I actually don't like fairs, but my husband does and thinks it's a good activity to take the kids. It was $15 for admission and since our kids were under 4 they were free. We did watch the monster truck show which was cool. Definitely something you can't see anywhere. They have motorcross riders too. I would definitely recommend trying to see a show while here. Tickets do sell out for these so make sure to book in advance. The petting zoo is a free activity, and our kids enjoyed it. They had some different animals like a donkey, llama, pig, and wallabies. You can pay for food if interested to feed the animals. There was another area that had lots of baby animals to look at that my kids enjoyed too. This is about fairs in general, but I just want to know if I am the only one? Why does everything have to be deep fried? Really you do not have a choice but to eat the unhealthiest options. Lots of options though. Food stands everywhere. Rides are overpriced and so is the food, but this is the case at the majority of fairs. read more

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Entry $15 is good but so little to do. Have they went to experience other state fairs? This is more of a large county fair in many states. Food is expensive. Shows are solid and well done, read more

So little to do aside from the carnival, and where were all the animals? There were so few there and it used to be such fun to go to the state fairs and wander through the barns seeing the 4H kids with their cows, pigs, rabbits, chickens, horses, etc. Also, all the arts and crafts had already been judged and no one was there to show/talk about their crafts/vegetables/etc. Not much fun in just looking at old cookies and vegetables. Maybe these things just aren't done at the CO state fair. Disappointing and definitely not worth the trip. read more

Had a fun time at the state fair this year. We enjoyed the food, entertainment, and overall vibes. We saw the monster truck show at the stadium which was fun and then we watched the eating competition, comedy food show, and the lumber Jack show. I liked how they had a bunch of different options for entertainment. The food was typical fair food. I didn't feel like they needed a million different stands for the same food and the lines were very long at times. The bathrooms were actually surprisingly clean and they were located everywhere. Also enjoyed seeing the animals as well. Wish the shows didn't overlap so much because we wanted to see some others as well. The free parking lot downtown and then taking the bus was convenient and easy. Definitely had fun at the fair and would go again. read more

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The Colorado State Fair 2021 was a unique day event. I have only California fairs to compare. I purchased tickets online prior to the start of the fair for the Rodeo and Dustin Lynch concert, that gave me free admission to the fair. Parking was hard to come by and I chose to park in a surrounding neighborhood dirt lot that was $20 cash. The weather was pretty hot at 99 degrees. You could take your umbrellas in for shade and water in to stay hydrated. There were a few people buying tickets at the booth day of. I had tickets on my phone and they scanned them after the metal detector check. There were the usual deep fried food booths, and booths selling , soda, beer, lemonade, bucket -o-fries , bbq, burgers ect. Only 1 building of vendors which sold goods. Saw a small motorcycle stunt show, and the piggy races . The carnival was ok. I didn't play any games, I normally don't ride any rides. My take way for the midway is that I think due to the pandemic, it was the best they could come up with. Overall, just for the fair portion, I think it is a quick few 2-3 hours to look around at the animals eat, play a few games and listen to free music. The Rodeo and concert was awesome! I come from a ranching family and I forgot how much fun it was to be at the Rodeo. I had purchased seats for members in our group who needed ADA seating and those were down on the ground level with folding chairs and room for wheelchairs and electric mobility chairs. Concert portion was good too . I'd go back for the rodeo and concert for sure . read more

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Too Hot to enjoy. Seems we should consider a better time of year for the Colorado State Fair. Late August is the worse time to be outside anywhere in Eastern Colorado. Food vendors more than cranky! I assume because they were hot? The animals didn't disappoint, but again they seemed hot and miserable Rides a bit lame. If we are going to keep the state fair in August then we need more misters and cooling areas. We felt very bad for the seniors and small children visiting. read more

15 bucks to get in is a decent price 40 bucks for an unlimited ride pass is decent too. But23 bucks for a turkey leg 18 for a hotdog 20 for a drink? The food is subpar the portions are lacking why do they allow the vendors to price gouge the public? Then if you want to play games which is like the big thing to do at a fair you have to buy a band and keep feeding it large amounts of cash just to win small stuffed animals you can get online for like a dollar this was the first and last time I attend. very sad read more

