Frisco Pulls Fair's Permit After Fights and Gunshots Are Fired During the Festivities

The annual Frisco Fair ended earlier than intended on Saturday when a series of fights occurred on the grounds, forcing operators to close the event to the public. The fair was being held at the corner of Main and Frisco streets, just east of Frisco's Downtown Square. Then on Monday, the city of Frisco announced that it had revoked the operator's special event permit for the fair because of "safety concerns," according to a released statement.

Frisco police say they responded to several disturbance calls at the fair on Saturday night, reporting "disruptive behavior, arguments, fights and gunshots," according to police records. It took approximately two hours and 26 police officers to get the situation under control.

Several people attending the fair on Saturday recorded the chaos on their phones and posted videos to social media channels such as TikTok. One viewer recorded the sounds of shots being fired from inside the fairgrounds as people fled.

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Other photos purported to show police arresting people at the fairgrounds, but Frisco police say they did not arrest anyone in connection with Saturday night's fights and no one sustained gunshot wounds.

Following the melee, city and police officials decided on Monday to pull the special event permit for the fair's operations. The website for the Frisco Fair has also been taken down.

A special event ordinance adopted by the Frisco City Council in 2019 gives the city the ability to revoke special event permits if public events posed "adverse health and safety conditions" to residents and visitors, according to city records.

"The safety of our residents and visitors to Frisco is our top priority," Frisco police Chief David Shilson said in a released statement. "For this reason, we will not wait until someone is seriously injured or killed before we take steps to keep our community safe. What we saw Saturday night at the Frisco Fair posed a threat to fairgoers, surrounding residences and businesses."

Shilson added that police officials worked with the fair's organizers to increase its security presence and protocols "based on previous issues with the Frisco Fair" prior to Saturday night's disturbances.

"Unfortunately those increased measures were unable to prevent the events of Saturday night from occurring," Shilson said. "While there may be disappointment by people who wished to attend the event, the safety of everyone is paramount and that was the basis for the decision to revoke the special events permit in accordance with Frisco's Special Event Ordinance."