Arizona State Fair 2026: hours, parking, concerts and a chauffeured fair day

A fair day with Scottsdale Sprinters starts with the fair’s own calendar, the day the group’s tickets are for and a rider count. Families and school groups lead with the Executive Black Sprinter; concert and birthday crews ride a Limo Party Sprinter or the party bus; VIP guests take the Maybach Jet. This guide uses only the fair’s published facts and turns the day into a written pickup, drop-off and ride home.

Last updated: September 27, 2026

When is the Arizona State Fair 2026, and what are the hours?

The Arizona State Fair 2026 runs October 1 to November 1, 2026, open Thursdays through Sundays only, at the State Fairgrounds, 1826 W McDowell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85007; the gates open at noon, last entry is 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays and 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The fair is closed Monday through Wednesday, so its five weekends carry the whole run: it opens on Thursday, October 1, and closes on Sunday, November 1. Halloween, October 31, is a Saturday fair day this year. There is no fixed closing time. The fair says it stays open based on crowd size and activity, and the carnival ends for the night when the lights on the La Grande XL Wheel go dark. The livestock barns close at 9 p.m.; the Coliseum halls, the Shopping Pavilion and the Hangout at 10 p.m. Admission, carnival rides and concert seats are the fair’s own, sold on its site, so this guide prints no ticket price: buy the tickets first, then book the ride for that day.

Where do you park at the Arizona State Fair, and where is the drop-off?

The fair’s only official lots are the North Lot, entered from 19th Avenue at Monte Vista or Encanto, the West Lot, entered from Encanto between 19th and 20th Avenues, and a limited reserved VIP section of the North Lot; they open at 10 a.m., and rideshare drop-off is the southwest corner of the West Lot at 19th Avenue and Encanto. The fair is clear that other lots around the fairgrounds are privately owned, not the fair’s. The official lots are paid; the fair’s parking page lists the current fee and sells the VIP spaces, which are limited. Rideshare cars (Uber, Lyft and Waymo, in the fair’s words) enter on 19th Avenue at Encanto and are directed to the southwest corner of the West Lot to drop off and pick up. That is the corner a chauffeured group is sent to as well, unless the fair’s staff direct otherwise on the day. With a chauffeur, the parking question goes away: the group steps out together, walks in together, and walks back out to a vehicle that has been waiting nearby, with the strollers, jackets and prizes aboard. Nobody circles for a space, and nobody drives home after a long day.

How else can you get to the fair: the free shuttle and road closures?

The fair runs a free Park n’ Ride shuttle from Phoenix College, 1202 W Thomas Rd, with no shuttles on Thursdays: the first shuttle leaves at 5 p.m. on Fridays and at noon on Saturdays and Sundays, and the last one back leaves the fairgrounds at 11 p.m.; McDowell Road closes between 15th and 19th Avenues after 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The shuttle is the fair’s, free, and a good choice for a small group happy to park at the college and wait in line. A family with small children, grandparents or a stack of prizes usually wants a door-to-door ride instead, and a school or church group wants everyone in one vehicle with one headcount. The McDowell Road closure matters for the ride home on a Friday or Saturday night: the fair’s own directions send drivers in from 19th Avenue, from I-10 at the 19th Avenue exit, and from I-17 at the 19th Avenue and State Capitol exit. Your chauffeur plans the pickup around the closure, so the group is not walking to a car on a closed street.

What’s on at the 2026 Arizona State Fair: concerts and the Grandstand?

The 2026 Coliseum Concert Series at Veterans Memorial Coliseum is Gin Blossoms (October 2), Becky G (October 9), All Time Low (October 10), The Offspring (October 16), Russell Dickerson (October 17) and Public Enemy (October 24); every seat is reserved and includes fair admission, doors open at 6 p.m. and every show starts at 7 p.m., with no opening act. The Grandstand Arena has its own series: a High School Rodeo on opening night, the Native American Rodeo on October 2 and 3, Xtreme Bull Riding on October 4, the All Star Monster Trucks on October 9 to 11 and again October 30 to November 1, and Figure 8 Races on October 16 to 18 and October 23 to 25. A concert night is the busiest kind of fair night: the show fills the Coliseum on a Friday or Saturday, the midway is full, and McDowell Road closes late. A group that books the ride from the show’s start time, with an hour for the midway before it, walks out after the encore to a vehicle already waiting.

What can you bring to the Arizona State Fair: bags, food and water?

