If you go
5-10 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. 1-11 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Through April 5. Admission fee: $1-$8. Turner Field Grey Lot, 655 Central Ave. S.W., Atlanta. eventbee.com/v/theatlantafair.
To get a true visual definition of the Atlanta Fair, just hop into a Ferris wheel bucket for a bird’s eye view of Turner Field’s Grey Lot where the carnival runs through April 5.
As a steady stream of interstate traffic flashes by, the festivities burst to life below. A fleet of rides spin and tumble, and guests scream and cackle in delight. Countless vibrant bulbs light up the night and the wafting scent of fried confections disperses into the air.
So goes the drill at the Atlanta Fair, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The annual spectacle, owned and operated by Atlanta-based Peachtree Rides, drops carnival revelry smack dab in the middle of city.
Originally located at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, the fair moved directly across the interstate in 1993 when crews broke ground on Turner Field. According to fair fun director Becky Guthrie, attendance doubled after the move, likely due to higher visibility.
Its location means the Atlanta Fair remains decidedly urban. You won’t find livestock shows or the more rural aspects of the traditional fair. Instead you might see a robotics team from a local school showing off their mechanical creations. Agriculture competitions get put out to pasture in favor of a filmmaking contest that encourages kids to shoot and create their own fair commercial. The winner scores free tuition to a summer camp.
Yet you can’t deny the general timelessness of the Atlanta Fair, where carnies hawk games of skill, decadent fried food dominates and stomach churning rides defy gravity. Step right up and take a bite out of the following not-to-miss highlights.
RIDE ON
The Atlanta Fair’s star attraction continues to be its large selection of rides. More than 30 of them help illuminate what organizers dub its Magnificent Midway. Walk an entire loop around the midway, and you’ll chalk up half a mile. You’ll find everything from benign kid-friendly attractions to white-knuckle thrills. Individual ride tickets cost $1.25, with most rides requiring two to four tickets each. Unlimited ride armbands are $25 for use Mondays-Fridays from 5-9 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1-6 p.m.
The Experience rivals anything you’d come across at Six Flags. Each of the ride’s three arms feature a pair of cars on the end. As the arms lift off the ground, the entire ride spins around while each of the cars, attached to a pivot, continuously tumble forward and backward.
You can’t miss the massive Frenzy, a towering pendulum that swings riders back and forth with g-force intensity. Made in Holland, the Frenzy makes its stateside debut at the Atlanta Fair.
The sensation of flying can be had by taking a spin on the Cliffhanger. Riders lay flat on a bed-like car that lifts off the ground. As the ride rotates, rises and falls, guests make like Superman and cut through the sky.
Need a break from the jarring, abdominal-testing attractions? Take a laid-back ride on one of two Ferris wheels, each offering different perspectives of the city’s skyline.
EYES ON THE FRIED
Although you can nosh on sausage and peppers, pizza, cotton candy and other standard-issue carnival culinary treats, fried food takes center stage. The funnel cakes, served with a snowy blanket of powdered sugar, score high marks with the right amount of exterior crunch and inner fluff. Fried Oreo cookies can be had in a single serving, but go ahead and leave caloric concern behind and spring for a money-saving plate of six. Deep-fried candy bars offer a gooey chocolate surprise housed inside a doughy cocoon.
DEALS TO BE HAD
Make sure and check the Atlanta Fair’s Facebook page for special events and deals. Each week they’ll announce surprise freebies. The Reading for Rides program encourages school kids to read a book in exchange for free gate admission.
About the Author
