Funky food, rousing rides and toe-tapping tunes: It must be fair time in Tucson

The Pima County Fair opens on Thursday, April 18, and before you head out to the fairgrounds on Tucson’s far-east side, take a minute and imagine how it’s going to smell.

You know where we’re going here.

Can’t you almost taste that sickly sweet and salty bouquet of fresh popped kettle corn interrupted by waves of smoky goodness from burgers and gigantic hot dogs crackling and hissing on a fiery grill?

Smokers exhaling the unmistakable fragrance of giant turkey legs and the saliva-inducing sweetness coming from sizzling deep fryers turning average Oreos and Twinkies into works of heart-clogging goodness.

We know what your first stop is going to be once you enter the 2024 Pima County Fair. You’re heading straight to the food court, that sprawling area not far from the Budweiser Arena stage and the exhibition halls.

Unless, of course, you have kiddos in tow. Then, it’s a quick stop to the kiddie ride section. Hop on the Jumbo Elephant ride, maybe take a spin on the kiddie coaster.

“Yes, we’ll get you cotton candy,” you’ll promise the youngest, and while they get their fingers all sticky with blown sugar, you have your sights set on the wonderful world of all things nacho and taco.

We know we’re not the only ones who roll like that when it comes to the fair April 18-28 at the fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road, off Interstate 10.

The fair is the one place where you can take a family of such wide-ranging personalities, interests, age ranges and likes and everyone will find something to love.

Here’s what we mean:

The rides

There are 58 rides, from the nostalgic favorites like the carousel and the moderately tummy-turning Zipper to the heavy-breathers — those rides that take a few deep breaths and a dare from your bestie before you attempt it — like the G Force, Zero Gravity and the “you’ve got to be kidding me!” Sling Shot that hurls you airborne or Titan, that swings you 17 stories in the sky.

“We’re bringing all of the favorites that Tucsonans have come to love,” said Chris Lopez, vice president of Phoenix-based Ray Cammack Shows Inc., the family-owned company that has been providing carnival rides for fairs and festivals since 1963.

Tucson is the company’s second event of the year, following the behemoth Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo last month that attracted 2.7 million people over three weeks.

RCS also has a presence at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in California, Lopez said.

Pima County Fair ride tickets are available through the RCS FunPass app and rides average four to six tickets. The more daring the ride, the more tickets required, including eight for Joker 360, nine for Mach 1 and 14 for the Titan. No tickets are accepted for the Sling Shot; that’s a cash-only experience.

Pima County Fair has Pepsi Wristband Day (bring an unopened 20-ounce Pepsi product for $5 off the $40 unlimited rides wristband) on April 18, 24 and 25. The sodas will benefit Gospel Rescue Mission.

The eats

In addition to the reliable standbys of nachos and hot dogs, burgers and all things greasy and fried, the Pima County Fair brings back the über popular and fantastically weird Hot Cheeto & Cheese Pickle Pizza, an awkwardly gigantic New York-style pizza slice slathered in a white ranch sauce then topped with mounds of mozzarella, a ton (OK, maybe not quite a ton) of salty dill pickle slices and crushed Hot Cheetos that are drizzled with ranch dill sauce.

You might want to bring along some antacids before you tackle that bad boy.

Or head over to the Dutchmens Funnelcake stand (there are two of them) and cool the burn with a refreshing peaches and cream funnelcake — sliced peaches topping crispy funnelcake topped with cool whipped cream.

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Or you can go a little tropical at the Pineapple Whip stand and order a non-alcoholic Palm Tree Piña Colada Float made with soft serve vanilla ice cream, pineapple juice and coconut cream.

Some other interesting eats at this year’s fair includes the collection of “dirty sodas” — that’s where they add all kinds of interesting and, let’s be honest, weird additions to ordinary soda to create bizarre concoctions including the Coconut Cowboy, Sour Gummy and the bright blue Dolphin Breeze, which we’re pretty sure also includes some sort of gummy intervention.

And, of course, what would a fair in Southern Arizona be if it didn’t have some Sonoran Mexico influences? Hence the collection of chamoy treats, available at Cowboy Kettle Corn, including the traditional watermelon cup and candy watermelon stick, the gushers made with berries and — here’s where we go slightly off script — a candy pickle, with candied chamoy gummy strings stuffed into a pickle making it look almost as if it was growing hair.

The concerts

General admission to the nightly concerts is free with fair admission. If you want to upgrade to a reserved seat, it’s $20 extra. Concerts start at 8 p.m. on Thursdays-Saturdays, 7:30 p.m. all other nights.

Eighties So-Cal big hair rockers Tesla kick things off on Thursday, April 18.

Late 1990s alternative/post-grunge rockers Chevelle are here Friday, April 19.

Country singer Chris Janson headlines Saturday, April 20.

The rapping duo Cowboys & Grillz (That Mexican OT and Paul Wall) are on stage Sunday, April 21.

The Texican rockers Los Lonely Boys headline Monday, April 22.

Accordionist and singer Michael Salgado brings the flavor of Norteño and Tejano on Tuesday, April 23.

We the Kingdom brings contemporary Christian pop on Wednesday, April 24.

Rapper Wiz Khalifa kicks off the closing weekend April 25.

April 26 could be the final chance we see frontman Rome Ramirez with Sublime with Rome; he’s said he will leave the reggae-rock band at the end of the year.

Country singer Dylan Scott is here April 27.

Banda el Recodo, who hasn’t done a Tucson concert in more than a dozen years, returns to close out the fair April 28.

If you go

The Pima County Fair at the fairgrounds, 11300 S. Houghton Road, is open at 3 p.m. Monday-Friday, 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, with varying closing times between 10:30 and 11 p.m.

Admission is $12, $8 for seniors 55 and older and military, $6 for kids ages 6 to 10 and free for kids 5 and younger. Parking is $8. For details, visit pimacountyfair.com/fair.