What Talley Amusement does

Talley Amusements is a privately-held, family-owned mobile carnival and midway amusement operator headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, with a recurring event calendar spanning at least five U.S. states — Texas, California, Ohio, Minnesota, and Louisiana. Its core offering is end-to-end midway production for fairs, festivals, corporate events, private parties, and film/TV productions, anchored by marquee contracts such as the State Fair of Texas, San Diego County Fair, Ohio State Fair, Minnesota State Fair, and State Fair of Louisiana.

The product mix is a diversified ride and concession portfolio: thrill rides including the Big Kahuna, Iron Dragon Coaster, Mega Drop, Defender, Hard Rock, Rock Star, and Zipper; family attractions such as the Grand Carousel and Bumper Boats; midway games like Water Race, Machine Gun, and a Gallery of Games; and food concessions branded Burger Palace, Corn Dogs & Funnel Cakes, and Fresh Lemonade Stand. The supporting technology layer is the Magic Money cashless payment system, which loads non-expiring credits onto RFID wristbands or the Talley Tickets mobile app for tap-to-pay and ride entry, plus a Talley Fun Club loyalty newsletter.

Revenue is generated through unit-priced ride wristbands ($35 weekday unlimited pricing cited), per-ride ticket sales, concession transactions, game revenue, and contracted event booking services for fair boards, corporate clients, and production studios. The company claims five generations of operating history with 200+ years of combined industry experience and employs between 101 and 250 staff on a seasonal/event-driven basis. Talley is privately held with no disclosed ownership outside the founding family, no institutional funding rounds, and no public revenue figures.

Name

Talley Amusement

Legal name

Talley Amusements

Website

https://talleyamusements.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2026

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Talley Amusements is a privately-held, family-owned mobile carnival operator based in Fort Worth, Texas, providing rides, games, and food concessions to state and county fairs, festivals, corporate events, and private parties across multiple U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Worth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ride Admission and Wristband Sales: Revenue generated from selling unlimited ride wristbands and individual ride tickets at carnival midways. Wristbands provide access to unlimited rides during specified time periods, while individual ride tickets allow pay-per-ride access.
2. Food and Concession Sales: Revenue from on-site food and beverage concessions including Burger Palace, Corn Dogs & Funnel Cakes, and Fresh Lemonade Stand. Guests purchase fair food using Magic Money credits or directly.
3. Game and Midway Activity Revenue: Revenue from carnival midway games including Water Race, Machine Gun, and Gallery of Games. Prizes are awarded to successful players.
4. Event Booking and Corporate/Private Party Services: Revenue from providing carnival services to fairs, festivals, corporate events, private parties, and film/TV productions through their booking division.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Talley Amusement is a mobile carnival and midway amusement operator that deploys thrill rides, family rides, midway games, and food concessions at fairs, festivals, corporate events, private parties, and film/TV productions across the United States. The company books complete midway experiences through its corporate booking division and sells ride wristbands, individual ride tickets, games, and food directly to event attendees using a proprietary Magic Money cashless payment system with RFID wristbands.

Product overview

Talley Amusement operates a carnival and midway amusement business providing world-famous thrill rides (Big Kahuna, Iron Dragon, Mega Drop), family rides, midway games, and classic fair food concessions at fairs, festivals, and events across the United States. The company offers a cashless Magic Money payment system via RFID wristbands or their Talley Tickets mobile app, supplemented by a Talley Fun Club loyalty program. Services include booking carnival midways for state/county fairs, corporate events, private parties, and community festivals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lil' Tate Talley: The company's friendly cowboy mascot who guides and entertains visitors across parks, appearing on signs sharing helpful tips and important messages.

Products and services

• Carnival Thrill Rides Spectacular high-adrenaline thrill rides including The Big Kahuna, The Iron Dragon Coaster, Mega Drop, Defender, Hard Rock, Rock Star, and Zipper, designed for teenagers and thrill-seeking guests at fairs, festivals, and events.
• Carnival Family Rides Family-friendly rides including the Grand Carousel with three rows of decorated horses, and Bumper Boats for aquatic bumper car fun, suitable for guests of all ages.
• Carnival Midway Games Midway games including Water Race Fun (water gun racing game), Machine Gun (skill-based shooting game), and Gallery of Games (skill-based challenges for kids where every child wins a prize).
• Food & Beverage Concessions Carnival food and beverage offerings including Burger Palace (burgers, sausage, Philly cheesesteaks, hot dogs, nachos), Corn Dogs & Funnel Cakes, and Fresh Lemonade Stand housed in a giant lemon structure, sold to event attendees on the midway.
• Event Booking Services Booking services providing complete carnival midway experiences to fairs, festivals, corporate events, private parties, and film/TV productions through a dedicated corporate booking division.
• State & County Fair Midway Operations Long-term contracted carnival midway services provided at major U.S. state and county fairs including the State Fair of Texas, San Diego County Fair, Ohio State Fair, Minnesota State Fair, State Fair of Louisiana, North Texas Fair & Rodeo, and Austin County Fair & Rodeo.
• Festival & Community Event Attractions Carnival attractions and midway experiences provided at regional festivals and community events including GrapeFest, McKinney Oktoberfest, Grapevine Main Street Fest, Texas Rice Festival, Terrell FreedomFest, and Trinity Valley Expo Fair & Rodeo.

Named customers10 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Powers Great American Midways: Mobile carnival operator providing midway attractions at fairs and festivals, primarily across the Midwest. Overlaps with Talley on event type, service mix, and geographic regions served.
• Deggeller Attractions: Long-established U.S. mobile carnival company operating rides, games, and food concessions at fairs and festivals. Comparable to Talley in service mix, target events, and travelling midway delivery model.
• Wade Shows: Major U.S. mobile carnival operator providing midway attractions at state fairs, county fairs, and festivals nationwide. Directly competes with Talley for premier fair contracts using a similar rides-games-concessions model.
• Butler Amusements: Family-owned West Coast mobile carnival operator running rides, games, and food concessions at fairs and festivals. Comparable to Talley in service mix and carnival midway delivery model, with regional overlap in California.
• Strates Shows: Family-owned mobile carnival operator dating back over a century, providing rides, games, and food at fairs and celebrations in the Eastern U.S. Directly comparable in operating history, service mix, and target market to Talley.
• Amusements of America: Multi-generational mobile amusement company operating midways at fairs, festivals, and special events across the Eastern U.S. Directly comparable to Talley in offering mix and event-driven distribution.
• Ray Cammack Shows: Large U.S. mobile carnival company serving fairs, festivals, and rodeos, particularly across the Western U.S. Competes with Talley for similar event contracts with comparable rides-games-concessions offerings.
• North American Midway Entertainment: Largest mobile midway operator in North America, providing carnival rides, games, and food at state and county fairs across the U.S. — directly comparable to Talley's travelling carnival business model and target customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Six Flags Entertainment: One of North America's largest regional theme park operators with a portfolio of fixed amusement parks. Same broader amusement category as Talley but delivers experiences through fixed parks, providing scale benchmarks for ride capex and per-capita spend.
• Cedar Fair: Owner and operator of major fixed amusement parks (Cedar Point, Knott's Berry Farm, Kings Island). Same broader amusement industry as Talley but operates permanent parks rather than travelling midways — a useful benchmark for ride investment levels and consumer demand.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/talleyamusements
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/talley-amusements-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Talley Amusement