Where you might have to exchange tickets for food

FAIR

A lively outdoor event with rides, games, and vendors selling corn dogs and cotton candy.

This clue plays on the double meaning of "fair." One sense is a public event with games, rides, and food stalls—like a county fair—where you often trade tickets for snacks or meals. The other meaning hints at fairness, but that’s just a distraction. The answer is "FAIR" because it’s the place where you’d literally swap tickets for cotton candy or corn dogs.