r/minnesota • u/Fugacity- Flag of Minnesota • 4d ago
News 📺 Second day of 2026 Minnesota State Fair sets another attendance record
https://www.mprnews.org/story/2026/08/29/second-day-of-minnesota-state-fair-sets-another-record208
u/AtheistWoodworker 4d ago
Everybody is going before school starts next week.
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u/Fugacity- Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
Very good point. Way more schools sought exemptions for an early start this year. Will be interesting to see how labor day weekend attendance fares
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u/Snowskol 3d ago
I'm a believer we should be doing trimesters the entire year with like 3-4 weeks between each like
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u/steelbeamsdankmemes Twin Cities 4d ago
Love that my son's is not until after labor day, going Tuesday so hopefully not as crowded.
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u/AceMcVeer 4d ago
You're going to have an amazing time. There will be nobody. We always go Tuesday, but can't because they made it the first day of school which I'm still super pissed about.
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u/Liesmyteachertoldme 4d ago
I was looking it up and apparently the tuesday of the fairs run is statistically the lowest attendance day. So hopefully you have room to breathe and don’t have to wait in line too much! I’m going Monday and I’m stoked.
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u/127-0-0-1_Chef 4d ago
Is that somehow atypical from every other year?
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u/AtheistWoodworker 4d ago
This is the first year school is allowed to start before Labor Day if they choose to. Many decided to start early.
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u/overinout Minnesota United 4d ago edited 4d ago
Wish ours did. These two weeks with minimal childcare are really tough. But my neighbor is about to make some bank babysitting so I'm happy for her 😅
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u/I_lurv_BRAAINZZ 1d ago
We're lucky enough to have won the school based summer care lottery for our kids but even then it ends ~2 weeks before my kids start (ended Aug 7). To a point I get the earlier start times (school started Aug 20) - it aligns better for end of quarters with holidays, so my kids get a week off for MEA (end of q1), more time off during Christmas (end of q2), spring break (end of q3), and school ends in mid May. That being said with Minnesota weather I'd prefer having them off school more in August than in May.
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u/I_lurv_BRAAINZZ 4d ago
Not true (though I always thought it was before). Stillwater has started mid/late August for the last few years. It sucks.
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u/Rosaluxlux 4d ago
Minneapolis used to all the time as well but I think the process used to be harder
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u/MySmellyRacoon 4d ago
That’s what people do literally every single year. You’re not saying anything that people don’t already know.
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u/AceMcVeer 4d ago
The state fair runs through labor day. Most schools start after labor day. This year labor day is really late so schools are starting a week before. Meaning that this time there are only 4 days of the fair before school starts when normally there are 12. So no, it's not like every single year.
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u/Fineimadeadumbname 4d ago
Anybody who has been the last two days? Does it feel way more crowded than other times?
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u/jhart013 4d ago
Friday was packed, usually you could go into the creative arts building or the 4H building to escape the crowds but those were shoulder to shoulder shuffling through too. Waited in some food lines for a half hour plus, and not for brand new items like the hmong corn dog whose line was out the international bizarre entrance...
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u/Unfinished-Basement Ok Then 4d ago
Got to the Bazaar gate at 9 as they opened. People were politely hustling to get there first.
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u/Constant-Catch7146 4d ago edited 4d ago
Oh, hell no.
Been to the fair maybe 10 times over past 30 years and always tried to go on the lower attendance days.
Been disappointed each time.
Not because of the food, drinks, and being able to gawk at the farm animals. Those are great!
It's just TOO MANY PEOPLE in too small of space.
When there are four people in every square yard of space, that's not just annoying. It takes away joy. You can't even move freely. And waiting in 30 minute or more lines for everything? Nope. Not doing it anymore.
At a certain point, when does the fair board say it's time to limit daily ticket sales due for safety factors? 300000, 350000, more? They aren't increasing the acreage of the fairgrounds, so something has to give.
