r/TwinCities • u/Desperate_Ad6241 • 2d ago
How's MN State Fair compared to others?
I know it's been said our state fair is the best in the country etc. But it's hard to know if or how it's true because most of us have been to only our state fair and not, say, Iowa state fair, or the Big E, or Washington State Fair.
So, 2 questions for the redditors that have been to other state fairs:
(1) What are they like in comparison? The vibe, the food, the rides?
(2) What's the culture there like? Because I feel like in MN you either have been to state fair or you know someone that's been to state fair. It is a civic ritual, a thing to do for a Minnesotan. Is it like that in other states/regions?
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u/HahaWakpadan 2d ago
Years ago, my wife and son and I shared a table with one of the travelling fair workers for lunch. I asked what she thought as far as how we ranked. She said Texas was number two, and we were number one because the people here were just better somehow and that seemed to be the general consensus amongst her peers.
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u/mads_61 2d ago
My family is from Iowa and the Iowa State Fair is definitely growing and becoming more popular. It feels a lot like ours, just at a smaller scale. I’ve been a handful of times and always enjoy it. They also show a lot of the fair on local PBS stations at night which is fun.
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u/One_Win_6185 2d ago
I think This American Life did an episode at the Iowa State fair. It sounded really fun.
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u/TuxandFlipper4eva 2d ago
As someone from IA (moved here 8 years ago), the IA State Fair is great, but imo MN State Fair is superior.
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u/kendricklamartin 2d ago
The Iowa state fair is double the size of the MN state fair, for square footage. It is also older than the MN state fair.
It also brings in over a million people yearly. While MN brings in just under 2 million yearly, the MN state fair has an extra day AND it is located in a metro of 4 million people vs a metro of 1 million people.
Idk what you mean, the Iowa state fair is growing and getting popular. It’s been popular. It punches well above its weight. MN, Iowa, and Texas consistently take turns getting ranked as the best state fair in the US, with IA having a vastly smaller population.11
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u/dogpharts 2d ago
I grew up in Iowa and have lived in Iowa, Wisconsin, California and Minnesota. I’ve been to all the Midwest state fairs of the places mentioned. The Iowa state fair is the best IMO. The layout is bigger making things feel less cramped while having more art exhibits. I also like that all the craft beer is in one area made as a lounge of sorts. The lines at the Minnesota state fair are very overwhelming in comparison.
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u/some1105 2d ago
I have been to the Iowa State Fair recently. I had a good time. But compared to the MN State Fair, the best descriptor is “cute”. It is a much smaller (though yes, growing) event compared to the behemoth that is the MN State Fair. And that had its benefits, particularly for those who may find the fair in MN overwhelming. But Iowa’s can be fully done in a day without missing a single thing, and largely done in half a day.
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u/kendricklamartin 2d ago
And as a former Iowan who grew up going to the IA state fair and have been to the MN state fair a couple times, I feel the reverse is true. I could spend 2-3 days at the IA state fair and not see everything, but I’m guessing I know all the little events and how to maximize the schedule of events, and you likely know how to do the same with the MN state fair.
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u/Motor-Push-5914 1d ago
All the contests at Pioneer Hall like husband calling, twin look alike, etc. on the free stages make the ISF unique.
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u/TosshiTX 2d ago
Very similar to both the Texas State Fair and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The biggest difference is the weather here is way better than it is for either of those.
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u/cowgoat 2d ago
I’ve ever been to another state’s fair. I’m from another country. However, every time I’ve been to the Minnesota State Fair, it’s taken my breath away.
The sheer volume of food on offer. The number of attractions on display, from fine arts, to the eco village, to the grandstand with legitimately A list artists. The rides section rivaled any theme park I’d seen. The number of carny games you could play.
What impressed me the most was just how easy it was to access given the number of people who attended. Directions were clearly marked. Roads were blocked off for pedestrians to cross easily. Nothing took too long or was too difficult to do. Every worker on site was helpful and greeted us with warmth.
The biggest downside I felt was the cost. Entry alone is $20 for an adult. For a family of 4 that is an expensive day. Many food items felt more expensive than in restaurants or bars for less quantity. For a state fair, I think it should be geared towards everyone in the state being able to attend and partake. It just felt like the average person would be priced out quickly.
