DALLAS – October 10, 2024 – We are saddened by the recent news regarding our home, Fair Park. We want to reiterate that the State Fair of Texas is not involved in the dispute between Fair Park First, OVG360, and the City of Dallas. This dispute is related to Fair Park’s year-round management. The State Fair of Texas is a private, not-for-profit organization that is a tenant in Fair Park. The State Fair operates under a lease agreement with the City of Dallas. We hope that they resolve this dispute quickly in the best interest of the future of Fair Park and our surrounding community.
We have been a proud partner of the City of Dallas and Fair Park for 138 years. The State Fair generates millions of dollars in funding from the annual fair exposition. It provides a large portion of these funds to the City of Dallas for the historic preservation of Fair Park, with more than $41 million directed to the City for Fair Park over the past ten years. The remaining proceeds we collect fund other important initiatives of our nonprofit mission – Big Tex Urban Farms, Big Tex Scholarship Program, Big Tex Business Masterclass, Big Tex Community Giving Program, and Big Tex Community Engagement Day.