BATON ROUGE - After a short-lived stint in Ascension Parish, the Greater Baton Rouge State Fair is back and better than ever at its usual spot.

The fair, located at the BREC Airline Highway Park, opens Thursday at 5 p.m. and will run through Nov. 5. The fair will stay open 5-10 p.m. on weekdays and noon to 10 p.m. on weekends. Admission is $5 and a ride pass costs $15. 

Chairman Cliff Barton says he's expecting a crowd of approximately 6,000 people to attend on opening night. If drivers want to avoid sitting in traffic, they should plan ahead and follow signage. 

"We have signs on the highway saying for the fair traffic to use the right lane and to get to the shoulder when it's appropriate, and the thru traffic needs to stay in the left lane so they can travel on past," Barton said.

Barton says, once drivers pass the south gate, they should be in the clear from heavy traffic. 

"We certainly don't want to tie people up too much, but just use a little forethought in planning your best route," Barton said.

You can find more information about tickets and events here.