State Fair of Louisiana 2026: Free Hours and Admission Prices

The 120th State Fair of Louisiana opens Thursday, October 29, at the Louisiana State Fairgrounds in Shreveport and runs through Sunday, November 15. Of its 14 operating days, eight let you walk in free until 3 p.m. Family Days fall on those same weekdays, and so does the busiest stretch of the livestock barns. Saturdays and Sundays carry the highest gate price of the run, and they come with none of those breaks.

The admission rules are on the fair's website. What follows is the calendar and the prices side by side, so the cheapest version of this fair is easy to pick out.

The Calendar, Laid Flat

The fair is closed every Monday and Tuesday. On Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays it runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Fridays and Saturdays it runs 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. General parking is free for the whole run, which the Bossier Press-Tribune reported in July when the fair announced its 2026 dates.

Gates and ticket sales close 30 minutes before the fair closes each night, and nobody gets in after that. The official hours page lists November 15 as 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. but shows a 9:30 p.m. gate close, which contradicts the 30-minute rule.

What the Same Gate Costs on Different Days

Once the free window closes, the price after 3 p.m. depends on the day of the week. These are the regular 2026 gate prices, fees included, from the fair's ticket page:

• Wednesday or Thursday after 3 p.m.: $10 adult, $5 child
• Friday after 3 p.m., or any time Saturday or Sunday: $17 adult, $10 child
• Presale, sold through Oct. 28: $11.50 adult, $9.25 child

Friday is free until 3 p.m., like Wednesday and Thursday, but after 3 it switches to the weekend price. Arriving at 3:15 on a Friday costs an adult $17. Arriving at 3:15 the day before costs $10.

The adult weekend price is the same as last year. KSLA's 2025 fair guide listed $17 for adults and $9.25 for children, so this year's $10 child weekend ticket is 75 cents higher.

Rides Change the Math More Than the Gate Does

For families, the gate price is the smaller number. Once the fair opens, the regular unlimited-ride wristband costs $38 and is sold only at carnival kiosks on the midway. Some rides take extra credits, and riders have to meet height requirements. The presale Pay One Price ticket bundles admission with unlimited rides for $43.75, but you can't buy it once the fair opens on October 29.

So a child riding all evening on a Saturday costs $10 at the gate plus $38 for the wristband, or $48. The same child on a presale bundle costs $43.75 on any day. On a Wednesday before 3 p.m., the child walks in free and only the wristband costs money.

Family Days lower that again. On Thursday, November 5, and Thursday, November 12, admission is free until 3 p.m. After 3, a child gets in free with each paid adult admission. Unlimited-ride wristbands are $28 those days, admission not included. That's $10 less per rider than the regular kiosk price, on days that already have the lower Wednesday–Thursday gate.

The Fan Pass, Worked Out

New this year, for the 250th anniversary of the United States, is the Fair Fan Pass. It gives unlimited gate entry for the whole run, and only 250 will be sold, first come, first served. It costs $75 for adults and $50 for children ages 3 to 12, and it covers the gate only. Rides, games and food cost extra.

Here is how it compares with single tickets:

1. Adult, weekend visits at $17: four visits cost $68, and five cost $85. The pass costs less than paying at the gate on the fifth weekend or Friday-evening visit.
2. Child, weekend visits at $10: five visits cost $50, the same as the child pass.
3. Adult, Wednesday–Thursday evenings at $10: it takes eight visits before the pass costs less. The fair has only five Wednesdays and Thursdays this year.

Daytime weekday visits are already free, so the pass only pays off for people who come back on weekends or Friday nights. Someone who comes mostly in the afternoons during the week won't get $75 of value from it.

Where the Weekdays Get Busy

The free weekday hours also line up with the livestock schedule. The fair's livestock schedule, current as of September 15, 2026, puts most of the junior show program on dates that are free until 3 p.m.

• Wednesday, Nov. 4: the Junior ALTAC Livestock Sale. The schedule gives no time for it.
• Thursday–Friday, Nov. 5–6: junior breed shows, including Braford, Santa Gertrudis, Beefmaster, Brahman and dairy.
• Friday, Nov. 6: a Dairy Costume Contest, then an Ice Cream Eating Contest, in Cattle Arena B.

The Bossier Press-Tribune's announcement called it the largest livestock show in Louisiana. Junior market swine judging falls on Monday, November 2, when the midway is closed. ALTAC's own website still shows the 2025 Sale of Champions schedule, so the 2026 fair schedule is the one to go by.

When the Weekend Is Worth Paying For

Some events happen only on weekends, and a few come with their own discounts.

The LRCA Finals Rodeo runs October 30 through November 1 at Hirsch Memorial Coliseum. The Friday and Saturday shows start at 6:30 p.m., and Sunday's starts at 3 p.m. Regular rodeo tickets cost $23 to $38.50 and include fair admission. With a $17 adult gate on those nights, the rodeo ticket replaces a gate ticket you would have paid for anyway.

Halloween falls on a Saturday this year. The Halloween Midway Candy Crawl runs October 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with $5 child admission and free candy bags at four locations. Costume face masks and toy weapons aren't allowed. On the most expensive kind of day, that's the only kid's-price break on the calendar.

The Veterans Parade steps off Sunday, November 15, at 2 p.m. Veterans and their families get in free with military ID.

The New Wheel on the Midway

The most visible new ride this year is the 110-foot Freedom 250 Ferris Wheel. KTBS reported that it is coming to Shreveport after 16 days on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where it stood near the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian museums during the Great American State Fair. Talley Amusements owns and runs the wheel. The company is also back as the fair's carnival operator, according to the Bossier Press-Tribune's 2026 announcement. Last year the Shreveport-Bossier Advocate reported that 2025 was already its second year as the fair's official provider.

The full ride list isn't posted yet. The carnival page says details are coming. The live music page also says artists are still being booked and names no performers. Shows already listed include Circus Hollywood and Thrill America, and the Hollywood Racing Pigs are back.

Two Rules That Shape an Evening Visit

The bag rule is the same as last year. Clear bags can be up to 12 by 6 by 12 inches, plus one non-clear clutch up to 4.5 by 6.5 inches. The clutch has to fit inside a size-check container at the gate. KSLA's 2025 guide listed the same size limits.

The chaperone rule changes what an evening visit looks like for teenagers. After 6 p.m., anyone under 18 must come in with a parent, guardian or chaperone who is 21 or older, and one adult can bring no more than six minors. A group of teenagers on a Friday night needs an adult with them. The same group on a Wednesday afternoon gets in free until 3 p.m., and the chaperone rule doesn't apply until 6.

If relatives are coming to stay for the fair and the rodeo weekend, or you're thinking about how close your next home should be to Hirsch Memorial Coliseum and the fairgrounds, Murcia & Co. can show you how Shreveport's neighborhoods connect to the places you go every fall. Let's Connect.