DIY CON opens on Friday 6 November and runs to Sunday 8 November 2026 at Centennial Hall in Dallas Fair Park. The floor runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on all three days.
Ticket levers that still move
Early bird pricing ends Friday 23 October. The ticket FAQ prices that saving at up to $24.
Code DIY50 takes 50 percent off Single-Day Adult, 3-Day and Kids tickets. The ticket page dates the code to Sunday 25 October at 11:59 p.m. Central, and states that the first 200 discounted tickets are already claimed.
A single-day adult badge starts at $47.63, with the ticket, the service fee and 8.25 percent sales tax inside that figure. Children 5 and under enter free, and a Kids ticket covers ages 6 to 12.
The housing deadline has passed
The organiser's Hotel & Travel page sets the reservation deadline at Sunday 11 October and keeps the date posted. Four terms sit on the same page: the booking site runs around the clock, no reservation carries an advance deposit, no contract is required for exhibitor or group bookings, and a block request form covers parties of 10 rooms or more.
The page states that the official hotels will not honour direct reservations. That line matters to a reader who plans to call a property and ask for a lower rate.
Seven properties quote a rate today
The Connections Housing portal answers a 6-8 November search for two guests. The figures below cover two nights, taxes and fees included, on 22 October 2026:
- Fairfield Inn and Suites Dallas Downtown, 555 Evergreen Street, 2.5 miles from the venue: $174 a night, $348 for two nights
- TownePlace Suites Dallas Downtown, 555 Evergreen Street, 2.5 miles: $209 a night, $418 for two nights
- Lorenzo Hotel, Tapestry Collection, 1011 South Akard Street, 2.4 miles: $228 a night, $456 for two nights
- Hotel Indigo Downtown by IHG, 1933 Main Street, 2.2 miles: $234 a night, $468 for two nights
- Home2 Baylor Scott and White Dallas, 3301 Gaston Avenue, 1.8 miles: $297 a night, $594 for two nights
- Element by Marriott Dallas Downtown East, 4005 Gaston Avenue, 1.7 miles: $319 a night, $638 for two nights
- The Kimpton Pittman Hotel by IHG, 2551 Elm Street, 2.3 miles: $426 a night, $852 for two nights
Every card carries the label best available rather than event-contracted. The organiser's rate assurance does not attach to these figures, and each property manages its own policies.
Where the spread sits
Fairfield Inn and Suites posts the lowest two-night figure at $348, 2.5 miles from the gate. The Kimpton Pittman posts the highest at $852, 2.3 miles out. Home2, Element and Hotel Indigo land between $468 and $638.
All seven properties appear on the venue's own Where to Stay list. The venue names 17 hotels inside three miles of the grounds, each with a street address, so ten of those names carry no portal rate.
Parking and the two train stations
Fair Park publishes more than 14,000 parking spaces, free on non-event days, with the show setting its own fee. Neither the venue page nor the show page prints that fee. Overnight parking is barred, and a car left overnight is towed at the owner's cost.
The organiser's FAQ names two DART stations and rideshare drop-off points at the park entrances. A reader who arrives by rail carries no parking charge into the weekend.
What to ask in writing
Ask the housing line which inventory has been released, and the cancellation term attached to it. Ask the ticket desk whether DIY50 runs past 25 October. Ask any property quoting below the portal figure for the rate, the cut-off date and the cancellation term in one message.
hotelhaggle sends one request to 50+ hotels in a destination and holds 103,857+ hotels across 46 states. Its how-it-works page sets the typical group floor at 10 rooms a night, with some properties quoting from five rooms in low season. A Dallas request is served. The platform bars requests from residents of and for travel to Florida, Hawaii, Iowa and Washington.
