The NC State Fair is a large annual event that takes place on the fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina. Here, visitors can enjoy rides, a variety of food and take a chance at winning prizes through mini-games. I attended the state fair last year in 2022 with a group of friends who were just as excited as I was to try new things. However, despite its promise of fun, The NC State Fair was an unpleasant experience for me because of its traffic complications, how expensive it was and overcrowdedness.
Since the fairground is only a little over a mile away from campus, my friends and I decided that it would be a better idea to walk there than drive due to how severe the traffic would be on the Saturday that we went. Looking back on it now, that was an awful idea because of the lack of sidewalks to get there and the uncontrolled traffic. Drivers were backed up down to campus and cars filled the roadway as well as the sides of the road where we were walking. On top of that, the intersection closest to the fair was chaotic because of the overflow of traffic combined with the large amounts of pedestrians trying to get to the fair. This led me to feel concerned about my safety because, in my opinion, there was a limited amount of authority to keep things regulated considering the outrageous amount of drivers on the road.
Arriving at the entrance, we ended up in a large queue, waiting to purchase tickets to get inside. While the admission ticket price was not deterring, I would like to note that NC State students get a day where they can enjoy reduced admission prices. I will say that, as a Meredith student who is only a mile away from the grounds, this did strike me as a bit unfair. Inside the fair, you have to purchase tickets to get on rides, each ticket was only $2 a piece, however, each ride required around 6 tickets for admission. My friends and I were only able to ride 3 rides that day, having spent about $20 a piece on tickets and $13 for entry. While looking for lunch, we weren’t upset by a lack of options but by the outstanding prices. I spent $5 on a lemonade stand and another $10 on a sandwich that was only the size of my palm. I don’t recall how much I spent after that, but by the end of the day, I am sure I had spent more than $50.
Throughout the time that we were at the fair, I found it hard to actually enjoy hanging out with my friends because of the massive amount of people who were also there. The crowd was hard to squeeze through, my friends and I often being split up or cut off from each other. In most places, it was packed shoulder-to-shoulder with occupants, a definite lack of personal space. I found this to be rather overwhelming and a bit discouraging as far as wanting to spend more time there than I did.
To sum it up, I want to clarify that my intention is not to deter anyone from the experience but rather to share things I feel should be considered before going to the NC State Fair. Despite the traffic, I would not advise walking there. However, Meredith students tend to battle traffic during the fair whether they intend to go to the fair or get to campus because of our proximity to the fair and how backed up traffic is. To get the full experience, I would highly suggest going with a larger budget, whether that be through saving or some other means because as someone on a more limited budget, it was unenjoyable for me because of the large amount of spending. Lastly, I would advise coming prepared to face large crowds, and if you come with a group, keep a buddy system, it’s easy to get lost among the countless visitors. Given my experience, I have no plans of going to the NC State Fair again but I hope that anyone who decides to go will enjoy themselves.
By Elaina Irving, Contributing Writer
Photo by Katherine Erb
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