The Cheapest Days To Visit the Florida State Fair

Author Geno

February 8th 8:06 AM

The 2024 Florida State Fair is up and running until February 19 at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa. Tickets this year cost $16 for adults and $11 for the little ones. Seniors also get in for $11. Looking to save a few bucks? There are several deals on admission, rides and food to help you pick the day you want to visit.

Gotta start off with the bad news. Retailers like Wawa were selling advance discounted tickets. But as I said… were. Now that the Fair is here, that deal has since expired. However, there are 4 other ways to save a little money at the Florida State Fair. Here are the cheapest days to plan a visit.

Visit on a Weekday

The easiest, and probably smartest, way to save money is to just simply avoid visiting on the weekend. Admission for adults Monday through Thursday drops from $16 to $12. For kids, the price drop is from $11 to $6. Not only do you save some money, but you’ll avoid those big crowds the Florida State Fair sees on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Take advantage of the savings and the shorter lines for food and rides.

Go Thursday, February 15

This is the best day for deal seekers by far. $3 Thursday means $3 admission, $3 select rides and $3 food items… after 3pm. Not all rides and menu items will have the discount, but as long as you wander in after 3pm, you’ll find a lot of the good stuff on sale.

Heroes Day

If you’re in law enforcement, a first responder or have served in the military, you get in to the Florida State Fair for free on opening day (February 8, 2024). Just be sure to bring some form of identification to get in quickly.

Bringing a bunch of kids?

Mark February 19 on your calendar if you’re bringing a crew under 17. On closing day of the Florida State Fair, anyone 17 or younger gets in free until 6pm. They do need to be accompanied by an adult 21 years old or over who paid admission though. That brings up another point. For all 12 days of the Florida State Fair, after 6pm anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a paying parent or guardian.

A Pop Rocks Pickle and 4 Other Strange 2024 Florida State Fair Foods

• Cheddar Pickle Crunch Pizza

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  Pickles on a pizza isn't new. It has definitely gained in popularity since it went viral a few years ago. I tried it in studio once and was surprised how good it was. To be honest I haven't tried it again since, but it's not as bad as it sounds! Pizza Emporium has decided to up the weird by using a cheddar ranch drizzle and Goldfish Crackers! People have debated toppings like anchovies and pineapple on pizza for years. But I don't think anyone ever thought of Goldfish Crackers until now.

• Apple Fries with a Twist

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  I am down to try an apple dessert anytime anywhere. I can't believe I've still yet to have apple fries. I first read about them at Legoland years ago. Maybe this will be my year. These though have a definite unique twist as they're adding bacon, Ghirardelli caramel and peanut butter powder on top. If that's enough, you're done. But you can also add ice cream.

• Honey Bunny Curd Burger

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  The doughnut burger has been done. So Shockley's Food Service decided to up the ante by using two honey buns to cradle their burger with a melted blanket of cheese curds.
• Temperamental Hog Funnel Cake

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  "Mama Jane" Harris from The Best Around has been seen on the TV show Carnival Eats countless times. Her Funnel Bacon on a Stick is legendary at the Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City. But for the Florida State Fair this year, she created a new savory funnel cake with pulled pork on a funnel cake with cornmeal and a BBQ seasoning rub to give it some crunch. You can opt for one of 3 temperatures... happy (sweet), angry (hot) or furious (super hot). Top it with cream cheese! I had Mama Jane on my podcast "Geno Ate Tampa" to talk about her new creations for both the Florida State Fair and this year's Strawberry Festival. Check it out on Apple Podcasts.

• Pop Rock Pickle

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  This is probably the Florida State Fair Food that's turning the most heads. Shockley's Food Service is actually giving you 3 choices. You can get your chocolate-dipped kosher dill pickle wrapped in Pop Rocks like you see on the right. Or they're serving them up like you see on the left with Flaming Hot Cheetos. That one in the middle? Those are Fruity Pebbles! Odd. Very odd.

• Pickle Ranch Loaded French Fries

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  Apparently pickles are all the rage this year huh? Chester's is known for their gator bites, but this year you can pair 'em with a side of fries topped with cheddar, bacon and a pickle ranch sauce.
• Oreo Cookie Cinnamon Bun

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  OK this is the one you saw me mention earlier. This one will be a must-try for me. Introducing Oreos to a cinnamon bun is pure genius. Way to go to the Cinnamon Saloon for dreaming up this one.

• Jalapeño Lemonade

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  An interesting twist for lemonade. Give it a spicy kick with a hint of jalapeno. This one is done by Coastal Concessions.

• Strawberry Shortcake Kebab

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  This one sounds like it's ideal for Plant City. I LOVE the combination of strawberry and lemon in my desserts. DeAnna's Fried Banana Pudding has created these kebabs using mini donuts and a lemon infused honey. You can also have it dipped in chocolate.
• Barbie Funnel Cake

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  Here's the most 2024 creation of all the 2024 Florida State Fair Foods. Barbie is everywhere after last year's movie and Paulette's Food Service is capitalizing with this creation. The Barbie Funnel Cake is topped with all things sweet and sparkly... powdered sugar, pink icing and two kinds of sprinkles.

• Florida Quesadilla

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  I told you there's no escaping alligator foods at the Florida State Fair. Gator nuggets inside a quesadilla with salsa and sour cream sound good? Look for Mexican Grill's truck to try this one.

• BBQ Fried Burrito

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  Low N Slow Catering came up with this one. It's barbecue pulled pork with mac & cheese stuffed into a burrito. And then you guessed it, they deep fry that sucker and toss on some BBQ sauce after. I'm totally down to try this one.
• Lemonade Funnel Cake

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  OK, enough of the weird and strange. Let's look at some other ideas that caught my attention on the menu this year at the Florida State Fair. Craving lemonade but kind of hungry for a funnel cake? Well here ya go. Topscan Funnel Cakes came up with this one.

• Poutine Burger

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  I've been to Montreal many times. Poutine is a cold weather comfort food staple in Canada. I LOVE cheese curds and fries... it's just that I'm not a gravy fan. But if you are, this one from DeAnna's will be right up your alley.

• Spicy Korean Corndog

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  Corndogs are one of the fair foods you see everywhere. But these from Seivers Smokehouse Grill are rolled in crushed spicy hot Cheetos. Cool, or hot, idea.
• Waffle Chicken Sandwich

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  Chicken and waffles is a Florida breakfast staple. The Bean Bar Co steps it up with a pepperjack cheese to give it a spicy kick. Throw in a couple eggs and get some Cuban coffee to go with it.

• Bacon Waffle Cheeseburger

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  Burgers, bacon and waffles? That's a great combo. Macken's Sliders is serving these with a pearl sugar baked into the waffle.

• Banana Cream Pie Nachos

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  This one's got my name all over it. I love banana flavored desserts. This one form Rosie's Nachos has flour tortilla chips with cinnamon sugar, banana pudding, graham cracker crumbs and of course bananas.
• Bang Bang Tacos

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  Seasoned Green came up with this one for vegetarians. It's fried cauliflower, oyster mushroom (or vegan shrimp) tossed in with their Bang Bang sauce. You can get it in a flour or corn tortilla. They top it with an Asian slaw, vegan creama, cilantro, green onions and chili pepper.

• Campfire Dog

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  DeAnna's is mostly known for their Donut Burger. But this hotdog with baked beans and applewood bacon sounds pretty amazing. Looks good too doesn't it?

• Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Iced Tea

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  Tiki Tea is serving up their freshly brewed iced tea that's flavored with tastes you definitely don't associate with iced tea. The drink is topped with 3 chocolate dipped strawberries.

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Author Geno

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