Closing Night at the Arizona State Fair

We did opening night on October 1. Four weeks later the fair is down to its last four days, and the last Thursday of it lands on my birthday. Forty-five. Charlotte’s plan for that is the fair, and I’m not going to argue with her. Same gates, same wheel, and as much of the crew as can make it. If you’re reading this, you’re invited. The chat did the math this morning ($5 before 5, $20 after, “this is crazy”) and everybody picked the early lane, so the plan is the gate before 5 with eight of us, and Steven’s crew straight from work right behind, if they can sort out the car. Dinner at La Piñata is still on the table for anyone who can’t make the clock. Either way we end on the SkyRide, because that’s how it’s done now.

• 📅When Thu, Oct 29the fair's last wristband Thursday
• 🎂The occasion Dad is 45Charlotte picked the fair
• 🎟️Beat the clock 5:00 PM$5 admission before 5, at the gate
• 🎢Wristbands By 7:00$60, kids only, rides until 9
• 👪Headcount 9 to 118 before 5, Steven's crew after work
• 🚡Last ride SkyRidebefore the wheel goes dark

👪 The Crew

The invite went out in the family chat yesterday, and by breakfast everybody had landed on the same answer: before 5. There’s room for more. Text me a lane and we’ll find you at the barns.

• 🚙

  Me, Charlotte, GiGi, Sammy + Nathan

  Gate by 4:45

  Five in the truck, Heber-style. School pickup at 3:30, swing by GiGi’s for three, I-17 south, North Lot, gate. Last time that took two hours from the school. This time there’s a stop on the way and a clock at the end, so nobody dawdles.

  • Charlotte: wristband
  • Sammy: wristband
  • Nathan: wristband
  • GiGi + me: $5 gate
• 🚘

  Uncle Joby, Shirley + Elena

  In! Before 5

  Elena’s skipping dance (“it’s too early for her to return”), so they’re beating the clock with us. Wristband at the booth if she wants one.

  • Grown-ups: $5 gate
  • Elena: wristband or gate
• 🚐

  Steven, Rachael + Ryha

  After work, car permitting

  “I’ll see if I can get off early, but worst case I’m off at 4:30 and we will be there.” Rachael and Ryha were a no, then a maybe: they’re coming if they can figure out the car. Steven’s a yes either way. Ryha, baby girl, the rides are waiting.

  • Steven + Rachael: $20 gate
  • Ryha: free
• 🚘

  You?

  Invited!

  Anybody else who wants in on a birthday Thursday at the fair: text me. We’ll be at the North Lot gate around 4:35, the barns after that, and on the SkyRide at the end.

  • Before 5: $5
  • After: $20, kids $12

The crew, as the chat sees itself. More capes than we have people, which is how it should be.

Headcount: nine for sure, eleven if Steven’s car fills up, and more if the chat keeps going. Meet-up spot is the same as last time, the barns by the rabbit cages, which are cool, easy to find, and nobody minds waiting there.

Tonight's shopping list, roughly.

🌮 Dinner First? La Piñata

Everybody picked the $5 gate, so this is now the backup lane: for anyone who can’t make 5:00, or for the birthday weekend. The vote for the one real dinner is La Piñata. The 19th Ave original closed after 45 years (same age as me, which feels like a sign) and moved into the old Mary Coyle spot at 5521 N 7th Ave, about four miles north of the fairgrounds. Same menu, same cheese crisp, 4.5 stars and change on every site that rates it, and prices that don’t hurt. Call ahead for a big table: (602) 279-1763.

The trade-off, in plain numbers. Dinner first means walking up to the gate around 6, after the $5 window, so it’s $20 a grown-up and $12 a kid instead of $5. For the two of us that’s $22 more than the early lane, which is roughly the price of the margarita. Worth it on a birthday. The wristband cutoff is 7, so there’s still time for the kids.

Two lanes, pick one:

As of this morning the whole crew is in the early lane and dinner is corn dogs. If you’re coming later and want the dinner lane, text me and I’ll meet you at the gate.

