Dallas Area Rapid Transit and Dallas Police are preparing for the busiest weekend of the State Fair of Texas. More than 100,000 people are expected this weekend, with Texas playing Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl at 11 a.m. Saturday.
"Just like the rest of North Texas, DART is very excited about the return of the Texas/OU game this weekend," says DART's Gordon Shattles. "Texas/OU weekend has always been one of our highest ridership days."
"Just like the rest of North Texas, DART is very excited about the return of the Texas/OU game this weekend," says DART's Gordon Shattles. "Texas/OU weekend has always been one of our highest ridership days."
Shattles says trains start filling up about three hours before kick-off. DART will have volunteers available at stations to answer questions from people who may only use the system once a year.
"If it's your first time coming to DART or you're going to the fair and don't know how to get there, make sure you look for them," he says. "They're all branded. You'll see them in DART t-shirts, and they're more than willing to help everyone get back and forth where they need to go."
DART has two stations that serve the area around the Cotton Bowl: Fair Park Station is near the main entrance to the fairgrounds; MLK Station is near Gate 6, near the intersection of Highway 352 and Martin Luther King Blvd.
Shattles says extra trains and buses will start running three hours before the game and for three hours after the game. Trinity Railway Express will also run extra trains. Parking is free in DART lots.
Federal guidelines require masks on all public transit. Shattles says masks will be given to those who do not have one. More information about scheduling, routes and COVID precautions are available here.
Dallas Police will have additional officers working Saturday.
"We'll have additional resources, not only inside the Cotton Bowl for the game, but for the exterior portion of the fair as well as outside the fair," says Deputy Chief Mike Igo.
Igo says extra officers will be working in entertainment districts like Deep Ellum. He says they will be controlling traffic and may shut down streets that become too crowded.
"I would say be prepared to park outside those areas and potentially walk a little bit," he says.
Inside Fair Park, Igo urges people to remove valuable items from their cars or hide them out of sight of people who might look in windows. He also encourages parents to bring recent pictures of their kids in case they get separated.
"We're able to relocate them, but it just helps to have that information on-hand where we can put that information and get it out to our officers as quickly as possible," Igo says.
This year, the State Fair of Texas has security teams working with Dallas Police. The two say they started working together and with the fair's outside security in February to develop a plan.
Security teams, many of which include retired officers, will act as "ushers" to help people find seats at concerts. They can also give directions or help people find things they have lost. The State Fair of Texas says that will then free police to respond to emergencies.
Also this year, police have been walking among crowds at Fair Park rather than staying anchored in towers in one spot.
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