28-07-2025
Big Tex's boots head to D.C.
The rest of the country will soon learn why Big Tex's boots are a big deal.
Driving the news: The size 96 boots are on the road to Washington, D.C., where they will be displayed in a Smithsonian exhibit about state fairs.
Why it matters: Big Tex's boots rarely leave the state. They last traveled to Minneapolis in 1953, for a national Jaycees convention.
Fun fact: Big Tex has multiple pairs of boots. The pair heading to D.C. are old, a spokesperson for the State Fair of Texas tells Axios.
He's worn his current pair of boots since 2023, which feature an Irving resident's art.
Flashback: Big Tex debuted at the 1952 State Fair, wearing size 70 boots and a 75-gallon hat.
In October 2012, an electrical short in his boot caused a fire that stripped the cowboy down to his metal frame.
Big Tex returned to the fair in 2013, wearing new 12 feet tall, 900-pound boots that were replicas of Big Tex's original boots from 1949.
The latest: The boots designated for display are scheduled to arrive in D.C. on Aug. 1 for the Smithsonian American Art Museum's exhibit titled " State Fairs: Growing American Craft."
The exhibit will share how artists have shaped fairs across the country. The Iowa State Fair's life-size butter cow and 700 jars of preserved fruits and vegetables will also be on display.
The exhibit opens Aug. 22 and will close September 2026.
