What to know about getting to the Cotton Bowl for the Red River Showdown on Saturday

Fair Park in Dallas will be buzzing on Saturday as the State Fair of Texas rolls on and fans converge for the 118th edition of the “Red River Showdown.”

The State Fair of Texas opened over the weekend and will continue to operate for most of October. The Star-Telegram has put together a guide on parking, tickets and all the new fried grub at this year’s event.

Next door to the fair at the Cotton Bowl, the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma are facing off at 11 a.m. on Saturday. The Texas-Oklahoma football game has been played at the Cotton Bowl since 1929, with over 100,000 people attending the game every year. Between the State Fair and college football game, it’s sure to be a crowded and packed day at Fair Park.

Here’s what to know about parking and how to get to the game:

Where can I park at the Cotton Bowl?

Parking for the Cotton Bowl is similar to the State Fair of Texas.

Parking in the official State Fair of Texas parking lots cost $20 and all of the lots are located near pedestrian gates and are well lit. Bicycle racks are located inside gates 5, 6 and 11, on a first come first served basis.

The Cotton Bowl is located on the fairgrounds, so any parking around the State Fair of Texas will be in close proximity to the stadium.

Can I take the train to the Cotton Bowl?

Avoid any parking headaches by taking the train to the Cotton Bowl.

The Trinity Railway Express passengers can ride the train from Fort Worth to Dallas. Passengers can get on the TRE train in Fort Worth at Central Station at 1001 Jones St. or T&P Station at 221 W. Lancaster Ave.

Passengers will ride the TRE to Dallas’ EBJ Union Station and then get on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Rail Green Line circulator. This special Saturday-only circulator will take passengers to the Fair Park station at 3710 Parry Ave., which is within walking distance of the fairgrounds.

The Green Line circulator will begin three hours before kickoff at 8 a.m. and operate six trips per hour until three hours after the game ends.

It’s important to note that on Saturday only, the DART Green Line will not stop at Victory Station prior to kickoff at 11 a.m. This means that TRE passengers need to ride the train from Fort Worth until EBJ Station in Dallas and then get on the Green Line circulator to the Fair Park station to attend the Texas vs. Oklahoma game.

The departure times for the last TRE trains from Dallas to Fort Worth on Saturday is 11:30 p.m. from EBJ Union Station and 11:35 p.m. from Victory Station. The last Green Line connection to Victory Station is 10:48 p.m. from MLK, Jr. station and 10:51 p.m. from Fair Park station.

For the entire Fort Worth to Dallas trip, you will need to purchase a TRE regional day pass which costs $12 for adults and $3 for anyone under 19 years old. This type of pass can be purchased at the station or on the GoPass app.

The regional day pass covers travel for TRE and DART services. Meaning that one regional day pass can get you from Fort Worth to Dallas and then onto the DART Green Line circulator to the Fair Park station.

Another option for passengers is to ride the TRE train from Fort Worth to Dallas’ Victory Station and take a shuttle bus to the fairgrounds. On the trip home, passengers need to find the bus that will take them back to Victory Station.

Public transportation options to take to the State Fair

If rideshare or taxis are more of your thing, the State Fair has parking locations just for that.

The rideshare pick-up/drop-off area is located inside gate 5 on the fairgrounds. Patrons can simply exit the grounds near gate 5 and await their ride there.

For taxi passengers, there’s a stand near the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Gurley Avenue outside gate 1.

How many gates are at the State Fair?

There are 12 gates surrounding the State Fair. The fairgrounds map below shows a snapshot of what the fair looks like.

Patrons with tickets to the Texas vs. Oklahoma game, gain free entry into the State Fair of Texas.