Tampa’s Deep-Fried Playground Where Diets Go To Die

The midway at the 2026 Florida State Fair is colorful and energetic. It hosts dozens of rides, carnival games, food vendors, and hawkers.

The annual Florida State Fair kicked off last week and is bigger and better than before. There are dozens of food vendors, rows and rows of exhibitors in the Expo Hall, a country mile wide selection of agriculture and livestock, and a huge midway of carnival rides and games, all celebrating the 250th year of our country. There are food-eating contests, thrill shows, a petting zoo, and animal races to entertain fairgoers of all ages.

I am here for the fair food. I’m not browsing quilts or judging livestock. I’m here for the butter. It’s my annual trek into the sugar high, fat-fried, filling fare — a sacred journey into the ridiculous. The hell with healthy, LFG!

The air smells like hot oil and cinnamon: then it's onions, then bacon. I’ve done my research (you should too) and determined which of the 32 new food treats I’m going to sample. The tough part is deciding what dishes are gimmicks and which are really freaky culinary treats. There are no prices on any of the food promotional material, so I prepare myself. Wow.

The most outrageous thing on the midway? The Reese’s Pieces donut bacon cheeseburger from Deanna’s ($18). It’s not a burger, it’s a dare. It’s a beef patty stacked with bacon and American cheese, inside a glazed donut, topped with Nutella, vanilla icing, and pieces of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The donut is unbranded. No Krispy Kreme like other booths in past years.

It checks every fair-food box: salt from the bacon, creaminess from the cheese, sweetness from literally everything else. But balance? It’s not a part of this program. The donut, Reese’s, Nutella, and vanilla crème gang up on the beef. The burger flavor barely gets a word in before it’s drowned in overdone sweetness. But I appreciate the unbridled and excessive effort. This is what the fair does best. It takes familiar dishes to the edge of ridiculousness. Not to be outdone price-wise, a cup of lemonade from Deanna’s is $12 (no refills). It’s a masterclass in captive audience economics. I’m here for the spectacle. This is a good start!

I head over to Chester’s Gators & Taters for a deep-fried Cuban burrito. It purports to be a Cuban sandwich wrapped in a tortilla and deep-fried. Going in, I’m thinking, if you are going to offer a Cuban sandwich anything in Tampa, it had better be damn good. When they put it in my hands, it smells like a Cuban sammie, but it struggles to look like the promo pic, which has AI-like qualities. Using AI is a deceptive food marketing practice and should be prohibited by fair authorities. The burrito is warm and crispy and stuffed with ham, pork, Swiss cheese, mustard, and fried pickle chips. While the dough is crispy on the outside, it's too thick and chewy in spots where it's been rolled up. There's some nice leftover peppery punch at the end. It’s reminiscent of Tampa’s signature sandwich, but for nearly $20, it could use more love.

Next, a Hot Honey Jalapeño Popper donut sounds interesting, with whipped jalapeño cream cheese, bacon crumbles, jalapeño slices, and a drizzle of hot honey. But when I get there, it looks very unappealing, again, unlike the promotional image online. Going with the theory that we eat with our eyes first, I decide to skip it, but I’m not giving up!

The Dill Devil ($10) at The Pickle Jar booth holds a lot of promise. It's a whole dill pickle with the innards scooped out, filled with a creamy, cheesy deviled filling, and topped with red pepper flakes. It is delicious! The pickle is a crispy, briny, dill with a perfect acidic lean. The filling is cheesy and creamy, and a delicious match to balance the pickle. The red pepper flakes on top cap off this awesome combo. The Dill Devil gets my vote for 1st place in this year’s lineup.

When I first saw the Sushi Corn Dog on the menu, it caught my attention. What is it? A California roll dunked in corn dog batter and fried? Perhaps a nice slice of sashimi wrapped in that same batter and popped into the grease? Nope! It’s just a corn dog, removed from its skewer, sliced into sushi-sized pieces, and topped with various toppings. It’s a gimmick. I pass.

Instead, I head over to Golden K Dog, where they are serving up mozzarella corndog-style. Their Cinna-mozza isn't a dog at all. It’s a large cube of mozzarella cheese on a stick dipped in corn dog batter and fried. It is then dunked in salted butter, sprinkled with cinnamon sugar, and topped with crispy Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal. Think: warm, grilled, stretchy cheese meets cinnamon toast on a stick. It's not your grandma’s corndog, and it's good.

I’m about to pop, but I decide I can handle one more treat. The PB a& J Funnel Cake Sandwich offers a bit of tradition while adding some modern flair. Warm peanut butter and sweet grape jelly are sandwiched between two powdered-sugar-dusted funnel cakes, and it is a messy fair delight. The fluffy curls of that warm cake have crispy, golden edges and a spongy slightly chewy interior. The creamy peanut butter and sweet jelly are just right. Our faces and shirts look like they’ve been through a powdered-sugar blizzard by the time we finish, but it is a two-napkin treat to end this culinary journey.

Entertianment

There’s so much to see and do at the fair that it’s impossible to experience everything in one day. Thankfully, officials updated the official fair app (available in the app stores), and it’s actually very helpful. The app has a clean, easy-to-use interface with photos of featured food items pinned to a live map. You can see where you are to get directions to any booth.

It also includes a full entertainment schedule with times and locations. Simple. Useful. And a lot better than wandering in circles looking for that one thing you swore you passed five minutes ago.

The celebration's centerpiece is the America 250 Wheel, a 250-ft-tall Ferris wheel making its debut at the fair. It gives riders spectacular views of the entire fairgrounds and is the world's largest portable observation wheel. The $ 7-per-person ticket takes you on a 3-round ride in an enclosed car.

Thrill shows are always fun to photograph, and one of my favorite things about the fair. This year, there are several options, including Water Spectacular: A Salute to the Red, White, & Blue, and a tribute to American Daredevil Evel Knievel.

Animal races are also a crowd favorite, and this year feature racing pigs and some adorable racing Corgis.

There are eating contests every day, including a messy baked potato eating competition, a brain-freezing Icee race, and a gooey doughnut chomping showdown. They are free to enter and fun to watch.

Gate admission is $13 for adults and $7.50 for children during the week. Prices increase on the weekends. Most of the entertainment at the fair, outside the rides, is free with admission.

If you are a carnival ride aficionado, this is the place. Dozens of high-speed rides will help you get your thrill on. For kids, there are slower and gentler experiences. Tickets for rides can be purchased online or at the fair. Armbands for unlimited rides are $35 during the week and $45 on the weekend. They may only be used on the date of purchase. Individual rides can be experienced by buying a refillable card, which gives fairgoers 7 credits for $10.

This year brings a few changes. For the first time, the fair is charging for parking. It’s $15 a pop. A pro tip is to go online and purchase parking in advance online for $10. No matter where you buy parking, plan on spending at least 30 minutes getting to your spot on busy days. The line backs up onto US 301 as every car is stopped on the way in to collect. It’s a disorganized and frustrating pain point.

The fair is bigger and better than ever. The America 250 theme is a respectful salute and a nice backdrop for all of the improvements and fun. Find your foodie friends and make the trip. If you are a photographer, take your gear, practice capturing action and food, and enjoy a day with others. Get the family together and go!

The fair runs through February 16. See it all online here: https://floridastatefair.com/

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