🗺️ Getting There

19 miles, about 26 minutes without the 4 o'clock traffic. Plan on 45.

Early lane (the plan):

1. 3:30 School’s out. Charlotte in the truck.
2. 3:45 GiGi’s. GiGi, Sammy, and Nathan climb in, shoes already on, please.
3. 3:55 I-17 south to exit 197 (19th Ave / State Capitol), north on 19th Ave.
4. 4:25 North Lot, enter off 19th Ave at Monte Vista or Encanto. $20, all fees in.
5. 4:35 Gate. Metal detectors, bag check, then the $5 admission window at the booth.
6. 4:50 Inside, with ten minutes to spare on the 5 o’clock clock. Joby’s car meets us at the gate or at the barns.

Dinner lane: I-17 south to Bethany Home, east to 7th Ave, south to La Piñata at Missouri by 4:30. After dinner it’s 7th Ave south to Encanto, west to 19th Ave, and the North Lot by 6.

Google Maps directions

Parking, the cheap way. There is no free shuttle on Thursdays (Park n’ Ride at Phoenix College only runs Friday to Sunday), so it’s $20 a car in the North or West Lot. The trick is fewer cars: GiGi’s crew rides with us, Joby’s in one, Steven’s in one, and anybody else rides with somebody. Two lots’ worth of parking for eight people. Ride-share drop-off is at 19th Ave and Encanto, southwest corner of the West Lot, if anyone would rather skip the lot entirely.

🎟️ How We Get In Cheap

Thursday is the cheap day at this fair, and the fair’s own Deals & Promotions page spells it out. Confirm there before buying, since the fine print moves.

• $5
  5-5-5 Deal

  Every grown-up and kid

  Admission is $5 before 5:00 PM on Thursdays and Fridays. On-site only, at the gate. After 5 it’s $20 adult, $12 child.

• $60
  Unlimited Ride Wristband

  Charlotte, Sammy, Nathan, maybe Elena

  Thursdays and Sundays only. Buy and put on by 7 PM, ride until 9. Includes 2 free games. No Sling Shot. Taxes and fees included.

• Free
  Kids 4 & Under

  Ryha

  No ticket, no code, walk in.

• $15
  5 Games for $15

  The game players

  Wristband days only, buy on-site, good that day only. The water-gun race counts.

• $20
  Parking

  Per car

  North or West Lot, open since 10 AM. Oversized $45. No shuttle on Thursdays.

• Free
  State Forty Eight shirt

  Anyone wearing one

  The State Forty Eight x Arizona State Fair collab shirt gets you in free Thursdays noon to 6.

The math:

So the only real lever is the clock: every person who walks through the gate before 5:00 saves $15 (or $7 for a kid). Nothing to buy ahead this time. The $5 deal is on-site only, and the wristbands were bought at the booth last time without a line, so we’ll do that again.

• Official admission prices and hours: Admission & Hours
• Parking and directions: Directions & Parking
• Wristband presale, if anyone wants theirs on a phone ahead of time: tickets-asf.funpassplus.com (same $60)

🕑 The Night, Hour by Hour

1. Act 1: Two lanes3:30 to 6:00
2. 3:30
   School's out

   Regular dismissal. Pickup line early, out of it fast.
3. 3:45
   GiGi's

   Three more in the truck: GiGi, Sammy, Nathan. Then I-17 south with the rest of Phoenix.
4. 4:35
   The gate, before 5$5 each

   The one deadline that costs money. Through the detectors, $5 admission at the booth, in, wristbands on at the first booth, short lines while it’s light. Joby, Shirley, and Elena on the same clock.
5. 4:30
   Dinner lane: La Piñatabackup

   Only for anyone who can’t make the clock. Cheese crisp, then the North Lot by 6.
6. Act 2: Everybody5:00 to 9:00
7. 5:00
   All eight, inside

   Rabbit cages if we’ve split up. Every wristband on by now, with two hours to spare on the 7 PM cutoff, which doesn’t matter to anybody now.
8. 5:39
   Sunset