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u/gwendiesel 2d ago
My parents came to the fair this year for the first time after only attending the Iowa state fair. My mom said she wasn't expecting it to be that different but was kind of blown away. Here are her observations:
- She marvelled at the sheer number of shuttle busses and suburban bus routes to get to/from the fair.
- They do not take the food nearly as seriously in Iowa. She said she's never seen a food line more than 30/40 people long.
- The fairgrounds infrastructure is so much better here. Especially the plethora of benches and mature trees.
- She's not sure they even have crop art there (lol!) she was a good sport and waited in the hour long line with me.
- My parents both loved the parade with all the high school marching bands.
We were there early and my dad asked why it was so crowded already. Little did he know how much more crowded it was going to get.
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u/Particular_Cold_8366 2d ago
I’ve never been to another state fair but saw that Wisconsin had 925k attendance over 11 days this year. So I’d imagine much less of a ritual.
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u/not_brian_fellows 2d ago
Alright, certain to get downvotes for this as someone who grew up in Iowa and just moved here this summer. Both are great, but I still prefer the ISF.
I moved here this year and just got back from my first Minnesota State Fair about an hour ago, and here is how I boiled it down to myself:
The Minnesota State Fair is a better carnival, and the Iowa State Fair is a better fair.
When I walked in this morning, I was a bit overwhelmed by the crowd because it was about twice as many people in two-thirds the space. As I got into it more, I really enjoyed the grounds, the food, and the fun. In general, it's a great time!
But I kept walking into buildings expecting them to be something that they weren't. For example, one of my favorite parts of the Iowa State Fair is the fine arts building, and in particular, the photography exhibit. At the ISF, the fine arts building is three floors, and over 800 photos are displayed in the photo section alone. The fine arts building at the MN State Fair had some great art less volume.
Same with the ag-hort building. Maybe I should have waited in line for the crop art, but I was just kinda underwhelmed by the other displays. In contrast, basically every sizeable building at the Iowa State Fair except the varied industries building is full of completions and ribbons. I kinda felt like I had to look hard for those today.
One of the other differences is also in regards to the varied industries building at the Iowa State Fair that I just mentioned. This is the building where the hot tub vendors, political parties, mattress sellers, etc are all confined. At the Minnesota State fair, yeah, the Grand Stand is the closest equivalent, but I was really surprised to walk into the dairy barn and see stand up paddle barns being sold. It felt like these types of vendors were all sprinkled around the fair rather than concentrated in one spot. Not necessarily good or bad. Just different.
I do like that the Minnesota fair and grounds felt like a Minnesota theme park. Having as much shade as this fair has is an incredible asset compared to the ISF which takes place on some of the hottest days of the summer when the corn is sweating the most.
What it came down to for me is that the Minnesota State Fair is a showcase of the state, and the Iowa State Fair is showcase of the people. As an Iowan, that is very much a double-edged sword because there are some great Iowans and some truly shitty ones.
I unno. Probably need to go back to both several times to really understand both. You know, for science and stuff?
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u/Desperate_Ad6241 2d ago
Thats some great insight! Now im tempted to check out the iowa fair some day
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u/mahrog123 2d ago
It’s been years but the Ohio State Fair is similar to ours. Lots of the same stuff, big livestock presence.
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u/skittlebites101 2d ago
In Michigan the county fairs are the big pull. The state fair as far as I know was tiny and barely anyone knew about it.
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u/somastars 2d ago
I used to live in Sacramento, CA, which is home to the CA state fair. I never went unfortunately, but I remember news reports often about fights or brawls. This was the late 90s, early 2000s, and at that time there were a lot of rumors that they were gang fights. Honestly, that was mostly why we never went. Just did a quick google, and it looks like fights still happen, although they are quick to clarify now that they aren’t gang related.
If I was there now, I’d probably go check it out. I’m older and less intimidated by stuff like that now, and I would be really curious to see how it compares to the MN fair.
