Pate Swap Meet FAQ

Yes! There is NO admission fee to attend the Pate Swap Meet as a visitor. Texas Motor Speedway does charge a $5.00 parking fee per vehicle (paid directly to TMS), but there is no admission fee for the swap meet.

There are no rain delays at the Pate Swap Meet. The event will continue rain or shine; it is our 50-year tradition. This is Texas in the Spring so it is usually warm and sunny. However, Spring thunderstorms and other inclement weather can (and does) happen.

In most years, the DFW area averages a daily maximum temperature between 74 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The minimum temperature is usually between 53 and 59 Fahrenheit. Skys are typical partly cloudy conditions 65% of the time. The chances of a wet day over the last week in April is about 33%.

Oh, heck yes!! For 2022, we are back to our normal location on the west side of the Texas Motor Speedway. The move to the east side of the Speedway for the 2021 event was only a one-year-only thing to allow the Denton County COVID-19 hub to operate without interruption in our usual west side location.

Texas Motor Speedway operates all of the food and drink consessions on its venue. Consession stands are strategically placed thoughout the venue.

You are welcome to bring your own for your own consumption. However, you cannot sell any food or drink you bring in. Also, we have no place to store coolers, you must carry anything you bring in.

Currently, the TMS consessionaires DO NOT sell beer.

You are welcome to bring your own for your own consumption. Same rules apply for other food and drink (see above). Pate has no rule against beer. However, you cannot sell any food or drink you bring in. Only the usual State and and local jusdictional laws for the public consumption of alcholol (which allow it) and public intoxication (which is not allowed) apply.

Typically, this is Texas in the sun, so stay hydrated and bring sun screen. Also, the Pate Swap Meet is a very BIG place; wear good shoes for lots of walking. Be sure to rest when you need to rest.

Yes! Compliant scooters can be rented on-site but a reservation is definitely recommended. See https://www.eventscooters.com

Yes! Certain types of private electric scooters are allowed. Personal scooters ARE(!) allowed as long as they meet the requirements of being used in a federal building or a shopping mall. If your scooter is compliant, you are welcome to bring it. Considering the size of the Pate Swap Meet, you might consider bringing an extra battery.

No. Bicycles are not allowed on the Pate Swap Meet venue between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm each day of the swap-meet.

Private golf carts are NOT allowed at the Pate Swap Meet between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm each day of the swap-meet. There is simply too much foot traffic to safely allow them to operate. The limited numbers of golf carts that are used on the venue are used by authorized Pate Workers such as Parts Haulers and Pate Staff and Security.

Mini-bikes, 3-wheelers and ATV are not allowed on the Pate Swap Meet venue between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm each day of the swap-meet. Also, other types of gas-powered personal vehicles are not allowed in the time period also.

Yes! The speed limit in all areas of the Pate Swap Meet at all times is 5 miles per hour. It will be enforced. This includes not only between the hours of 10 am and 5 pm but during other hours as well. Riding around in the swap meet areas above the speed limit can result in expulsion from the swap meet.

Yes! But all pets must be kept on a leash no longer than six (6) feet at all times.

Absolutely. Pet owners are responsible for cleaning up after their pets at all times.

Yes! The Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) provide the Pate Swap Meet with approximately 180 acres of public parking. TMS charges a $5.00 fee for parking.

The $5.00 parking fee charged by TMS DOES NOT include in-and-out privelanges. If you leave the parking area, you pay the $5.00 fee again to re-enter.

The printed edition of the Pate Times directory is available for free at each entrance gate to the swap meet. It contains listings for all Pate Vendors.

Also, we have an electronic edition called Pate Times Online on our website that contains a full-text search engine function that will search all information provided by each Pate Vendor.

The printed edition of the Pate Times directory will provide the Pate venue address of each Pate Vendor. The directory also provides maps of all Vendor Spaces.

The electronic edition of Pate Time Online also contains a free GPS-A Locator Service available to mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones. For the Pate Vendor selected, the Locator Service will place a green pushpin in the Pate Vendor’s location. The find-me button will also place a blue pushpin in your live real-time location that will follow you as you walk.

The traditional form of payment at swap meets is cash. A few Pate Vendors may have wireless credit card terminals, but not many.

Please note that all purchases are private transactions between you and the Pate Vendor you are dealing with. The Pate Swap Meet is not a party to any transaction and provides no payment services.

Yes. We have a supplier that will place a limited number of ATM machines around the venue in strategic locations.

For heavy or bulky purchases, the Pate Swap Meet provides a free Parts Hauling Service that will pick up your purchase at your Vendor in a trailer-equipped golf cart. You can ride in the golf cart while it delivers you and your purchase to the designated pick-up area in the public parking lot. You can bring you vehicle to the pick-up location and load your purchase.

No sale, display, or exhibition of firearms are permitted on the Texas Motor Speedway property. However, gun parts and ammunition can be sold.