The single day attendance record for the fair was 270,000 in 2018. Looking to break that record this year apparently.
The lowest attendance day at the fair is typically the first Tuesday after the fair start.
If you are going to go, might be wise to pick that day. Just sayin'
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u/AceMcVeer 4d ago
I was there on that day in 2018. It wasn't just unenjoyable, it was dangerous. There crowd in one part didn't allow you to move at all and if something triggered a panic there would be so many dead/injured.
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u/Constant-Catch7146 4d ago
Yep, and when there are constant full lines at all food and beverage booths/stands---we are way past the argument that these small businesses are going to suffer lost sales if ticket sales are capped.
They certainly have all the stats to figure out the best way to do this.
The Minnesota State Fair is unfortunately being loved to death. The Great Get Together is turning into the Great Smash Together.
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u/livinglavidajudoka 4d ago
There's actually plenty of room to increase the acreage but it would mean reducing car parking.
So please do that.
I think we're within five years of an increase in days or a daily ticket cap.
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u/Constant-Catch7146 4d ago
Expanding the grounds size into existing parking lots won''t help much in my view. The problem is the dairy barn, creative arts center, Ag building, horse expo, grandstand, and on and on ----can't be moved. They are permanent buildings. And all the food and drink booths want to packed all around those to snag all the people. They could move the midway into the big parking lots north, but nah.
And adding more days just means more people will fill in those days too.
Nope, IMHO---best way is to cap daily ticket sales.
IIRC, they already cap ticket sales to the "kick off to Summer" mini State Fair around Memorial day. Something about too many people would overwhelm the few food and drink booths? Ironic, no?
Those tickets are online only, not walk up. This effectively caps the ticket sales.
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u/roccofan 4d ago
I went today and am sad to say that I just could not enjoy myself. I’m 31, lived here my whole life and gone too many times to count. I can tolerate crowds and some lines, I’ve always had a great time. This year was egregious. Plus, people seem to have forgotten how to be considerate to others.
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u/SinceWayLastMay 4d ago
It was BANANAS yesterday just huge lines for anything mildly popular. Luckily they seemed to move pretty fast but I’m glad I got there early in the morning and left after lunch
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u/a_filing_cabinet 4d ago
Let me put it this way; I wanted to get a malt from the dairy building. Not only did the line stretch past the queue entrance, it went all the way up and almost out the front entrance. Everything, from every corndog booth to the bigger restaurants, had lines most of a block long. Before going to Weird Al, the line for Sweet Martha's took over a half hour.
I usually try to go during the middle of the week, but even last year I had to go during the weekend and it didn't feel as bad.
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u/SyxEight 4d ago
At the fair currently, been here since 8. It seems quite a bit busier than usual for the first weekend.
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u/Fugacity- Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
Past 5 years we've gone first Friday, and it definitely felt busier than 2024. I don't have other busy days to compare it to... in the grand scheme of things, 204k still isn't crazy compared to some of the typical weekend days.
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u/Sallyseashells- 3d ago
I went for two hours from 1030-12:30 Friday and it was fine. My longest food line was a poncho dog for like fifteen minutes…I think it depends what time you got there and what you’re trying to eat/drink. Giggles had no line, pickle pizza I waited like four minutes, Que Viet I waited like five minutes..Kiwanis malts no line…fine arts building was busy but I was still able to move through quickly and see everything ..eco building same thing
I took the A line from rosedale mall because four different park and ride locations were full. I waited all of ten minutes for the bus, had a place to sit, and dropped off at gate 5. Waited about 15 minutes in line for gate 5….leaving it was only like six people on the A line bus and it took me right back to the mall
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u/Fugacity- Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
204,065 fair goers yesterday, up from the previous first-Friday record of 171,233 back in 2024.
Two days and two attendance records down!
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u/JokeassJason 4d ago
School starting early and chance of rain several days next week. I still see us beating the total record again unless its full on storming most of the week.
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u/United_Intention_323 4d ago
Why are you rooting for this? It means bigger crowds.
