This is your last weekend to catch the 2026 Arkansas State Fair in Little Rock. The fair opened October 16 and runs through Sunday, October 25, so Saturday and Sunday are the final two days — with gates open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, 2600 Howard Street (Arkansas State Fair daily promotions).
If you've been putting it off all month, this weekend is the one to circle.
Saturday, October 24
Saturday is a Ride Band Day sponsored by B98.5, so you can buy an armband at any midway ticket booth from 11 a.m. to close and ride all day. Fair warning: the armband covers rides only — gate admission and parking are separate (Arkansas State Fair daily promotions).
Saturday also brings two admission discounts. Entergy employees get $2 off gate admission by showing an employee ID at the gate. And FFA and FCCLA students, Scouts, and 4-H members qualify for $3 gate admission — along with their teachers, sponsors, and bus drivers. Those tickets are sold until 5 p.m. (Arkansas State Fair daily promotions).
The Main Stage closes out Saturday night with country artist Heath Sanders and special guest Abbey Pierce at 7 p.m. (2026 media kit).
Sunday, October 25 — Closing Day
Sunday is your absolute last day, and it's another Ride Band Day, this one sponsored by 106.3 La Zeta and Oaklawn. Same deal as Saturday: buy the armband at any midway ticket booth from 11 a.m. to close, ride all day. No additional Sunday-specific admission discount is listed (Arkansas State Fair daily promotions).
The final Main Stage show of the year is Impacto Elegante with DJ Jonathan at 6 p.m. (2026 media kit).
One scheduling note for Sunday shoppers: the Arkansas Made vendors in the Arts & Crafts Building, normally open until 9 p.m., close at 5 p.m. on the final day. If you want to pick up something made by an Arkansas maker, go early (Arkansas State Fair entertainment).
What You'll Pay
Advance pricing ended October 15, so it's gate prices from here (Arkansas State Fair daily promotions):
• Adults: $15 at the gate
• Kids ages 6–12 and seniors 60+: $8
• Ages 5 and under: free
• Ride band: $37 at the fair
• Parking: $10
Ride bands and gate admission are sold separately, and tickets are available through the fair's tickets and deals page.
What to Catch Besides the Midway
The Hiland Dairy Fun Zone runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily with three rotating acts — Sea Lion Splash, the Paul Bunyan Lumberjack Show, and Hoop You — and the Museum of Discovery is on site every day with Ballapalooza and Giant Lincoln Logs (Arkansas State Fair entertainment). There's live music on the Main Stage both nights, livestock shows throughout the grounds, and more than 50 food and drink vendors, four of them new this year (2026 media kit). Even fair regulars have something they haven't tried yet.
A corn dog in hand, one last spin on the Ferris wheel, and the fair packs up for another year.
Get your tickets: Arkansas State Fair tickets and deals
See all the daily promotions: Arkansas State Fair promotions
