The Maricopa County Fair Comes to Phoenix

The Maricopa County Fair returns to the Arizona Exposition and State Fairgrounds in Phoenix from April 5 to April 7, 2024 and from April 11 to April 14.

The 2024 Maricopa County Fair Schedule

Here are the dates and hours for the fair:

• Friday, April 5th: 11 am to midnight
• Saturday, April 6th: 11 am to midnight
• Sunday, April 7th: 11 am to 11 pm
• Monday, April 8th: CLOSED
• Tuesday, April 9th: CLOSED
• Wednesday, April 10th: CLOSED
• Thursday, April 11th: 11 am to 10 pm
• Friday, April 12th: 10 am to midnight
• Saturday, April 13th: 11 am to midnight
• Sunday, April 14th: 11 am to 11 pm

What to See and Do

The Maricopa County Fair offers the full spectrum of things to do, see, and experience at the largest county fair in Arizona state. 

Everything you expect will be there: livestock, art and craft exhibits, musical entertainment, carnival rides, vendor exhibits, and more. Below are a few examples of what’s in store for you and the family.

Entertainment Events

Your admission ticket gives you free access to all of the scheduled entertainment events. Your challenge will be which fun activities to choose from.

The county fair includes three entertainment stages—the Main Stage, County Fair Stage, and Community Stage—and all three will be active with musical, dance, martial arts, magic, games, and many other kinds of performances.

Apart from the stage events, at the Sanderson Ford Arena, the fair also has more events including monster truck shows, MotoCross races, and demo cross practice events.

Carnival Rides

The Maricopa County Fair will feature 31 carnival rides and other amusements, ranging from the toddler-friendly like the Rio Train and the Tommy Kangaroo rides up to more daring diversions for older kids and adults like the Super Shot Drop, the Vertigo, and the Turbo Speed.

Auctions

The fair includes three auction events at the Ag Center on three days:

• A mechanic’s silent auction on Wednesday, April 10 at 3:00 pm
• A small stock auction on Friday, April 12 at 7:00 pm
• A large livestock auction on Saturday, April 13 at 3:00 pm

Admission and Parking

The fair offers two kinds of tickets: fair-only admission tickets—which include a raffle ticket—and admission tickets that include unlimited access to the carnival rides. You can find out more about what each admission includes and buy tickets, here.

Parking is available at the fairgrounds for a $12 parking fee.

Ways to Save on Admission Prices

Fairgoers will have multiple chances to save on ticket costs at the gate. Here are some of the specific opportunities:

• “Free ’til 3pm” admissions: On Friday, April 5, and again on Thursday, April 11 and Friday, April 12, admission is free for everyone from opening until 3pm.
• Free Seniors Day: On Friday, April 12, fairgoers aged 55 and older can go to the fair for free all day.
• Canned food drive: On Thursday, April 11, anyone who brings five cans of food or other non-perishable food items gets free admission. There is no limit to how many free admissions can be received this way.
• For children, the fair offers three ways to receive free admission: kids seven and under always receive free admission; free admission is also available for school field trips on Friday, April 12. The third way children can get in free and get four free rides is by participating in the Read to Ride program.

How to Get There

The Arizona Exposition & State Fairgrounds are located at the following address:

1826 W. McDowell Road, Phoenix, AZ 85007.