Figure skating news

Skate America 2024 returns to Dallas area, home of U.S. champ Amber Glenn

Amber Glenn, figure skating, Skate America

Plano native Amber Glenn is the reining U.S. women's champion.

Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images

For the second straight year, some of the world's top figure skaters and ice dancers will kick off their season in Allen, at Skate America. And it could be an even hotter ticket than it was in 2023 if Plano native and reigning U.S. women's champion Amber Glenn is in the lineup.

The first event in the six-stop ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series, Skate America 2024 will take place at Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, October 18-20. The event will encompass women's and men's singles, pairs, and ice dancing competitions. Contestants will include past Olympic medalists, as well as up-and-comers in the mix for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortino, Italy.

While the Skate America competitors typically aren't announced until mid-summer, it's hard to imagine Glenn won't be a headliner.

The 24-year-old skater, who grew up in Dallas-Fort Worth and has trained in McKinney, Frisco, and Euless, thrilled a home crowd inside the Allen arena at Skate America 2023 when she landed a triple Axel successfully for the first time. She became just the fourth American woman to land the notoriously difficult jump in international competition.

While Glenn didn't medal at Skate America, she went on to win the 2024 U.S. Championships a few months later.

Other big American headliners for Skate America could be recently crowned world champs Ilia Malinin (aka "Quad God"), ice dance world champions Madison Chock and Evan Bates, and world silver medalist Isabeau Levito. All competed at 2023 Skate America.

figure skating, Ilia Malinin Will Ilia Malinin and his signature Quad Axel come to Skate America 2024? Facebook/ISU

More big events in the U.S.
U.S. Figure Skating unveiled its calendar of domestically held international events Tuesday, April 23.

The pinnacle event of the season, 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, will take place in Wichita, Kansas, January 20-26, 2025, in what should amount to a preview of the names to watch for the American team headed to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy.

The U.S. also will host the 2025 World Championships from March 23-30 at TD Garden in Boston. The full U.S. qualifying season and domestically held international events calendar can be found here.

U.S. figure skaters topped the medal table with two golds and a bronze at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, and they could do even better at the next Winter Games. Malinin recently won his first world title with a record-setting free skate, Chock and Bates won a second straight ice dance gold, and Levito took a historic silver in the women’s event.

“U.S. Figure Skating is very excited about each of our top-tier events, both at the national and international stages, for the 2024-25 season,” U.S. Figure Skating chief executive Tracy Marek says in a release. “These events span our nation to provide amazing opportunities for skaters at all levels — from our juveniles to adults — as well as our fans and the skating community."

According to the release, tickets for 2024 Skate America and the 2025 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships will go on sale on the following dates:

Skate America:

Thursday, June 6: All-session tickets
Thursday, Aug. 1: Single-session tickets

U.S. Championships:

Thursday, May 16: All-session tickets and hotel packages
Thursday, July 11: Weekend tickets
Thursday, Sept. 19: Championship single-session tickets
Thursday, Dec. 5: Junior single-session tickets

Skate America typically is streamed on Peacock, with highlights broadcast on NBC.

amber glenn celebrities figure skaters ice dancers isu grand prix skate america sports

Free Fair Fun

State Fair of Texas adds dazzling drone show and more free events in 2026

State Fair of Texas Ferris wheel at night

Photo courtesy of State Fair of Texas

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Spending money at the State Fair of Texas is easy to do, so it's nice to know that there's also a long list of free activities for visitors each year, including music, performing artists, educational exhibits, and more.

A number of new free entertainment options are also on the docket for the 2026 event — running September 25-October 18 — including a dazzling new drone show among other highlights, according to a release.

Stars of the Fair, a three-night drone show on October 2-4, features images of Big Tex and other State Fair icons lighting up the sky. Created by Coppell-based Sky Elements, each of the three nights will feature two shows, beginning at approximately 8:15 pm and 9:15 pm.

Other new entertainment choices include Wacky Chad, who delivers an action‑packed, interactive stunt comedy show; daily fountain shows at The Esplanade of State, running every 30 minutes from 1-5 pm; two new exhibitions at the Hall of State; Texas in the Saddle, an innovative and educational horse show; and more.

Drone show at the State Fair of Texas A drone show will be one of many free entertainment options at the 2026 State Fair of Texas. Photo by Kevin Brown

Music and more free performances
As previously announced, the State Fair’s live music lineup will include nearly 100 artists performing across four stages, with the reimagined Chevrolet Main Stage now located inside Fair Park Coliseum.

Main Stage headliners will include Clint Black, La Alianza Norteña, Bowling for Soup, Paul Wall’s Fall Ball, Kansas, 3OH!3, Gym Class Heroes, and more.

Other performers include “¡Fiestas de Marionetas!,” in which a small village of more than 85 handmade marionettes come to life to celebrate a fiesta of color, culture, and creativity, and World of Magic, featuring award-winning illusionists and futuristic elements.

Free fun for the kids
The new children's area called Little Lone Stars Land will feature a variety of kid-friendly entertainers, including Wacky Chad (September 25-October 6), USA Breakdancers (October 7-18), and strongman Mighty Mike.

And visitors should be on the lookout for State Fair-inspired inflatable characters like Little Big Tex, Amy-Dillo, and Champ, who will entertain guests with their wild antics.

Other free fair favorites
At night, the Starlight Parade will light up the Fair Park skyline, featuring over-the-top spectacular floats. The parade wanders through the fairgrounds all 24 nights of the event, bringing a colorful assortment of floats, life-size puppets, animated characters in ornate costumes, and more.

Car lovers can get their fix in two different ways: At the Texas Auto Show, where auto enthusiasts can browse the latest and greatest models, and via Chevrolet's brand-new take on its Ride & Drive event, which gives qualified drivers the chance to get behind the wheel of the most anticipated vehicles of the year.

The fan-favorite Pig Races will return to Chevy Park Plaza, with piglets dressed in racing silks running the course four times a day.

Find these free events and more interactive experiences, photo opportunities, games, product samples, and giveaways offered by State Fair of Texas partners. A full lineup of entertainment options is available at BigTex.com/Attractions.

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