Great fair, good food and very clean. The fair grounds were well tended and even the bathrooms were kept very clean throughout the day. Had a great time at the Colorado State Fair. read more

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We went to the state fair during the $15 admission + rides day which I imagine? is busier than other days. The good: the grounds were super clean + animals were visibly well cared for/in cool clean spaces. they had tons of bathrooms on sight, lots of places to sit, lots of trash cans. Everything was paved and there were ramps for wheelchair users. There was at least one free water station. The bad: Staff seemed like they weren't cross trained on where things were located & were unable to ask one another bc there was no connection between staff members. The staff in general was noticeably unfriendly. I'm not a big believer in customer service bc it's a lot of emotional labor that expects people to leave their humanity at the workplace door but when everyone is that unfriendly it makes me worry the staff is mistreated. The neutral: In typical fair behavior food was excruciatingly expensive, outside beverages (even sealed) were fully banned which seems unsafe for pueblo in august, it was excruciatingly loud during parts of it (we got volume warnings on our watches) read more

After reading about some horrible reviews we were pleasantly surprised by the Colorado State Fair. Much smaller then NY State fair, it was clean with many choices of a wide variety of foods and few exhibits. Don't miss the water kiosk mid fair for free cups of water, and the ice cream outside the dairy barn is creamy and delicious. If you can't do dairy, close by is the beer tent. Try free samples to get your perfect brew. Other favorites include the pig race, the quilts, and the art exhibits. Disappointing was the lack of animals in the buildings and the lack of ideas for plantings in a desert environment. When compared to regional county fairs in Upstate NY, this fair would get 4 stars. As a state fair it is definitely under-performing. Now that we're Coloradans, i hope it grows to NY proportions. Btw, come on Tuesday for $2 entry fee! read more

Colorado State Fair & Exposition - Got to take in the pig race if you've never seen one before. - Festivals Near Me - Pueblo, Colorado

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Both my boyfriend and I spent our three day vacation with salmonella poisoning. On Friday afternoon, we ate a half chicken and a turkey leg from the large food vender closest to the gate. The next three days has been terrible. Their main food vender needs to be checked. Besides some beers and water (bottled) that was the only food we had. Besides that the main workers were rude and disinterested. They we all on their phones after we bought our ticket so we just walked past them. The lady then, rudely, stated we had to get our tickets checked. The rest was fine but you can tell the main cooperation doesn't put any time or effort into the experience. read more

Do your homework people. And just relax. https://www.coloradostatefair.com/ I've always enjoyed it. read more

So disappointing. I've tried the El Paso County Fair too, just sad. Colorado has no clue as to what makes a great fair. I so wish someone would go back east, maybe to Ohio, New York State or one of those and find out what you need to do to have a great fair. Where is the competitions for quilting? Pie baking? The biggest squash? Food eating contest? This fair is sad. Truly nothing to see. Went into the Colorado building and they had some odd floor games like twister and that was it. Oh, and a small stand of peppers I had no idea if someone could purchase or not because the people were just standing their and didn't say a word. The ice-cream was good, and I had a fried Twix. Walked by some sad cheap flea market type stands and I didn't see one local stand selling produce or arts and crafts. If locally made stuff is located at this state fair then someone needs a better website explaining where stuff is located, or how about a handout guide at the gate explaining what is located in what building. The carnival area is a real dive too. Just not worth the money or the trouble of walking in the hot sun. read more