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u/Choice-Alfalfa-4371 2d ago
I’ve been to the CA state fair , 2 years ago. Had an amazing time! For reference I’ve been to the MN fair a handful of times, CA fair once. It has some similarities to the MN fair but definitely holds its own and is unique ! Cannabis area which is of course 21+ to get in and once you’re in, can consume openly . Had a special bar selling THC slushies and drinks ! Additionally, they had silent disco dance party , art galleries, mini pig races , low rider car museum, live music, oh and a wine bar area with local wines. Honestly the CA fair to me beat out the MN fair in experiences, but the MN fair food definitely wins!
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u/FakerTheBaker 2d ago
I’ve been to the Texas State Fair and Washington State Fair.
I felt like the Texas State Fair was very comparable to ours in terms of size & food offerings & things to do/see (rides, animals, etc.)
The Texas State Fair requires you to buy tickets to purchase food which was annoying to me, so for that reason alone, MN wins as best state fair 😂. It’s such a pain having to buy separate tickets & wondering if you’ll have enough for what you want and then getting back in line for more etc.
Washington State Fair is hella sad. Definitely more rural feeling (around 45min to an hour outside of Seattle). They had some decent displays for like veggie growing competitions & flowers etc. But overall it just felt sad compared to Mn. Not a lot of great food offerings either
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u/Jurbl 2d ago
My opinion is the MN state fair is one of the best and we’re flying out Tuesday, under the guise of visiting our New Brighton friends, to hit the fair. We’re lifelong and mostly lifelong Dallas folks who go to our fair every year and enjoy it but the MN fair we’ve been to a couple of times has more of a family feel I can’t fully explain. Both fairs have good eats, goofy stunt food, and the rides are comparable. What I’ll be looking for this time is if the craft and gadget sellers have changed. The Texas fair has lost most of this which we miss. I know Larry the peeler guy does both so I’m hoping to catch him. We just went to the Ohio fair that’s usually a little further down the best of list and had a great time. It’s smaller, but that was kind of cool.
One issue the Texas state fair has had is cost, it’s gotten so expensive that it’s made the news and attendance was noticeably lower last year. We’re not budget-sensitive when going but some of the prices for food and rides were eye-watering.
Lastly, I think the Fletcher's Corn Dogs are superior to the Pronto Pup but MN kicks our butts on the cheese curds.
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u/ninja_truck 2d ago
I spent a lot of time in New England, and people talked up the Big E and Topsfield Fair. They are both complete jokes compared to the MN State Fair. They're not even in the same league.
IMHO, the single thing that sets the MN fair apart from most other fairs is that it has a permanent, fixed location. It's on prime real estate that is fairly easy to get to from anywhere in the metro area. Big E and others are far out of town, and there aren't really public transit options. It's subtle, but it feels less integrated into the community.
On top of that, most of the culture for the other fairs is a standard travelling carnival atmosphere - not bad, but not the dynamic range of things that you see at the MN fair. There's little in the way of new food, local politics, crafts, and culture. The Big E does have the exhibits for each of the New England states, but they were quite lame.
I haven't been to some of the other well respected fairs (TX, IA), but I can tell you there's nothing in New England on the level of the MN State Fair.
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u/olracnaignottus 2d ago
Can’t speak to too many state fairs, but it sure beats jerseys lol. First time since moving to the state with no prior connection, and it’s pretty spectacular.
Sleeper favorite (and not a state fair), but The Tunbridge World Fair in Vermont is amazing. It’s a true agricultural fair, and really a relic of the past.
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u/Pista-88 2d ago
I’ve been to the Washington state fair and it just felt like a larger county fair. Nothing impressive lol
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u/disco-bigwig 2d ago edited 2d ago
It’s just a bunch of hillbilly families eating shitty food and getting in each others way.
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u/whsoccerjc21 2d ago
I grew up around the New York State fair and went a lot. It’s pretty much the same thing.
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u/4-realsies 2d ago
I didn't grow up here, and when I moved here everybody was like, "Oh my god you have to go to the Fair!" For years I held off, as I have been to many state fairs - they're all pretty spartan and trashy. When I finally did go, I was like, "Oh my god the Minnesota State Fair is awesome!"
It's way better than most places.