A new fair neighborhood gives toddlers a place of their own

Photo Credit: State Fair of Texas

Families visiting the State Fair of Texas with toddlers have a new destination this opening week: Little Lone Stars Land, an area designed around the fair's youngest guests near Gurley Gate and the Craft Pavilion.

The 2026 addition combines The Coop play area, kiddie rides and the petting zoo, which has moved from the Pan Am Arena area. Grouping those activities gives parents a specific place to start, rather than expecting a preschooler to follow an itinerary built around larger rides. Official announcement of the new children's areas

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Photo Credit: State Fair of Texas

The new layout does not make every activity free. Little Lone Stars Land lists four-coupon kiddie rides, with three-coupon pricing on Tuesdays, and ten-coupon games. A family setting a spending limit can distinguish time at the play area from paid rides before buying coupons. Little Lone Stars Land pricing

Live entertainment is part of the area's identity, too. The Fringe Stage has moved there. Wacky Chad is scheduled through Oct. 6, with daily performances at 1, 3 and 5 p.m.; Mighty Mike's daily times are 2, 4 and 6 p.m. The USA Breakdancers' run begins Oct. 7, so that act is a later-fair option, not an opening-week performance. Current daily entertainment schedule

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Photo Credit: State Fair of Texas

For a short visit, one stage performance can provide an anchor between play and an animal stop. Parents can choose a showtime first, then decide which of the nearby activities fits before or afterward.

The fair also offers free child-identification wristbands through Hospitality Centers and Guest Relations. Parents can fill one out after arrival; separated children are taken to the Safe Kids Corral at the Midway Guest Relations complex. Safe Kids program information

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Photo Credit: State Fair of Texas

The new neighborhood is operating during the fair's Sept. 25–Oct. 18 run. For families coming from Celina, the useful change is its concentration of age-appropriate choices: a visit can center on one area and one performance instead of an attempt to cover the entire fair.