So now it's monday, I have since called the number at the back of the card (as I was told by the State fair attendant at the kiosk) and I was told to go on the fair's webpage as today they had the refund system all set up. So I did and off course I filled out the form and this is the message I got: "OUR APOLOGIES - We were unable to service your request. You may want to choose from the navigation above to find what you are looking for". So since it's not working I called the cashless hotline again. I spoke to Anthony and he said he could not understand why it would not work as he was told the system was operational today. He told me he would call me back to let me know. He never did. I just tried again a few minutes ago and yet again the error message. So i called back cashless hotline and this time I spoke to Tony. He said he could not help me and that all my refund and dealings would have to be with the fair itself as THEY are the ones who took in my cash, so they will be responsible to disburse them. So I went on the fair's webpage and got their hotline. I called them and spoke to Levi. He put me on hold and got back to me telling me that I cannot access my refund until the fair is completely over (around sept 2nd). I explained to him that this was unacceptable practice and that he should inform whomever is in charge of this cashless service. It's ridiculous that I had to load my cash on this card in order to drink some water on a 90+ degrees days, and that now I can't have my own cash back until their fair is over. Their fair is none of my concerns. I don't see why my money should be tied in a card for their benefit. Oh BTW fair's management has yet to reply to my disgruntled email. Go figure! read more

This might be the worst fair I've been too. Small and not intriguing at all.There are not as many food options as the fairs I've been to and there weren't any bizarre food items you expect at a fair. Also, the worst part is that you have to put money on a cashless card to pay all fair vendors. And they charge a one dollar fee! The best part of the fair was the concert. The concert arena was big and easily accessible. read more

Small, boring fair. Really thought Colorado would have done better. DON'T go if you care about animals and how they are treated. Who cleans out the stalls? Nobody. Don't go near the pigs. The rabbit and poultry were kept in little all wire cages over dust- my husband had a nose bleed from the dust and ammonia smelling urine. And pretty much any animal was up for sale to anyone with a couple of bucks- not know how or ability to care for them. Midwestern fairs are the way to go- and they treat their animals with respect. This was sad sad sad. read more

We love to get out and walk around.. and just take our time. They had many vendors with many different options. We had fun, the "location" was a bit weird at first being it was inside a concrete wall.. but over all we had fun and we'll probably go back next year. However stay off the streets of Pueblo, when we were leaving we witnessed a guy getting beat up in the middle of the street, and they were kicking him while he was down and passed out.. we saw a cop and we directed him to the scene and he just responded with we got it... he did absolutely nothing about it.. he didn't even turn on his lights or sirens to even warn these thugs, he just sat in his car and watched.. I felt so bad we couldn't do more. read more

Blah blah blah fair, have you any game? No sir, no sir, way too lame... Seriously the worst State Fair experience I've ever had... Without the beer it's actual torture... read more

Maybe Rudy Giuliana had it right? The truth isn't the truth - in advertising at the Colorado State Fair! We went on September 1st we were planning a full days of rides and the Old Dominion concert afterwards! My two grandaughters were looking forward to going to the Carnival rides so we bought 3 bands ( we also took my wife's Godchild) $105 dollars for unlimited rides we figured it was a fair way for them to ride anything they wanted since it was for UNLIMITED RIDES! Good times! Well, lo and behold the Power Ride was not part of the unlimited rides! They had a restriction ( a limitation) you needed the UNLIMITED BAND PLUS 5 more Tickets to ride on POWER! So much for UNLIMITED RIDES guess you need to read the fine print!? So we had to pay another $20 dollars for 18 tickets, plus $2 for the transaction fee and tax for a whopping total of $20.10!!!! It was disgruntling and cheapened the entire experience. Crabtree amusement and the Colorado State fair "nickel and dime'g" parents so their children could enjoy the UNLIMITED BAND! Unlimited rides go as many times as you want and, Oh by the way, you need to buy more tickets so you can enjoy your unlimited band. Not a good way to do business. I understand the carnival games are skewed in favor of the house in terms of odds; But now I need to read or ask what stipulations are binding to the UNLIMITED BAND which had rides that limited its use!? THE TRUTH IS NOT THE TRUTH, in what ever the COLORADO STATE FAIR advertised! They also were selling bands inside on the Fair Grounds that had to be first bought at a booth, then the band had to be activated at a kiosk for an additional $2 dollar charge for processing ( I guess ? ), I overheard a person complaining about the charge and the booth attendant explained he could go back to the front gate and buy the UNLIMITED RIDES BAND there and avoid the $2 dollar charge! I realize we are a captive audience and pricing is part of the marketing strategy. However, charge a one time fee for your products and services and people will have a good time, however, if you gouge people and use deceptive advertising, fine print, whatever, then the advertising is or should be illegal. The TRUTH (in advertising) is NOT THE TRUTH (advertising UNLIMITED RIDES)This price gouging does not reflect well on the STATE OF COLORADO! The TRUTH ISN'T THE TRUTH in your advertising! All I want is first, to expose this practice, and second, if the $20.10 is returned I will give it to charity through a charity my grandaughters support! The Truth should be the Truth... read more

