Cotton Bowl Stadium Parking Guide

Last verified: October 2, 2026. We checked the State Fair of Texas, Fair Park, Texas and Oklahoma athletics, DART, Dallas Trinity FC, SpotHero, ParkWhiz and Vivid Seats pages listed under Sources. Prices can change.

Options at a glance

Prices as published on October 2, 2026. App prices are for the October 10 game.

State Fair lots: price and rules

The Fair runs September 25 through October 18. Its parking FAQ sets one price, $25 a space at official lots, and its August 17 announcement says that applies every day and is $5 less than in 2025, a cut made after fairgoer feedback.

• Where: the Fair calls the Gate 2 lot, 925 S. Haskell Ave., the most convenient: take I-30 exit 48A, turn left on Haskell and go straight through the Parry Avenue light. In 2025 it also listed lots at Gates 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13 and 15.
• Payment: cash or card at the gate. The FAQ mentions "pre-paid" spaces but not where to buy one.
• Spaces: first come, first served. Adjacent spaces may not be reserved.
• Hours: the Fair says parking gates open at 9:30 a.m. DART's Fair page says 9 a.m.
• Overnight: prohibited, except in designated RV lots on Texas-OU weekend. Fair Park says cars left overnight can be towed.
• Size: Fair Park counts over 14,000 spaces inside the park. Its stadium page says 12,000.
• Tailgating: Fair Park says it "varies by event." We found no 2026 State Fair rules on tailgating, grills or tents.

Upcoming events at the stadium

Football dates are from the State Fair, Texas and Oklahoma. November dates come from the ParkWhiz listings behind the club's parking link, matched on Vivid Seats.

Tickets for both October games include State Fair admission that day. Vivid Seats lists DC Power FC as the October 17 opponent; the State Fair names Club Chivas.

Private lots near Fair Park, priced for October 10

Fair Park says private lots next to the park also sell parking. We priced the game on two apps.

SpotHero. For 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., SpotHero listed 19 lots. Three were about a 15-minute walk away: 1721 J.B. Jackson Jr. Blvd. at $64.35, 3210 Pennsylvania Ave. at $85.80 and 1701 J.B. Jackson Jr. Blvd. at $106. The other 16, in and around Deep Ellum, were $3.74 to $20.41. Prices include SpotHero's service fee.

ParkWhiz. ParkWhiz had 12 lots available. The five within about half a mile were $82.50 to $97.79, and six on S. 2nd Ave., Hamilton Ave., Carl St. and Trunk Ave. were $66.69 to $77. The last, 2909 Canton St., about 1.3 miles out, was $24.61. Prices include a platform fee, $17.49 on one $75 lot. Four lots, Canton St. among them, can't be booked before 1:30 p.m.

The pattern: close costs $64 or more, and anything under $25 means walking more than a mile.

Rideshare and taxis

• During the Fair, rideshare and taxis stage on Haskell Ave. to 4206 Gurley Ave., drop-off and pickup only. The Fair calls it the most efficient spot.
• The taxi stand is at Pacific and Gurley, just outside Gate 1.
• For Dallas Trinity FC matches, rideshare is at the Science Place 1 building, through Gates 5 and 6.

Getting there on DART

The Green Line stops at Fair Park Station, on Parry Avenue at the fairgrounds entrance, and at MLK, Jr. Station, near Gate 6. On Fair weekends Orange Line trains serve Fair Park too, and trains run through every 10 minutes. From downtown, board a Green or Orange Line train marked "BUCKNER."

On October 10, DART's game-day plan adds four special Red Line trains from Parker Road Station. Shuttles from six locations run to Lot 8 by the Midway Gate from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the last one back leaves at 8 p.m. One shuttle stop, SMU/Mockingbird, has no parking.

A 3-hour pass is $3, a local day pass $6 and a regional day pass $9. Park-and-ride lots are free, except J.B. Jackson, Jr. Transit Center during the Fair. On Fair weekends the last Green Line train connecting to the last TRE to Fort Worth leaves Fair Park at 11:11 p.m.

Accessible parking and drop-off

• In State Fair lots, accessible spaces need a disabled license plate or hang tag. No separate price is published.
• Fair Park says accessible parking is first come, first served. Ask an attendant for directions on arrival.
• During the Fair, HomeTown Mobility rents wheelchairs for $30 a day and scooters for $80 a day, per the Fair's FAQ.
• The stadium's ADA elevators are at Gate A. DART rail cars have a low-floor center section.
• Not published: how many accessible spaces there are, where they are, or any shuttle from the lots.

What this guide doesn't recommend

• Booking the cheapest app lot for an early start. ParkWhiz's $24.61 Canton St. lot can't be booked before 1:30 p.m., and it is about 1.3 miles out.
• Driving to SMU/Mockingbird Station for the shuttle. DART says it has no parking.
• Leaving a car overnight. Outside the Texas-OU RV lots, Fair Park can tow it.
• Arriving close to kickoff. The Fair says more than 100,000 people come for this game, and DART says trains start filling more than two hours early.