Bags may not exceed 12 by 12 inches, and every bag, purse and backpack is screened at the gate; medical and diaper bags are exempt from the size limit but still inspected; no outside food, drinks, alcohol, glass or coolers, though each guest may bring one factory-sealed bottle of water and an empty refillable bottle. Security may use walk-through metal detectors, pat-downs or wands. The fair’s list of things to leave at home includes drones, selfie sticks, bicycles, skateboards and balloons, and anything surrendered at the gate is not returned. That is where a chauffeured day helps: the bigger bags, the cooler for the ride home and anything that would not pass the gate stay in the vehicle, which waits nearby with the chauffeur, instead of in a parked car in a lot. Pets stay home: the fair welcomes service animals as defined by the ADA, but not pets or emotional support animals, and service animals are not allowed on carnival rides.

Is the Arizona State Fair good for kids, school groups and teens?

Yes: the fair calls itself family-friendly, children under 4 get in free, and its site has a field trips page for schools; for any group with riders under 21, our house rule applies: If even one passenger is under 21, the trip is alcohol-free for the whole group, adults included. Families and school groups are most of the fair’s crowd, and a ride keeps a group of kids together from the pickup to the gate and home again. Guest Services hands out free lost-child wristbands for a parent’s contact details, which is worth doing first thing. Put a parent’s or a teacher’s cell number on the reservation, so the chauffeur has one point of contact for the day. We sell no alcohol, and no package on this page carries a drink service.

What does a fair day cost with a chauffeur?

A fair day is billed by the hour at each vehicle’s published rate, from pickup to drop-off, with its minimum hours: the Executive Black Sprinter is $145/hr and seats 14, the Mini Bus (24 Pax) is $185/hr and seats 24, a Limo Party Sprinter (12-13 Pax) is $175/hr; fair tickets are not included, and prices are before tax. Split across the group, the hourly rate becomes a per-person figure. 14 riders in the Executive Black Sprinter for 6 hours is about $62 each before tax. 24 riders sharing the Mini Bus (24 Pax) for 6 hours is about $46 each. That is arithmetic on the published rates, not a flat fair fare. The hours run from the pickup at your door to the drop-off at home, and the vehicle waits at the fairgrounds in between, so the day is one booking, not two rides, and no parking fee. The ready-made packages on this page are priced the same way, with the extras they carry, and show the total before anyone books. Not in the fare: fair admission, carnival ride tickets, concert seats, food and anything bought inside.

Which vehicle fits a State Fair group?

Families and school groups lead with the Executive Black Sprinter, our pick for a fair day, then the white Executive Sprinter, the Mini Bus (24 Pax) and the Executive Mini Coach (29 Pax); concert and birthday crews ride a Limo Party Sprinter or the 28-seat party bus; VIP groups take the Maybach Jet Sprinter, the Ultra Luxury Party Sprinter, the Maybach Shuttle Sprinter or the Suburban. The table uses current published names, seated capacities, hourly rates and minimums, in three groups. Families and school groups: the Executive Black Sprinter, the Executive White Sprinter, the Mini Bus (24 Pax) and the Executive Mini Coach (29 Pax). Concert and birthday crews: the Limo Party Sprinter (12-13 Pax), the Limo Party Sprinter (16 Pax) and the Party Bus (28 Pax). VIP: the Maybach Jet Sprinter, the Ultra Luxury Party Sprinter, the Maybach Shuttle Sprinter and the Luxury SUV (Suburban). A family larger than the Executive Black Sprinter moves up to the Mini Bus (24 Pax) or the Executive Mini Coach (29 Pax) rather than splitting into two vehicles, so everyone arrives and leaves together. Count heads from the ticket order, and leave room for strollers.

How far ahead should a State Fair ride be booked?

Buy the fair tickets first, then book the ride: availability varies by day and vehicle, so no fixed lead time applies, and the Friday and Saturday concert nights and the Halloween weekend go first; send the date, the rider count, the pickup address and any concert, and the reservations team confirms what is open. The first request needs the day, the home, hotel, school or church pickup, a likely passenger count, and the concert or grandstand show if there is one. A group does not need every name to begin. It does need to say which group is riding: a family, a school or church group with a teacher’s number, a concert crew, or VIP guests. During the final 48 hours, confirm addresses, phone numbers and the show time. Reach the reservations team at (623) 986-6339 or reservations@scottsdalesprinters.com. A ride booking never includes a fair ticket.