Advance admission remains available for $11 for adults and $7 for children through 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12. Standard gate prices begin when the fair opens Thursday.
DES MOINES, IA — Visitors have until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, to buy discounted admission to the 2026 Iowa State Fair before adult ticket prices increase from $11 to $16 at the gate.
Advance admission for children ages 6 through 11 costs $7, compared with $10 at the gate. Children age 5 and younger enter free.
The Iowa State Fair opens Thursday, Aug. 13, and continues through Sunday, Aug. 23, at 3000 E. Grand Ave. in Des Moines. Each advance ticket is valid for one admission on any day of the fair.
Advance admission stays at $11 through Aug. 12
Adults and children do not need to choose a specific fair date when purchasing advance admission. The tickets can be used once on any day between Aug. 13 and Aug. 23.
The advance prices provide a $5 discount for each visitor age 12 or older and a $3 discount for each child ages 6 through 11.
A family purchasing two adult tickets and two children’s tickets before the deadline would pay $36 for admission. The same four tickets would cost $52 at the gate, a difference of $16.
Advance tickets cannot be combined with another discount or offer. They are also nonrefundable and cannot be exchanged or replaced.
Several promotions will provide lower gate prices on selected dates and times. From Monday through Thursday between 5 and 10 p.m., adult admission will cost $12 and children’s admission will cost $8.
Veterans Day admission on Aug. 17 will cost $12 for qualifying active-duty or former military members and one companion from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visitors age 60 and older can enter for $12 during the same hours on Older Iowans’ Day, Aug. 19.
On Sunday, Aug. 23, admission will cost $12 for adults and $8 for children. Adults who donate three cans of nonperishable food between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. that day can enter for $9.
Fairgrounds parking costs $10 per vehicle
Vehicle and motorcycle parking will be available for $10 in Lots A, B and C off University Avenue. A free Blue Line shuttle will carry visitors from designated stops inside those lots to the admission gates.
Accessible spaces will be available in the three lots on a first-come, first-served basis. The lots can fill early, and an accessible parking placard or license plate must be displayed.
Drivers can enter Lot A through Gate 2A at East 33rd Street and East University Avenue. Lots B and C are accessible through Gate 3 at East 36th Street and East University Avenue.
Bicycle parking will be free inside Gate 13. Taxis, Uber and Lyft will use the pickup and drop-off area near Gate 8 at 203 Rock Island in Des Moines.
Southridge Mall shuttle offers free parking and transportation
A new free shuttle will operate between Southridge Mall and the fairgrounds throughout the 2026 fair.
Visitors can park without charge in the southeast section of the mall’s parking lot, near the former movie theater. Buses will run continuously from 8 a.m. to midnight and will use Gate 10 at the fairgrounds.
On the final day, Sunday, Aug. 23, service departing from the fairgrounds will end at 9 p.m.
DART will also operate Park & Ride shuttles from the Center Street parking garage at 830 Sixth Ave. and the Iowa State Capitol, along East 12th Street between East Grand and East Walnut avenues. Parking at both locations is free.
DART round-trip fares cost $3 for riders age 10 and older, $1 for children ages 6 through 10 and $1 for adults age 65 and older and Medicare cardholders. Children age 5 and younger ride free. The buses are accessible to riders using mobility devices.
La Sonora Dinamita performs Aug. 16
La Sonora Dinamita will perform Colombian cumbia and tropical music at 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Susan Knapp Amphitheater. The concert is included with fair admission and does not require a separate entertainment ticket.
Two charrería performances are also scheduled that Sunday at noon and 3 p.m. at Elwell Family Park. Admission to those programs is included with the general fair ticket.
Related coverage: Hispanic Heritage Month events across Iowa, Nebraska and the Quad Cities.
Advance admission can be purchased until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday through the Iowa State Fair ticket page.
Stay in the know with stories that matter — visit HolaAmericaNews.com for the latest news, culture and community updates.
Facebook Comments
