There’s a good reason why up til 2018 we’ve never taken the kids to the county fair: it’s expensive! A family day at the county fair can add up fast. Here’s how to visit the Maricopa County Fair on a budget 3 ways:
- Free
- Cheap
- As expensive as a day at Disneyland. (Yes, really.)
Jameson entered half a dozen projects in the Maricopa County Fair through 4-H. (Did you know 4-H isn’t all about raising pigs? Neither did I until this year!) That was a great experience in itself that I’ll go into another time, but the pertinent information here is that each kid who entered a project in the fair got a free fair ticket.
A free ticket seems nice, BUT: Who will take the kiddo to the fair? Park the car? Buy the food? This “free” ticket tallied up to a big budget-busting bummer in my brain. Our family wanted to go to the fair to see all of Jameson’s projects on display, tagged with her blue ribbons, but we didn’t want to spend a ton of money.
Here’s how we spent a day at the Maricopa County Fair for $41, how you can experience the fair for free—including rides!—and how tricky county fair pricing could make you spend more on a day at the fair than you would spend on a day at Disneyland.
Price info is for the 2018 Maricopa County Fair in Phoenix, but these budget saving tips should work in your hometown too—every fair has similar programs and offers.
Read on to find out which county fair budget fits your family, and how not to be the sucker who spends Disneyland-level dollars on a day at the county fair.
1. How to visit the 2018 Maricopa County Fair for FREE!
Here’s the basic breakdown of a FREE family day at the county fair, followed by the details.
- Free admission: Go to the fair on Thursday. I recommend getting to the fair by 1:30 p.m., and feeding the kids lunch before you get to the fair.
- Free parking: Show the parking attendant your school field trip email and give her the name of your group.
- Free rides: Check in at the main customer service booth at the fair entrance after 2:00 p.m. to get your 4 free tickets per kid (see “Read To Ride” details below).
- Free food and drink? Nope. Pack water and snacks.
Here’s your itinerary for a totally FREE day at the Maricopa County Fair:
- 12:30 p.m. Arrive at the fair with fed kids.
- 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Explore the fair exhibits.
- 2:00 p.m. Get your free ride tickets and use ’em up!
- 3:00 p.m. Head home, and drive through a Culver’s on the way for free frozen custard!
Family travel tip: Get in and get out! Hit the road by 3 p.m. so you don’t get stuck in Phoenix commuter traffic!”
Here are all the details for a free day at the Maricopa County Fair:
Go to the fair on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday during the day. (In 2018, that’s 4/11, 4/12, and 4/13).
- Admission is free for EVERYONE from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (but you have to get there by 2 p.m.)
- Note that the free ride tickets are only available on Student Appreciation Day, which is Thursday.
Register with a school group and get free parking!
- Free parking for everyone in your school group. Parking normally costs $8 before 2 p.m. and $10 after 2 p.m.
- You do not have to arrive at the same time as anyone else in your group!
- Register your kid’s school for a school field trip and invite his class! You just need a ballpark number for how many people will attend.
- The AZ Merit tests often coincide with Maricopa County Fair dates. We’re all for opting out of standardized testing, and we think a visit to the Maricopa County Fair offers a better educational experience than a day of volunteering our kiddos for data mining.
- The school field trip offer works for homeschoolers too. Someone on one of our Phoenix homeschool Meetup groups coordinated this; check your groups to find out if someone else already did the legwork for you.
- Did you miss the county fair field trip deadline for 2018? (It was April 6 in 2018.) Add a calendar note on April 1, 2019 so you remember to register your school for a field trip to the fair.
Get 4 free rides at the Maricopa County Fair with Read To Ride!
- On Thursday afternoon your kids can get 4 free rides if they turn in the Read To Ride form.
- Print out the form, have each kid fill in the last 4 books he read, initial the forms, and take the forms to the fair.
- After 2 p.m. you can turn those forms in at the customer service booth near the fair entrance and get 4 free ride tickets per kid. (Not just 4 tickets, which would only get a kid onto one ride.)
- The Read to Ride program is available for kids Kindergarten through 6th grade. If you have younger or older kids, just divide the ride tickets evenly among all your kiddos—the free ride tickets are loose tickets, not assigned to a particular person.
- Find the Read to Ride form on the Maricopa County Fair website Discounts page.
Free food and drink at the Maricopa County Fair? Nope. But you can get free ice cream!
- You’ll get a coupon for a free single scoop of Culver’s frozen custard for each Read To Ride form you turn in! You can stop at a Culver’s on the way home, or save those vouchers for another fun day out!
Related: All of our Free Things to Do in Phoenix with Kids posts!
- You’ll need to take food and drinks with you to keep your day at the county fair free.
- Luckily, the parking lot is not far away—and you’ll be able to park close to the fair entrance because it’s not busy on Thursday during the day!
- You can go back and forth from your car to get drinks & snacks on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday until 3 p.m. without a ticket, because the fair is free to everybody. If you go to your car after 3 p.m. ask an attendant at the entrance/exit how to make sure you can get back inside the fair.
- Remember to pack lots of water—you’re in Phoenix!
Normal prices: The Maricopa County Fair runs for 5 days every April. Kids up to age 7 always get free admission. Older kids and adults get free admission from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday but note that the carnival rides don’t open on Wednesday until 4 p.m. Admission is $9 per person (ages 8 and up) after 2 p.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday and Sunday. Parking costs $8 before 2 p.m. and $10 after 2 p.m.
Read more FREE things to do in Phoenix with Kids articles:
Hamming It Up at the Heard Museum with Teens & Tweens! FREE Things to do in Phoenix with Kids!
All Culture Pass Attractions on 1 map! Free Things to do in Phoenix with Kids—Culture Pass Tips
Dobbins Lookout: The Phoenix View You Can Drive To! Free things to do with kids in Phoenix!
I’m breaking this into 2 posts. Up next: How we spent just $41 at the Maricopa County Fair, and how you could easily spend more at the fair than it would cost you to spend a day at Disneyland!