   Wheel lights on. Euroslide, Sound Storm, carousel, rope bridge, in whatever order the kids pick.
9. 5:30
   Steven's crew lands

   Off at 4:30 worst case, earlier if he can swing it, with Rachael and Ryha if the car works out. Text from the lot and we’ll meet at the barns, then kiddie land.
10. 6:30
    Birthday dinner, fair stylecorn dog

    I’m 45 and I’m having a corn dog. There are $10 everyday deals at most stands, and whatever Charlotte points at is the birthday cake.
11. 7:00
    Battle of the Bands finale

    The Backyard stage, 7:00 to 8:30. We’ll catch it on the way past if the kids are between rides.
12. 7:30
    Turkey Stampede

    Thirty minutes, free, and Ryha-sized. Also 8:15 for the stunt dogs.
13. 8:15
    The water-gun race

    Rematch. Charlotte, Sammy, Nathan, three across. The dumpling needs a friend.
14. 8:40
    The SkyRide

    Last ride, on purpose this time. The whole lit midway under our feet one more time this year.
15. 9:00
    Last entry, and our hard stop

    School tomorrow (early release, but still school). Group photo by the souvenir booth, then the truck.

🎪 Free Shows Tonight

The grandstand on a weekend. Tonight it's the bandstand half of this picture.

From the fair’s own calendar for Oct 29. All free with admission. Thursday is the quiet night on the big stages: the Coliseum concerts wrapped up last weekend and there’s no tribute band, so the live music is two local bands and the Battle of the Bands finale.

Not tonight: the All Star Monster Trucks run the closing weekend in the Grandstand Arena, free with admission: Friday 7 PM, Saturday 2, 4 and 7 PM, Sunday 1 and 5 PM. No wrestling on the fair’s schedule this year. The closest we get tonight is the turkeys at 7:30, chasing a remote-control monster truck named Big Red.

🌤️ Weather Outlook

Mid-80s when school lets out, high 70s once the wheel lights come on, and low 70s for the SkyRide. Two percent chance of rain across every model, which matters because the rest of the fair’s last weekend looks wet. Tonight is the dry one. Shorts and a light layer for Charlotte for the last hour, one factory-sealed water bottle each to get past the gate, and the refill stations do the rest.

🎒 Know Before We Go

• Before 5 is the money rule. The $5 admission is on-site only and the window closes at 5:00 sharp.
• Wristbands by 7, rides until 9. Buy at any ticket booth inside. No Sling Shot.
• Last entry 9 PM on Thursday. Barns close at 9, the halls at 10, the carnival when the big wheel’s lights go dark.
• Bags get checked, everyone walks through the detectors. Clear bags move fastest.
• No outside food. One sealed water bottle or one empty bottle per person.
• Leave home: selfie sticks, anything sharp, anything that looks like a weapon.
• SkyRide minimum is 42 inches. Charlotte, Sammy, and Nathan all cleared it in October.
• Lost-kid plan: barns by the rabbit cages, and Charlotte has my number on her wristband card.

✅ Still to Lock In

• Which day. Tonight, the fair’s last Thursday.
• The cheap plan. $5 gate before 5, wristbands at the booth, one car per family.
• GiGi’s crew. In, riding with us. Pickup at GiGi’s at 3:45.
• Joby, Shirley and Elena. In, before 5. Elena’s skipping dance for it.
• Steven. Coming after work, call it 5:30 at the barns.
• Rachael and Ryha. Trying, if they can figure out the car.
• Early lane or dinner lane. Early, all eight. La Piñata is the backup for latecomers.
• Leave the pickup line by 3:40. The whole plan hangs on it, and now there’s a stop at GiGi’s in the middle.
• One actual corn dog. Non-negotiable, either lane.
• The water-gun rematch. Dumpling, meet your friend.
• One SkyRide, last.

Forty-five, and the plan for the first night of it is a Ferris wheel, a corn dog, and my kid on a wristband. When the lights start to go, you know the drill: get to the SkyRide!