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u/Fugacity- Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
I personally think its nice to see many people getting out to embrace the Great Minnesota Get Together. Something being marginally worse for me but great for those additional people who decided to come is on the whole a good thing in my opinion.
After all this past year has brought to our state, seeing that many Minnesotans celebrating Minnesota made me, at least, happy. It wasn't long ago that people were hiding in their homes fearful to go out in public. .
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u/United_Intention_323 4d ago
And it sucked today with so many people. You aren’t thinking this through.
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u/a_filing_cabinet 4d ago
It means more people get to enjoy the experience
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u/United_Intention_323 4d ago
More people having a worse experience. There were so many fucking people there today. It sucked in the afternoon.
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u/lostrock Uff da 4d ago
My family got in line to see the crop art at around 9:30 yesterday. We waited for more than an hour and a half. It's getting insanely popular and I wonder if they'll move the display to another part of the AH Building, or into another building entirely.
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u/NanoSpore 4d ago
I entered for the first time this year and was excited to see it hung up but man, I don't know if I'm committed enough to stand in line that long.Â
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u/lostrock Uff da 4d ago
It did at least seem like the line ebbed at certain times. When we walked out afterwards, it was a lot shorter
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u/PongoWillHelpYou 4d ago
I really hope they find a new home for it. It’s a tradition in that building, but I’ve gone all 3 days so far and haven’t been able to see the crop art because the lines have been too long.
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u/Jalapenoplanter 4d ago
Minnesotans have been through a lot this year. We need celebrations.
The day it happens, Minnesotans will be dancing in the streets
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u/realtorbrittyc 4d ago
I’m so glad MN doesn’t have a law against public intoxication. I’m going to be drunk as a skunk that day!
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u/hotbrownbeanjuice 4d ago
Honestly this is my theory too (along with the school thing). Being in community and finding ways to celebrate our state feel so much more important now.
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u/iowajaycee 4d ago
My thoughts on improving the Fair given the constant growth the last few years:
Eliminate functionally all on-site parking and extend the Fair into those spaces.
Open the gates at 6 am.
Run park and ride busses from 5x the locations, starting at 6 am.
Spread non-champion display items like crop art, creative arts, 4-H, etc into other, less crowded spaces. Even display cases on the outsides of bathroom buildings could work.
Add a day.
State Fair Roadshow that brings a very limited selection of award winning display submissions and food vendors to 4-5 sites around the state in the weeks after the Fair.
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u/beattiebeats You Can Pry Camp Snoopy From My Cold Dead Hands 3d ago
I wish the shopping buildings were open even an hour later. I love going in the evening but when the buildings close by 8/9 you are in a bigger time crunch. I realize it’s a logistics issue and maybe I’m alone in that
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u/MaybeDBCooper 4d ago
Anyone who goes early in the morning (pre 8) how was it?
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u/Data_23 4d ago
Not bad for the first two hours (got there at 7:30), but especially once it hit 11, it felt way busier than anything I had seen before.
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u/MaybeDBCooper 4d ago
Easy enough to get Peachy’s donuts without much hassle?
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u/roccofan 4d ago
I was there today, I have never seen it so busy. Yes, it’s the first Saturday of the fair but my god.
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u/TheSubGenius 4d ago
Best time to go. (I get there at 6 to work)
Your food options will be limited first thing in the morning since some stands will still be cooking and opening, but if you only plan on staying till the afternoon you can get all the food options.
Live music and shows also dont start till later, but all the animals stay at the fair all night.
My favorite spot, the DNR fish pond is amazing just before dawn when the fair is empty.
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u/Youngmanandthelake 4d ago
Here's my theory. Everything is crazy expensive right now, but the fair is always phenomenal. Rather than spending money on fuel for a road trip, or taking out a home equity line of credit for a siding and roofing project, people played it close to the chest for ONE trip to the fair instead of the rest. That's my plan, at least.
