Thoughts of a Granola Girlie . . . 

Year after year, the Colorado State Fair seems to become increasingly pricier, making it all the more tempting for budget-conscious individuals and families to stay away and miss out on the festivities. However, there’s no need to skip the fun and excitement of this beloved tradition simply due to financial concerns. Through the official Colorado State Fair website and its active social media channels, you can easily uncover a wide variety of deals and discounts that are available throughout the event's duration. These savings can include everything from reduced ticket prices to special offers on food and rides, meaning that enjoying the fair doesn’t have to break the bank at all. With these budget-friendly options, you can focus instead on the vibrant excitement and colorful festivities that the fair has to offer, rather than worrying about expenses. Whether you enter from the Prairie Gate, the Beulah Gate, the carnival gate, the livestock gate or any other entrance to the fair, you are guaranteed to have a good time and be included in the discounts offered throughout the fair season. 

Linked below (if still active) is the Colorado State Fair website, with the Deals and Discounts available for the 2026 season!

Deals and discounts at CO State Fair!

When entering into the fair from the Beulah Gate Entrance, once through security one can expect to see to your right a medium sized rodeo arena, the Big R Arena. There are multiple rodeos offered throughout the run of the fair.  However, the only real budget friendly rodeo is the Ranch Rodeo on Wednesday. Wednesday is the Rocky Mountain Steel Mills One Price Wednesday; where individuals can enter the fair itself for $15. Included in the fair admission is the Ranch Rodeo, a FREE concert at the American Furniture Warehouse (Hairball, a glam rock cover band), and a carnival ride wristband. Admission alone would be $15 on a regular day, however, on Wednesday it gets you so much more! If you are going to the fair more for the atmosphere and food, Friday's would probably be the best day for you. Before 5PM on both operating Fridays of the fair, you can get in for $5 and if you're a senior (65+) you would get in for FREE! Also on Fridays, every vendor participates in the "5 til 5 Friday", where every food stand offers a $5 food item until 5PM! On the Colorado Health Coach YouTube Channel there is a video documenting most of the food included in the "$5 til 5PM" at the Colorado State Fair.

Some vendors had frozen lemonade for $5, some had fries, others had nachos, kettle corn, chicken quesadillas, fried Oreos, 5 for $5 chocolate chip cookies at the Chocolate Chip Cookie Company, 32 oz. fountain drink at Vineland Methodist Church Booth, chocolate dipped strawberries, and many more. There was a variety of sweet and savory options at this year's Colorado State Fair.  

The first Sunday of the fair, Military and First Responders receive a discount of $8 OFF admission. There are two KIDS DAYS for the State Fair, both on Monday's where kids get in for FREE (12 & under). On "Two Can Tuesday", admission is FREE with a donation of two canned food items. Thursday is CSU-Pueblo's "Pack the Fair Day", admission is FREE and there are $25 unlimited carnival ride wristbands with a student voucher or coupon. The final Saturday of the fair is the Colorado Lottery Special, where admission is $3 OFF with a non-winning lottery ticket.

By saving money on admission, entertainment and rides; this leaves financial relief for shopping around the fair or simply saving more money for your wallet. There are multiple clothing and merchandise vendors located throughout the fair. Even if you are just there doing window shopping, there is much to see! The Agricultural Palace is a particular place one would want to visit even just to walk through while at the fair. There are two vendors located inside, both offering dip mixes. These vendors do samples with pretzel sticks. I would recommend leaving room in your stomach to sample at least one of these two booths, even if you don't purchase anything. Another vendor inside the Ag Palace was offering samples of chicken feta meatballs, so you never know what you might come across! Plus, for the past two or three years there has been a candy booth with both modern and vintage candy alike. Allowing you to select anything you'd like while approaching the check out stand; with the candy going from modern to vintage the closer you get to the register. The final price is determined by the weight of your candy pile at the end! 

I did notice two relatively "healthier" food vendors at the fair, if that is something you are searching for; offering fruit, smoothies and protein bowls. For the more health conscious fair goer. There are also multiple water fountains located around the fair grounds, plus inside the Ag Palace is a water bottle refill station. I know most people are there for the "traditional" fair foods that many of us know and love. We just need to consume these foods in moderation, while maintaining an overall healthy and active lifestyle. The public is so quick to categorize foods into "good and bad" but it is more complex and nuanced than that. We should be trying to fix our relationship with food, not damaging our bodies and metabolisms while "dieting". Remember to be stay hydrated and drink water on a daily basis, at least half your body weight in ounces to stay properly hydrated! Example, 140 lbs. female should be consuming 70 ounces of water daily.  

So gather your friends and family for a memorable day filled with laughter and joy—those fun experiences are waiting for you, all without the stress of exorbitant ticket prices or financial strain looming over your head. Embrace the joy of the fair, relish the time spent together, and create lasting memories that you and your loved ones will cherish for years to come!

If you did miss out of these fantastic deals and discounts this year, have no fear because there is always next year. So keep an eye out for the announcements of the "Deals and Discounts" for next year's Colorado State Fair!