If you go: Admission, hours, parking and more, through Monday, Oct. 19
Wednesday, Oct. 14: Opening day at the fair
Gate admission: $10 ages 6-54, $7 ages 55 and older; free for those ages 2-5, as well as active and retired military and their dependents with proper identification.
Youth admission: All youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent at least 21 years old to be admitted after 6 p.m. daily. Those 18 and older may be asked to show a valid driver’s license after 6 p.m.
Parking: $5 cash only in the fairgrounds parking lot.
OPENING DAY HIGHLIGHTS
Hours: Gates open at noon; buildings noon-10 p.m., Midway 3 p.m.-midnight
Special gate promotion: $1 admission for everyone (at gate only)
Rides: Pay-one-price ride day
Grandstand entertainment: Thomas Rhett, 7 p.m., $20 (includes gate admission)
Thursday, Oct. 15
Gate admission: $10 ages 6-54, $7 ages 55 and older; free for those ages 2-5, as well as active and retired military and their dependents with proper identification.
Youth admission: All youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent at least 21 years old to be admitted after 6 p.m. daily. Those 18 and older may be asked to show a valid driver’s license after 6 p.m.
Parking: $5 cash only in the fairgrounds parking lot.
THURSDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Hours: Admission gates and buildings, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Midway, noon-11 p.m. (subject to change)
Special gate promotion: College day – college students with valid college ID get free admission.
Rides: Pay-one-price ride day
Lunch promotion: From noon to 2 p.m., exchange $5 for a ticket at the ticket booth and receive a $5 refund when you return your ticket to the booth by 2 p.m. Cash only.
Grandstand entertainment: No show tonight
Check it out: Swifty Swine Racing and Swimming Pigs are back. Gather around as “Swifty” the swimming pig plunges into an 8-foot tank and four piglets haul bacon around the track. It’s the fastest pig race you’ll ever see and you can find it daily in front of the Nut Cattle Arena.
Friday, Oct. 16
Gate admission: $10 ages 6-54, $7 ages 55 and older; free for those ages 2-5, as well as active and retired military and their dependents with proper identification.
Youth admission: All youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent at least 21 years old to be admitted after 6 p.m. daily. Those 18 and older may be asked to show a valid driver’s license after 6 p.m.
Parking: $5 cash only in the fairgrounds parking lot.
FRIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Hours: Admission gates and buildings 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Midway hours noon-11 p.m.(subject to change)
Rides: Pay-one-price ride day
Lunch promotion: From noon to 2 p.m., exchange $5 for a ticket at the ticket booth and receive a $5 refund when you return your ticket to the booth by 2 p.m. Cash only.
Grandstand entertainment: Shawn Mendes, 7 p.m.
Check it out: The fair’s talented sand artists will convert 75,000 tons of sand into creative wonders before your eyes. In the Ellison Building, the sand piles are being converted into a giant ear of corn to celebrate the fair’s agricultural roots, while the sand in the Ruff Building is being transformed to Jurassic Kingdom.
Saturday, Oct. 17
Gate admission: $10 ages 6-54, $7 ages 55 and older; free for those ages 2-5, as well as active and retired military and their dependents with proper identification.
Youth admission: All youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent at least 21 years old to be admitted after 6 p.m. daily. Those 18 and older may be asked to show a valid driver’s license after 6 p.m.
Parking: $5 cash only in the fairgrounds parking lot.
SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Hours: Admission gates and buildings 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Midway hours 11 a.m.-midnight(subject to change)
Rides: 2 people ride for the price of one, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Gate promotion: Free admission for Boy Scouts and leaders wearing official Boy Scout uniforms or cap and T-shirt; Girl Scouts and leaders wearing the official Girl Scout tunic, sash or vest and membership pin; and American Heritage Girls wearing the official American Heritage Girls membership pin.
Grandstand entertainment: The Volunteers/United States Army Field Band, 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., free with gate admission.
Check it out: Balloonopolis is creating a farm 30 feet across and 15 feet high - entirely out of balloons. Fair patrons can watch the farm take shape and talk to the artists as they create farm animals, a corn field, a watermelon patch and apple trees. It’s being featured each day in the Ellison Building.
Sunday, Oct. 18
Gate admission: $10 ages 6-54, $7 ages 55 and older; free for those ages 2-5, as well as active and retired military and their dependents with proper identification.
Youth admission: All youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent at least 21 years old to be admitted after 6 p.m. daily. Those 18 and older may be asked to show a valid driver’s license after 6 p.m.
Parking: $5 cash only in the fairgrounds parking lot.
SUNDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Hours: Admission gates and buildings noon-10 p.m.; Midway, noon-11 p.m. (subject to change)
Greatest Grandparent Ceremony: 1:30 p.m. in the Grandstand
Grandstand entertainment: Glady Knight, 6 p.m., $20 (includes gate admission)
Check it out: Enjoy a unique experience at the Heritage Pioneer Village, where you can hear about and witness demonstrations of how young America grew to become all it is today. See how our ancestors cut wood, made syrup and more. The exhibit is on display each day on Academic Avenue.
Monday, Oct. 19
Gate admission: $10 ages 6-54, $7 ages 55 and older; free for those ages 2-5, as well as active and retired military and their dependents with proper identification.
Youth admission: All youth under age 18 must be accompanied by a parent at least 21 years old to be admitted after 6 p.m. daily. Those 18 and older may be asked to show a valid driver’s license after 6 p.m.
Parking: $5 cash only in the fairgrounds parking lot.
MONDAY HIGHLIGHTS
Hours: Admission gates and buildings, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Midway, noon-11 p.m.(subject to change)
Rides: Pay-one-price ride day
Lunch promotion: From noon to 2 p.m., exchange $5 for a ticket at the ticket booth and receive a $5 refund when you return your ticket to the booth by 2 p.m. Cash only.
Grandstand entertainment: No show tonight
Check it out: Have you visited the fair’s new Hampton Plaza? The new outdoor area at the Rosewood Drive entrance features a grassy, landscaped area that is serving at the site of this year’s “Enter the Dino” exhibit. A new 36,000-square-foot Goodman building at the opposite end of the fair provides a diverse shopping area for patrons.
Provided by the S.C. State Fair
This story was originally published October 13, 2015 at 5:05 PM with the headline "If you go: Admission, hours, parking and more, through Monday, Oct. 19."