What Items Are Banned At The Oklahoma State Fair This Year?

As of today, we're less than a month away from the 118th annual Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City. It's one of two state fairs we have here; the fair in OKC is the official state fair versus the county fair in Tulsa that eventually became a state fair because of its scale.

Most of the time, the fair is exciting and an incredibly unique experience for anyone who attends, including native Oklahomans.

There have a been a few "bad apple" occasions at the state fair, but the staff who put this gigantic event on every year do their best to prevent these issues by not allowing certain items to come through the fair gates.

Despite the fact Oklahoma allows firearms in most places, they are not allowed at the State Fair.

Firearms, pocket knives, switchblades, and any other item that could be used as a dangerous weapon are not allowed at the Oklahoma State Fair. They do have security screenings in place at the front gates of the fair that everyone is subject to when they decide to attend.

While a lot of places in Oklahoma allow firearms, even open carry, the Oklahoma State Fair is not one of them. Things are a big more strict now than before due to a recent incident in 2023 where a young man, only 19-years-old, brandished a firearm in self defense and shot one other person after a fight broke out.

Reports say that the victim made a full recovery and was released from the hospital after three weeks of treatment.

@hlhbbyg this is how my night went hbu?#greenscreenvideo #okstatefair #okc #okcfair #okcfairgrounds #gunviolenceawareness #fairshooting ♬ original sound - H

Despite how it may sound, this is the only time there has ever been a shooting at the Oklahoma State Fair in over 100 years - and last year's was just as fun and wonderfully uneventful as every year before the incident.

One of the reasons things almost always goes so well is because everyone who walks through those doors to come to the fair all agree to follow the same rules and treat each other with respect, the way most Oklahomans do in general.

While some of the prohibited items are things that make sense (i.e. fireworks, motorcycles and ATV's), there are some that just might surprise you.