Free weekday entry before 1 p.m. and Senior Day offer savings, while Wake Forest’s home football game brings special parking arrangements Oct. 3.
WS Chronicle | Staff Report
The Carolina Classic Fair opens Friday, Oct. 2, in Winston-Salem with free weekday admission before 1 p.m. and a special parking plan for visitors arriving during Saturday’s Wake Forest football game.
The city-owned fair runs through Oct. 11. Its $5 online admission presale is scheduled to end at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1. Ticketmaster fees are added at checkout, according to the fair’s presale announcement.
Regular admission for ages 6 and older is listed at $10, or $13 when purchased at the gate. Children 5 and younger enter free. Rides cost extra; admission is not included in ride wristbands.
When admission costs less
The fair advertises $5 admission on opening day and $3 admission Tuesday, Oct. 6. Adults 55 and older enter free that Tuesday for Senior Day, which also includes $3 rides and selected vendors’ $3 food specials.
On Wednesday, Oct. 7, visitors can receive free admission by bringing five nonperishable food items for Crisis Control Ministry. The fair also offers free admission that day for people with special needs and their aides. Quiet hours are scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with ride lights, music and sound effects turned off or reduced.
The website lists a $3 gate surcharge on paid admission but does not clearly state whether it applies to the advertised promotional prices. Visitors should confirm their final price before purchasing.
The new early-entry offer provides free admission before 1 p.m. Monday through Friday. General operating hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays. Ticket gates close at 9 p.m. The midway opens at noon on weekdays.
Saturday’s parking plan
Wake Forest hosts Stanford at noon Saturday, Oct. 3, at Allegacy Financial Stadium during Family Weekend, overlapping the fair’s first Saturday.
Fair officials encourage visitors arriving between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to use the free shuttle lots at 2400 Reynolda Road or the church lot at 3730 University Parkway. The shuttles are scheduled to run through 11 p.m. Wake Forest’s parking page lists shuttle service starting two hours before kickoff, or 10 a.m. Visitors planning a 9 a.m. arrival should confirm the start time with the fair before relying on a shuttle.
The fair lists first-come, first-served parking at the Pepsi and Senior Services lots for $40, and at the Second Harvest and Whitaker Lofts lots for $30. Officials say parking fees will return to $10 after football traffic clears; they do not give a fixed time for that change.
Advance parking in the fairgrounds’ VIP Leaf Lot is unavailable Oct. 3.
Beyond the midway
The fair’s livestock program includes beef and dairy cattle, sheep, goats, swine and miniature horses and ponies, with several junior competition categories. Organizers say the competitions welcome exhibitors from outside the area as well as local participants.
Opening weekend’s grandstand schedule includes a demolition derby at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Figure 8 racing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday. The Band Perry and Blake Whiten are scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 6; We Are Messengers and Cade Thompson follow Wednesday, Oct. 7. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m.
More than 250,000 people attended the 2025 fair, according to WFDD. The station reported that police described that event as free of major disruptions after new conduct rules were introduced.
Visitors should review the fair’s current security rules before leaving home. The published policy requires bag inspections and security screening and prohibits items including weapons, coolers and drones.
Current admission offers, schedules and parking information are available at carolinaclassicfair.com. The fair’s information number is 336-727-2236.