The Colorado State Fair is an 11-day event held yearly in late August and early September. Admission prices are lower from Monday through Thursday than on weekends and children younger than six are admitted to the fair for free. Visitors can buy tickets or unlimited ride bands for carnival rides. For a small fee, visitors can park in public lots between Northern and Mesa Avenues. There's also free parking at the garage on Main Street, from which visitors can take advantage of shuttle service to the fair's main gate. Leave your weapons, pets, coolers and outside drinks or food at home, as they aren't allowed inside the fairgrounds.
The fair has many diverse attractions, ranging from a holiday bazaar to a demolition derby. On the weekends, visitors can check out one of the fair’s parades, which include the Colorado State Fair Parade, featuring more than 100 floats, the Kid's Day Parade and the Fiesta Day Parade. Meanwhile, at the fair's midway between Mesa and Prairie Avenues, the carnival lights up the days and nights with its Ferris wheel, kiddie rides and special rides, such as mechanical bull riding, pony rides, zip lining and a bungee ride that sends two riders about 100 feet in the air. Fair organizers also offer a variety of free events, including the Children's FFA Barnyard petting zoo, farm displays, an art show and the Sandscapes Sand Castle display, which sand sculpting artists create during the course of the fair.
Every night before the rodeo, visitors can take a free "Behind the Chutes" tour to see the livestock and get a better look at the arena. The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association sanctions the rodeo at the fair. The rodeo has nightly attractions, such as audience interaction on Fridays or military discounts on Sundays. In addition to a monster truck show held during the fair’s first weekend, the Colorado State Fair also has nightly concerts that feature local and regional performers as well as national headliners.
Several hotels partner with the fair, including Wingate by Wynham, Springhill Suites, LaQuinta Inn and Suites, Radisson Hotel Colorado Springs Airport, Quality Inn and Suites, Hampton Inn and Suites, Clarion Inn and the Courtyard Pueblo Downtown, all located within a few miles of the fairgrounds. An even closer option is the Rusted Poppy Inn, a bed and breakfast that is less than a mile away in Pueblo's historic district. It has three rooms, each with a private bathroom.