Hello people it's a fair, not a Elitches Amusement Park. This is what makes America America! Been coming here every year since I was a teenager and after my kids were born and their now 18 and 22. Now we bring our grandson here. Its great family fun and kids love it! I live in California now and still come back to go every year. Animals,cowboys,rides, events,food and FUN! Oh beer also. Just good old fashion American fun, so go and enjoy it. Don't expect anything more than a [fair] people. Have a good time! read more

Was there 8/25/2012. If you like to waste money on bad carnival rides and $4 pizza slices that taste like garbage, you'll still be disappointed. The animal and 4H areas were better but not worth the trip from Denver or Boulder. The best part is the free areas with activities for the kids or 4-H contests results. We attended the Girl Scout Cookie Contest which was a hit as was the Leather craft area in the same building. The Moonbounce area was kind of disgusting with the manure on the ground and all the kids in bare feet walking in it - yuck - plus it was EXPENSIVE. All ride areas were separate fees so be prepared to fork out the dough - cash only. There were opportunities for pointing out how cruel humans can be -- "Smallest Woman" tent (Is this 2012 or 1912??), Monkey on leash "performing" for people, and rude ride operators in general. If you have a choice, stay in Co Springs (Garden of the Gods) or Denver (Elitch Gardens) or Boulder (anyplace) or Rocky Mountain National Park. It's not worth the drive to Pueblo. read more

It's the State fair as usual, great 4H, FFLA, and state art and animal displays! The rest, grossly overpriced food and drinks, another year with only Coke products and a general poor experience. Dump the fair managers, board members and move it to Denver for a fresh start, Pueblo does not deserve to host the State fair. Just my opinion. read more

Brantley Gilbert was hands down the absolute worst concert I've ever been to. Walked out after the 4th song - I've never left a concert early before, so that's a good indication how bad it was. Thank goodness for the yard o' porn dogs & crappy beer-a-ritas! ;-) read more

Colorado State Fair & Exposition - Porn dogs & crappy beer-a-ritas were great! - Festivals Near Me - Pueblo, Colorado

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We've been going to the Colorado State Fair for many years now. Sure it's a bit corny, but it's real Americana. Come on, where else can you try ALL kinds of fried food. Beyond the traditional corn dogs, they've got fried: Pickles, Onion Blooms, Pop-Tarts, Twinkies, Captain Crunch, Cookie Dough & More! More seriously, we've been impressed with the display of amazing art in the Creative Arts building along with Rabbit & Bird exhibits. But, the highlight for us the Foam Fest with 20 Colorado Brewers for only $30. We would highly recommend it. read more

Have i gone to hell already? dude. Its sooo miserably hot and there are very limited reprieves around to get you in and out of the heat. thank god for the guy selling those wraps that you dip in a bucket of ice and put on your neck. I only have the Ohio State Fair to compare to, but I would think that Colorado would have similar things... I was disappointed that there weren't more animals, but the music was cool. We had our 9 month old, and he had fun on some of the rides, but he was super hot too and then eventually miserable (imagine sitting in a diaper in super heat) ... the weather is not their fault, but still... this fair is during the hottest time of the year... yikes. I would think they would attract a bigger variety of food vendors, and just vendors in general. I enjoy looking at all the booths. If I come back, it would be in the evening to enjoy some beers, and a concert.... and not bring the baby... too too hot for him read more