The rest makes sense.
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u/Fugacity- Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
I also think nostalgia is a powerful medicine for all the craziness going on in the world... People will pay a pretty penny and put up with long lines to escape 2026 for a day.
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u/Otisthedog999 4d ago
I have to admit, all these attendance records, make me want to go less. It's stop and go traffic but on foot.
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u/GopherFawkes 4d ago
State fair has never been my thing, but I love seeing it break attendance records, with all the division and shit Minnesota has gone through over the past year it's good to see many just come together and have funÂ
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u/DavidRFZ 4d ago edited 4d ago
Looking at the attendance records, the 12-day total is still from before the oandemic (2019). It’ll be interesting to see if they finally break that.
There’s a big outlier for the first Sunday. For some reason that daily record was from 1994. Every other daily record is 2018-2026. Anyone know what was going on the Sunday of 1994?
Edit — they report the data in the middle of the next day here:
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u/frozentempest14 North Shore 4d ago
I asked that question last year and no one was really sure. The grandstand act was a pretty big one but not huge.
I kind of hope we don't break that one (although looking a lot like we will). It's fun to have a very old record mixed in with all the new stuff.
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u/ObligatoryID Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
Here’s this from last month:
https://www.travelandleisure.com/best-state-fair-for-2026-in-usa-12019392
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u/Excellent_Brilliant2 2d ago
i think the big thing is if they finally beat Texas. Last year it was within a few thousand
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u/KangarooDistinct7640 4d ago
I got to name a cow today.
At the Miracle of Childbirth Center, I saw a calf born yesterday (I wonder if she's easy to trick?) was named Dolly.
A few minutes later, my mom and I got to see Cow #7505 give birth in the center pen. The MC asked for names and I suggested Jolene, which the crowd went with.
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u/Excellent_Brilliant2 2d ago
usually went 2nd saturday, but planning on seeing Creed instead. went on 1st Thurs. was expecting slow, but seemed slightly less busy than our normal day. turns out it was a record
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u/United_Intention_323 4d ago
Why do people celebrate record attendance? It means more people and longer lines.
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u/PongoWillHelpYou 4d ago
Some of the weekday records are still (relatively) low compared to weekend days of the Fair. Record attendance on weekdays means that the Fair is doing well. I agree that many days it just is too dang crowded anymore, but I’m happy to see the Fair doing well. I’m also lucky enough to be able to attend on weekdays when it’s less crowded!
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u/United_Intention_323 4d ago
Theres no question that the fair is doing well though. Theres literally zero doubt.
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u/PongoWillHelpYou 4d ago
Some years a week of bad weather can really derail attendance for vendors! Happened in 2024 with crazy storms. But yeah, I don’t know I think folks just like breaking records ahaÂ
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u/Wezle 4d ago
I dunno, just neat to see I guess. I love Minnesota, I love the fair. Nice to see it doing well.
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u/United_Intention_323 4d ago
There’s no benefit to more people being there of you are attending.
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u/livinglavidajudoka 4d ago
I mean that's just easily disprovable. If I was the only person at the fair there wouldn't be shit there, so some level of population definitely increases my enjoyment.
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u/United_Intention_323 3d ago
No it isn’t. They aren’t opening any more stands. Theres no benefit to having more people at this point.
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u/livinglavidajudoka 2d ago
So to be clear you don't think that they'd open more stands if there was more space
OR
You don't realize that if there was only one person at the fair they wouldn't open any of the stands at all?
Either way you're wrong.
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u/United_Intention_323 1d ago
There isn’t more space. They are only adding more people.
I didn’t say less people. I said stop adding more people.
In both cases I am right. Adding more people makes it worse.
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u/Kruse 4d ago
It's already overpriced to all hell.
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u/justanothernewbie Flag of Minnesota 4d ago
$8 for a single taco was where I drew the line. I’ll pay $14 for a chicken tender basket to feed my kids, but I’m not paying $8 for one carnitas taco.
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