride you swore you weren’t going on.
There’s a lot packed into 20 days of the Washington State Fair—and sometimes the best way to Do the Puyallup is to leave a little room in your plans for whatever catches your attention.
7. Watch a Calf Be Born. Yes, Really.
Where else can you ride a roller coaster, eat a scone and witness an actual birth before dinner?
The Cattle Birthing Exhibit returns for its third year, with an anticipated 23 calves being born at the 2026 Washington State Fair.
Stop by to meet the newest arrivals, ask questions and learn from knowledgeable staff about cattle, animal care and the science behind animal husbandry. And if your timing is just right, you might witness one of those incredible arrivals for yourself.
8. Meet the Animals That Make the Fair, the Fair
The cows. The goats. The pigs. The sheep. The horses. And all the people who spend months - and often years - learning how to care for them.
The animal barns are one of the best places to slow down, ask questions and meet the exhibitors who help bring Washington agriculture to life.
Fair Insider Tip: Head to the barns earlier in the day. The animals tend to be more active, crowds can be lighter and exhibitors may have more time to chat.
Come for the fuzzy faces. Stay for the stories behind them.
9. Discover How Washington Grows
Ever wonder where the food on your table actually comes from - or what farming looks like today?
Our Food, Our Farms, Our Washington returns with a fresh focus on the science and technology shaping agriculture across our state.
Get hands-on as you discover the people, products and innovation that keep Washington growing. This year, the exhibit puts even more of our state’s agricultural industries front and center, with timber taking the spotlight as a featured industry and new experiences designed to show agriculture in ways you may not have seen before.
It’s a chance to look beyond what ends up on our tables and discover the farmers, ranchers, producers and technology behind it all.
Generous funding provided by the Washington State Fair Foundation.
10. See What Washington Can Do
There’s something pretty special about seeing what your neighbors have grown, baked, made and created.
Throughout the Fair, Creative Arts, Culinary Arts, Fine Arts and agricultural exhibits showcase hundreds of entries from talented people across Washington. Wander through and you’ll find beautiful quilts, photography and artwork, impressive baked goods and preserves, flowers, crops, creative displays—and yes, some seriously giant produce.
Don’t miss the Grange displays, either. They’re a true State Fair tradition and a celebration of the communities, agriculture and creativity found throughout Washington.
11. Watch Dogs Make the Rest of Us Look Lazy
New this year: K9 Kings Flying Dog Show brings high-flying canine athletes to the Washington State Fair.
Think aerial tricks, impressive athleticism, obedience, audience participation and a whole lot of “HOW DID THAT DOG DO THAT?”
It's fast. It's fun. And it’s another reason to check the daily entertainment schedule before you arrive so you don’t miss a show.
12. Follow the Music
Your Fair admission comes with a whole lot of entertainment built right in.
Throughout the Washington State Fair, FREE entertainment stages bring live music and performances to the grounds every day. Grab some Fair food, pull up a seat and stay for a full set—or follow the sound of something good and see where it takes you.
At the center of it all, Fair Park offers an impressive lineup of tribute bands taking the stage, with even more live entertainment happening throughout the Fair.
The best part? It’s all included with Fair admission.
13. Take a Spin on the Midway
There’s nothing quite like the Washington State Fair midway. The lights, the music, the games and rides stretching across the grounds—it’s one of those sights that instantly makes it feel like Fair time.
Go big on the thrill rides in ThrillVille, challenge your friends to a game along the midway, or hop over to SillyVille, where younger Fairgoers can get in on the fun with rides made just for them.
Want to go all in? Check out Dizzy Pass options for unlimited rides on select days.
Whether it’s the ride you never miss or the one you finally work up the courage to try, make sure the midway is part of your day.
14. Put Your Fair Game Face On
You can’t walk through the midway without hearing it: bells ringing, prizes calling your name and someone in your group saying, “I can totally win that.”
Take your shot at a Fair classic, challenge your friends or family to a little friendly competition and see who gets bragging rights for the rest of the day.
And if you walk away carrying an oversized stuffed animal? Wear that win proudly.
15. Take a Little Piece of the Fair Home
The Fair isn’t just a place to eat, ride and explore—it’s also a pretty great place to shop.
Browse vendors from near and far offering everything from handmade goods and specialty foods to art, accessories, home products and those classic Fair finds you look forward to seeing every September.
Shop exclusive Fair merchandise at The State Fair Supply Co. or sport trendy designs from the Fair's 3rd annual collaboration with Tacoma streetwear brand, eTc Tacoma - all merch can only be purchased at the Fair!
Take your time, talk to the people behind the products and see what catches your eye.
You might just find the thing that comes home with you.
16. Give Your Feet a Break—and Keep Exploring
There’s a lot to see at the Washington State Fair, and the People Mover is a fun way to take it all in while giving your feet a well-earned break.
Hop aboard Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m.–7 p.m., as crowds permit, with stops located throughout the grounds. Sit back, enjoy the ride and take in the sights as you make your way to your next Fair adventure.
Some People Movers are also ADA accessible.
17. Make It a Fair Night Out
There’s something about the Fair after dark.
The midway lights come on, the music gets louder and suddenly your Fair day has turned into a pretty great night out.
Grab dinner and drinks, catch a free show, take a spin on some rides or head up to The 1900 Food Hall & Rooftop Bar for local DJs, food, drinks and a view of the Fair from above. And if live music is your thing, make a night of it with a show from the Columbia Bank Concert Series.
Date night, friends night or just a reason to stay a little later—the Fair hits different after dark.
18. Celebrate the Communities That Make Washington, Washington
The Washington State Fair is about bringing people together—and celebrating the cultures, traditions and communities that make our state special.
Experience Asia Pacific Cultural Center Day, celebrating cultures from across Asia and the Pacific Islands through music, dance and traditional dress; Fiestas Patrias, Washington's largest celebration of the cultures and independence of Mexico and Latin America; and Native American Days, bringing culture and community to the Fair’s Showplace Stage.
Different traditions. Different stories. One Washington State Fair.
19. Come for a Tradition. Start a New One.
For generations, Doin’ the Puyallup has been part of September in Washington. Maybe your family has the same first stop every year, the Fair food you never miss or the photo you take in the same spot.
But traditions have to start somewhere.
Bring someone who's never been. Try something you've always walked past. Find a new favorite food, cheer on a blue-ribbon winner or discover the thing that becomes your reason to come back next September.
Some Fair traditions are generations old. Others start this year.
20. Give Yourself a Full Day to Do the Puyallup
Here’s our final piece of advice: don’t rush it.
Come hungry. Wear comfortable shoes. See the thing you always see—and make time for something you never have. Wander through the barns. Catch a show. Take a ride. Sit down with something delicious. Stay until the midway lights come on.
There’s a lot packed into one day at the Washington State Fair, but your Fair day is exactly that—yours. Fill it with your favorites, follow whatever catches your attention and leave a little room for the unexpected.
So give yourself the day. Do the Puyallup your way.