10 bucks to enter the fairgrounds. Kinda pricey considering that's just an entry fee. You still have to pay for overpriced food and other things. There is an area where you can see farm animals...if that's your thing. I won't be returning. read more

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Been to multiple State Fairs so for the people saying to chill it's just a State Fair..... I say North Dakota did it better so what now? Bad food, bad animal exibits, bad service, bad bad bad. Never going back again. I'll be attending the El Paso County Fair from now on. read more

We went to the Fair yesterday but didn't get to see or enjoy it as we used to. The reason being is that I had a total knee replacement about a month ago and prior to going to the Fair I called about electric carts availability. I was told that they run $50.00 for a full day and $35.00 for 4-hors. We decided to go in the evening with intentions to rent a cart for $35.00 only to find when we got there we were being pressured to pay $50.00 or forget about it. When I explained what was told to me by a Fair representative when I called about the matter she said she would contact her boss. After doing so she said he said that was two years ago. I told her the call was just made yesterday. Her response was -"sorry, the price is $50.00 if you want one". Feeling high pressured and having handicapped people being taken advantage of by that vendor, I decided to try and walk it. I only made it to Passkey's, had a sandwich and we started back to the gate slowly and left as I could not walk much more any more. I believe the State Fair should get their 'act' together. If people are being told a certain price then the Fair must stick with it. I am also ashamed of the Fair charging such high price for such assistance to handicapped people. It's like a brutal concern about making money and less consideration for the people. It's taking advantage of the handicap. Money, money money...that's all it's about! Every time I went to the Fair in the past not only did different vendors find me buying something from them but when I bought it was with paying a nice buck---like a swimming pool, yard equipment (as I own a small ranch). a boat and many other items. Well, such vendors lost out from me this year for what the Fair did to me as I could not visit them. So, vendors lost too in that greedy scam of the Fair. Larry Passalacqua Pueblo senior citizen read more

Dont recommend them. They have duplicate vendors products. They lie and tell you and sell you a spot. My advice have it in writing first before buying a spot here. They also mistreated me too while working my shift in front of customers.(Customer gave me his # to sued Colorado state fair for the humiliation and the abuse from the staff here) Very disappointing. If they have an issue they should talk to you private... 2 thumbs down on fair security staff. HR needs to read this". (The volunteers in green shirts are more helpful) Other fairs dont mistreat vendors. Colorado state fair does".. I lost a sale because how rude the security Guy handled his behavior. "Colorado fair" .."Bad for Business." read more

This was my second year attending the state fair. This first was a very short visit and I didn't get around to the ride section of the event. I feel like the whole event is more of an after thought then anything else. I don't know who is in charge of planning the fair, but I have to say that both times it qualifies for one of the worst that I have been to. This year's rides weren't that impressive. The highlight of my day was watching the Mutton Bustin' competition; I did also enjoy the Lumberjack Show as well although it was a little cheesy. I don't know whether the problem for this thing is lack of attendance or the little profit from tickets being so cheap, but something needs to be changed. Don't get me wrong, the vendors products at the fair were all incredibly priced but somehow I get the feeling that whoever is running this show just isn't making as much off it as they need to be to make it much more awesome. They made a noticeable attempt to have a better variety of activities at this year's fair but this thing still has a long way to go. Perhaps if they didn't have it PUEBLO it would be better attended? read more

