State Fair of Texas 2026: Dallas’s New Food Lineup

Every September, Fair Park turns into the closest thing Texas has to a culinary proving ground, and the State Fair of Texas has just shown its hand for 2026. Dozens of new dishes, four new vendors, and four reworked concepts join the fairgrounds this fall, alongside the annual parade of Big Tex Choice Awards semi-finalists competing for a title that means more to a concessionaire’s bottom line than most Fairgoers realize.

The Fair opens Friday, September 25, and runs through Sunday, October 18, its 24-day run themed “Stars, Stripes, and Howdies.” Scooter’s Coffee sponsors this year’s new foods program, and a full map of where to find everything is posted at BigTex.com/NewFoods. What follows is a tour of the additions most worth planning a route around.

Four New Vendors Join the Fairgrounds

Sijie Lu brings HGG Tanghulu to the Tower Building, threading strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, and green grapes onto skewers and setting them under a thin, crackling sugar shell, the same street snack that has spent the past few years going viral out of northern China. A few aisles over, Lindsey and Justin Guest open Naan Better on Grand Avenue with an Indian-inspired menu built around Fried Butter Chicken, potstickers fried and tossed in a tomato-based butter chicken sauce and served over basmati rice.

Tanya Rose, drawing on her Pennsylvanian and Polish background, opens Pierogizilla on the Funway with fried pierogies topped in flavors running from masala barbecue to street corn to Texas-smoked brisket, most of them under 10 coupons. And Shavonne Gay, a graduate of the Fair’s Big Tex Business Masterclass program, opens Thee Kitchen Beast on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard with tempura-battered vegetables, including a fried broccoli finished in honey garlic sauce, a rare vegetable-forward entry on a Midway built around fried everything else.

New Concepts From Familiar Names

Kelly Villarreal, now in her second year at the Fair, rebrands her stand as Chamoy Treats on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, anchored by a Candy Watermelon wrapped in six feet of Fruit by the Foot, doused in sour chamoy, and dusted with Tajín. Nearby, Tom Grace introduces Howdy’s Value Menu near the Children’s Aquarium on First Avenue, offering smaller portions of Fair staples, pickle pizza, funnel cakes, hand-shaken lemonade, all at 6 or 8 coupons, with a front-row seat to the nightly Starlight Parade.

Isaac Rousso revives the historic Old Mill Inn on Grand Avenue as The Old Mill and Rousso’s Wine Garden, adding a new ZiegenBock Stage for local performers near Big Tex Circle. And Tracy Scudday turns her stand into Tracy’s Long Fries on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, a Texas take on the viral Asian street-food format built around fresh-cut, foot-long fries.

The 2026 Big Tex Choice Awards Semi-Finalists

Michelle Edwards of J3M2 Services enters two dishes at Highland Park Soda Fountain in the Tower Building: All Shook Up, a banana pudding and peanut butter milkshake topped with a peanut butter cookie, bacon, caramel, and a cherry, and the Love Me Jam Sandwich, grilled Texas toast layered with peanut butter, homemade banana jam, bacon, and crushed potato chips. Glen and Sherri Kusak enter a Fried Gobbler Roll, an egg roll stuffed with chopped turkey leg, fire-roasted corn, and cream cheese, sold across three Fair locations. Brandon Coston’s Dirty Dr Pepper Do-Si-Do Float, a coconut and Dr Pepper float finished with Dr Pepper Dippin’ Dots, competes at the Dippin’ Dots stand on the Funway, and Cody and Lauren Hays enter a Deep Fried Thai Tea Tres Leches Cake at Fusion BBQ & Wings.

Brent and Juan Reaves of Smokey John’s enter Twinkle Twinkle Brisket Star, hollowed Twinkies filled with smoked brisket, bacon, jalapeño, and cream cheese, then battered and fried. Terrance Smith of Smith Spot BBQ enters The Niece, a grilled cheese brisket sandwich built on French toast with bacon, scallions, and bourbon sauce, and Palmer Fortune enters Triple Chocolate Flautas, fudgy brownie and melted chocolate chips fried inside corn tortillas. The semi-finalist class runs deeper still, including a Nutty Bar from Nevins Concessions, a Limonata Fresca Float from Fiesta Enterprises, Loaded Lone Star Rings from Winter Family Concessions, and a Midnight Ruby Rush refresher from Tony’s Taco Shop, all listed on the Fair’s new foods map.

More New Bites Worth Seeking Out

Andy Chan folds Vietnamese pho spices into a beef patty for his Pho Burger at Chan’s Chicken on a Stick. Isaac Rousso, working under Taste of Cuba, also brings a Chicken Fried Steak Biscuit finished in bacon gravy and a stone-fired Cubano Flatbread topped with slow-roasted pork, ham, pickles, and Swiss. Massimiliano Tosi of Eataly enters a Focaccia alla Porchetta e Salsa Verde in Cotton Bowl Plaza, and Brice Noutoua slices crepes into ribbons for a Fettuccine Nutella Crepe at Crepes and Co.

Stephen Alade stir-fries shrimp, carrots, and ginger into Rude Boy Yaki Noodles at Doc’s Street Grill, while Leslie Chan wraps a Korean corn dog in crispy ramen noodles by the Coliseum. Terrence, Lisa, and Trevor Henderson bring New Orleans Nachos, crawfish étouffée over kettle chips, to both A Taste of New Orleans locations, and Yumi Ice Cream Co. dips mango or peach soft serve into a fruit-shaped chocolate shell for 3D Fruit Ice Cream, an every-day-value item at 7 coupons.

The EscapeHatch Dallas team tasted nearly all of this year’s new offerings, and two dishes rose above the rest: Isaac Rousso’s Chicken Fried Steak Biscuit and Massimiliano Tosi’s Focaccia alla Porchetta e Salsa Verde at Eataly, both proof that the biggest new-food story at the Fair isn’t always the loudest one.

Why It Matters Beyond the Coupons

Behind the novelty is a more practical story. Most of these booths are small businesses and family operations for whom a single 24-day run can be the difference between a side hustle and a sustainable one, and Naan Better, Pierogizilla, and Thee Kitchen Beast are all betting that Fair Park will introduce them to customers they’d otherwise spend years chasing.

Tickets for the 2026 State Fair of Texas are available now at BigTex.com/Tickets, with the full new foods map posted at BigTex.com/NewFoods for anyone plotting a route between the pierogies and the porchetta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the State Fair of Texas located?

The State Fair of Texas takes place at Fair Park, 3921 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Dallas, Texas 75210.

What neighborhood is the State Fair of Texas in?

The Fair takes place at Fair Park in South Dallas, off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

What is the official website for the State Fair of Texas?

The State Fair of Texas’s official website is bigtex.com.

What are the State Fair’s hours in 2026?

The Fair is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday during its September 25 through October 18 run.

How can I buy tickets to the State Fair of Texas?

Daily admission tickets are available now at BigTex.com/Tickets.

Is parking available at Fair Park?

Parking is available in official State Fair of Texas lots surrounding Fair Park for $30 per space, with designated accessible spaces and DART Rail Green Line service to the Fair Park and MLK Jr. stations as an alternative.

Where can I find a map of the new 2026 Fair foods?

A downloadable map showing every new food, vendor, and concept for 2026 is available at BigTex.com/NewFoods.

What is the phone number for the State Fair of Texas?

The State Fair of Texas can be reached at (469) 945-3247.