First time? Start here.
The first-timer’s guide
Admission is free and the gates open at 9 AM, Friday through Sunday after Thanksgiving. First-time visitors tend to ask the same few questions, and they’re all answered below.
the Make-Your-Own Tent
Before you go
Admission is free. You don’t need a ticket for each person. You need one parking pass per vehicle, and it’s good Friday, Saturday and Sunday, so a carful can come back another day without buying another.
Buy the pass ahead. It’s quicker than sorting it out at the gate. After checkout you can add it to Apple Wallet or print a PDF.
A few things run on a clock. Sheepdog herding is at 10:40 AM, the barn raisings are at 11:00 and 1:30, and the free concerts are at 2:30 and 7:00 PM. Crafts, demonstrations, animals and food go on all day.
Wear walking shoes. This is a working farm. You’ll be on grass and gravel most of the day, and the grounds cover many acres.
It runs rain or shine. Tents and covered areas are spread across the grounds. Some outdoor demonstrations depend on the weather.
Coming back Saturday? Your pass still works.
What things cost
Once you’re parked, most of the Fair is free. These are the things that cost money.
At the Fair
- Admission, every personFree
- Choir & orchestra concertsFree
- Craft and farm demonstrationsFree
- Seminars in the Grey and Green BarnsFree
- Hay slide, petting zoo and mazeFree
Costs extra
- Parking pass, per vehicle, all 3 daysSee price
- Make-Your-Own projectsTokens
- Guided farm tour, 1½ hours$25
- Orchard tour$25
- Hand milking at 7 AM$20 · kids $10
- Food from the Fair kitchensVaries
Tours and hand milking take small groups. Reserve ahead.
A first day, hour by hour
Make-Your-Own Tent
Start here while you’re fresh. Projects take a little while, and stations take tokens you buy at the tent.
Sheepdog herding
A trained sheepdog gathers a flock on whistle commands. Fence space goes quickly.
Early lunch
Lines build before the 2:30 concert. The mini barn raising for kids starts at 11:30 too.
Craft Market
Pottery at noon and fiber arts at 1:00, with blacksmiths, woodworkers and weavers working all day.
Barn raising
A 1,200-square-foot timber frame goes up by hand. Wait behind the lines until the crew asks guests to lift.
Afternoon concert
The HYM Choir and Orchestra, more than 200 young singers, at the Heritage Center.
Last stop
The hay slide and maze, soap making in the Craft Market, or the 4:00 farm or orchard tour if you reserved one.
Evening concert
The Heritage Choir and Orchestra, 400-plus voices. The Fair’s biggest performance.
worth staying for
Times come from the preliminary 2026 schedule and can change. Check the full schedule the week of the Fair.
Kids, teens and grandparents
Small kids
The Activities Field has the giant hay slide, the petting zoo and a Texas-sized maze, all free and open all day. There are pony rides and trackless train rides, and a mini barn raising just for kids at 11:30. Strollers are welcome. At Make-Your-Own stations, parents stay with their children.
Teens and tinkerers
Leatherwork, woodworking and pottery at the Make-Your-Own Tent. Glass blowing at 11:00 and forge work at the Heritage Forge. Horse training, including “Tame Your Own Mustang,” at 12:00 and 4:15. And there’s a beam to lift at either barn raising.
Grandparents and easy walkers
Seminars run in the Grey and Green Barns from morning through afternoon. Both concerts are at the Heritage Center. A horse-drawn hayride gives an unhurried look at the grounds, and the Craft Market has sourdough at 10:00, cheese making at 3:00 and soap making at 4:00.
The night before
Tick things off as you go. The list remembers what you’ve checked on this device.
Before you leave the house
Questions people ask
- Do I need a ticket for each person?
- No. Admission is free for everyone. You need one parking pass per vehicle, however many people ride in it.
- Can we come back another day?
- Yes. One parking pass covers your vehicle all three days, Friday through Sunday.
- What time does it start and end?
- Gates open at 9 AM each day. Demonstrations and the Make-Your-Own Tent run through the afternoon (the tent closes at 5 PM), and the evening concert starts at 7:00 PM.
- How long should we stay?
- Most first-timers spend a full day. With only a morning, come for sheepdog herding at 10:40 and the 11:00 barn raising. With only an afternoon, catch the 1:30 barn raising and the 2:30 concert.
- What if it rains?
- The Fair is open rain or shine, with tents and covered areas throughout. Some outdoor demonstrations are weather-permitting.
- Where do we park?
- Set your GPS for 747 Dry Creek Road, Waco, TX 76705, then follow event signs. Fair volunteers will direct you to a lot. Turn-by-turn directions.
- Is there food for special diets?
- A gluten-free kitchen serves gluten-free pizza and dairy-free baked goods. For other allergies, ask at each booth before you order.
- Do the farm tours fill up?
- They can. Farm tours take 35 people, the orchard tour 20 and hand milking 10. Tours leave from Farm Tour Pickup; arrive at least 5 minutes early.
- Can I keep my tickets on my phone?
- Yes. Add each ticket to Apple Wallet after checkout or download a PDF. To reopen them later, paste the order link from your confirmation email under “Already ordered?” on the tickets page.
- Who can I ask about something else?
- Email info@homesteadfair.com.
See y’all at the Fair!
Nov 27–29
Admission is free. One parking pass covers your vehicle Friday through Sunday.
Get parking passes See the schedule