Colorado State Fair & Exposition - Festivals Near Me - Pueblo, Colorado

This fair has the disadvantage of being in Pueblo and doesn't get all the first rate acts that you could see at the Taste of Colorado in Denver. There are a few things going on in the day and there never seemed to be a line for food so you have easy access to everything. First I'll talk about the good. There is enough shade and buildings with AC to be comfortable. There seemed to be events going on all over the park and some of the vendors were very reasonable. Pueblo water had free water so if you brought a bottle in you could fill it up with cold water. The Dairy bar had ice cream cones for $2-3 and malts for $4. Chan's chicken on a Stick plate had enough food for 2 and was only $10. Th unique tree decorated with carved melons was amazing and I liked that the kids could try out milking a cow. The negatives to this event is that the offerings are really low quality. The better venues required extra cost for special tickets and the rides were not a good quality deal for the kids. There were few animals in the barns so it seems like there is not as much interest in this fair as you have at the stock show or other state fairs. I think the management really needs to revisit what kind of experience they can provide for the dollars generated and see if they can get some better quality using creative ideas for low cost entertainment. read more

I grew up going to the Del Mar fair in San Diego and that is easily one of the best fairs in the country. This fair isn't bad, it has everything you would expect at a State Fair and $10 is a decent price for admission. There are plenty of rides and the food selection isn't bad. The livestock stuff is good but a really nice home and garden show would go a long way. The bad part of it, is the location. Douglas county would be a better place for it. The weather wouldn't be as hot and the neighborhoods wouldn't be so sketchy. read more

I'm from NY, home of many a lovely county fair and a fairly substantial State Fair. Granted, I haven't been to a State Fair in years, but I thought the Colorado Fair was lovely. I really enjoyed the 4-H buildings (so many thoughtful, creative projects), the fine arts building, and the Colorado Building, which had educational visits with birds (like Jasper, the Great-Horned Owl, and Jasper the Turkey Vulture!) from the Raptor Centre in Pueblo. The livestock barns were clean and informative as well. The food was largely good quality for fair food, and even the margaritas were tasty. The carnival area was perhaps a bit pricey if you have kids (we just rode the Ferris wheel, and it was $10!). Overall, I had a lovely day here and would definitely return. Maybe it's not as big and flashy as some fairs, but if you like the educational, agricultural, and community aspects of a fair, I think you will have a mice time here. :) read more

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HOT. Go early. The highlight is the water fountain for my kid. Unfortunately they waited till 12 to turn it on. We go for the car show every year. It seems to be getting more expensive each year and I see no reason for it. I will probably skip it next year. read more

This fair is floundering, but they try so hard. Lots of food and vendors, a cute little parade, and a grandstand. What they need is a big headliner to really bring people down there. Bring your kids and let them run around, there are some rides for them. I think Pueblo is the chosen location because they have enough room for it, but unfortunately there isn't a culture around heading down there for something. I hope they can figure out a way to turn it around. read more

Worse fair I've ever been to! $80 for admission and gate entry. Rude ride operators and game workers. Everything is over priced. A ride operator couldn't figure out how to get my husband's ride restraints to stay in and just told us to get off. The restraints clicked in to it right the first two times but he kept unlocking them so more people could board, the third time was when it wouldn't click right to leave. We wanted to play some games with our last $10 because we give our dogs the toys, after this we started to leave and a game operator called us over and insisted we play. We told him we were out of money and he still insisted that we play and not to worry about it. Then he says to pay and caught an attitude when we told him we didn't have money (something we said before the game). We told him to keep the toy and decided to leave. It was just the overall worse experience we've had in CO. read more

Like a flea market with a cover charge... The food was overpriced but tasted good. They use a card payment system and you cannot cash it out without a ton of work after contacting to company after the fair is over... Kinda like a scam... Come on colorado .... Fail read more

I have been going to the fair for about 50 years. I love the fair. I miss all of the free stuff. Not enough to see except for people selling things. very expensive for most people. food is expensive also. I would like to see more free entertainment. the concerts have been good. would like to see Jamey Johinson and some of the other older country music singers. A lot of older people attend the fair and we need better entertainment to suit our needs. Ask the people who they want to see. Not enough seating and bathrooms. too many flies around the food booths. should be cleaner. The card system seemed to work fine. More local vendors and cheaper prices. Don't want to lose the fair, but we need cheaper prices and more to offer people. Kids don't spend a lot of money so you should cater to the older people. Nothing to draw people to the fair. read more