Minnesota State Fair 2026: History, New Foods, and Why I Haven't Missed One in 40 Years

Minnesota Lifestyle Series

I have been to the Minnesota State Fair every single year for the past four decades. Not most years — every year. Rain, record heat, the year I was seven months pregnant and still walked the entire fairgrounds mutliple times because I refuse to miss the great MN get-together. It is, without exaggeration, the one Minnesota tradition my family has never once let slide, and by the time my own kids were old enough to hold a corn dog, the fair had become as much a part of our late-August routine as school shopping.

So when people ask me, as a Wayzata REALTOR® who spends my days talking about Lake Minnetonka lakeshore and Wayzata school boundaries, why I'm also the person in the office counting down the days until the fairgrounds open — this is why. Understanding a place means understanding what its people actually do together, and in Minnesota, twelve days at the end of every summer, that's the State Fair. If you're relocating here, or you've lived here your whole life and just need a plan for this year, here's what's new, what's historic, and what I've learned from going more than once every single summer. My family never misses, my parents, sister, kids and we love bringing friends to the fair to show them why, it's the best way to end the summer.

PRO Tip: Buy tickets on Black Friday to gift to family and friends! My family gifts tickets to each other at Christmas for the excitement, year round. Anyone who knows me, knows my family LOVES the state fair.

A Quick History of "The Great Minnesota Get-Together"

The fair's roots go back further than most people realize. What became the Minnesota State Fair started as a territorial fair in 1855, three years before statehood, organized by the Minnesota Territorial Agricultural Society to showcase the region's crops, livestock, and handiwork and encourage more settlers to move here. The first official Minnesota State Fair was held in 1859, a year after statehood, in Minneapolis — and it was, by most accounts, a modest affair with bad weather and low turnout.

For its first few decades the fair didn't have a permanent home at all. It bounced between Minneapolis, St. Paul, Rochester, Red Wing, Winona, and Owatonna, with both Twin Cities occasionally staging competing fairs before the two sides finally agreed on neutral ground. In 1885, the fair settled permanently in what's now Falcon Heights, and it's been there ever since. Since that first fair in 1859, it's run every year with only six exceptions — cancelled during the Civil War and the Dakota War in 1861 and 1862, a scheduling conflict with Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition in 1893, World War II in 1945 and 1946, and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

A few history notes I love sharing with out-of-state friends: the tradition of carving a life-size butter sculpture of that year's Princess Kay of the Milky Way dates back to 1964, and butter sculptures at the fair generally go back to 1898. The fair's main entrance, Dan Patch Avenue, is named after a champion pacer horse who never lost a race between 1900 and 1909. And in 1901, sitting Vice President Theodore Roosevelt spoke at the fair — twelve days later, President McKinley was assassinated and Roosevelt became president. The State Fair History & Heritage Center, developed with the Minnesota Historical Society, is free with admission and worth a stop if you want the full story in one place.

Today the fair draws close to two million people over its twelve-day run, making it the second-largest state fair in the country, behind only the Texas State Fair. That scale is exactly why it still amazes me every year — it somehow still feels like a neighborhood gathering even with that many people walking through the gates.

Minnesota State Fair 2026: Dates and What's New

The 2026 Minnesota State Fair runs Thursday, August 27 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7 — twelve straight days, no off days. This year the fair announced 36 new official foods and nine new vendors, and as always, the list leans heavily into the fair's two enduring obsessions: deep-frying absolutely anything, and finding new ways to work pickles into dessert. This year I'm not attending a concert but have many in the past, there are no bad seats and if you don't have tickets, you can always listen from outside.

A few of the new foods I'm most looking forward to trying:

• Pickle Pie at LuLu's Public House — a pie crust filled with chopped pickles, pickle juice, and cream cheese, topped with a savory ranch-and-Cholula whipped frosting and a gherkin garnish. Yes, really. *Also has awesome chicken strips! 
• Hmong Corndog at Union Hmong Kitchen — a nod to the fair's growing lineup of vendors representing Minnesota's Hmong community.
• Surf 'N' Turf Burger at Cafe Caribe — lobster tossed in garlic-herb butter, stacked on a grilled beef patty with pepper jack and chipotle mayo. *Always stop here for the music!
• Bao Belly — smoked pork belly, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and yum-yum sauce, wrapped in a steamed bao bun.
• Dill Pickle Cookies from Holman's Table — white chocolate chips, finely chopped dill pickles, and fresh dill, finished with Maldon sea salt.
• Dockside Poppers and a full lineup of shrimp skewers, sliders, and mocktails from Summer Lakes Boat House, a brand-new building opening at the fair with live entertainment every day.

A handful of items are limited-run only, including Jamaican Jerk Chicken Loaded Fries (August 27 through September 1) and Midtown Global Market's El Taco Torro, serving Birria Crunch Bombs and Fairground Fiesta Tacos (September 2 through 7 only) — so plan your visit accordingly if there's a specific new food on your list.

MY Pro 3 Picks: None of that replaces the classics, of course. Sweet Martha's Cookie Jar, Pronto Pups, Mouth Trap Cheese Curds, and the original deep-fried ranch dressing at LuLu's are all returning, because some traditions at the fair are as fixed as my own attendance streak. I never miss Corn on the cob or Mini Donut beer at Ballpark

New Beer and Specialty Sips for 2026, Including the Ballpark Options

Food gets most of the attention, but the fair's drink lineup has grown just as fast. This year the fair rolled out 75 new specialty beers and cocktails plus 23 new non-alcoholic drinks, bringing the total pour list across the fairgrounds to more than 300 brews and beverages.

If you're planted near the grandstand or just want a good beer to go with a ballgame-style snack, Ball Park Cafe is bringing four new specialty sips to its lineup this year, and two are worth planning around:

• Homer Black Pepper IPA — a Surly Brewing Co. creation out of Minneapolis blending piney hops and bright grapefruit with Zanzibar black peppercorn for a dry, crisp finish with a light peppery kick. 7% ABV.
• Rare Candy Pink Lemonade Sour — a tart, fruity kettle sour built around real pink lemonade, brewed in Champlin by Elm Creek Brewing Co. 5% ABV.

A few other new sips I have on my own list this year: the Old Ranch Hand, a ranch dressing-flavored cream ale from Dual Citizen Brewing in St. Paul, served with a ranch-seasoned salt rim (yes, it pairs unsettlingly well with the Pickle Pie); the Watermelon Mule at Andy's Grille, a watermelon-and-ginger riff on a classic Moscow Mule from Big Wood Brewery; and Pickle & Vine, a briny sparkling wine from Cannon River Winery served at The Hideaway Speakeasy in the Grandstand. If beer-flavored soft serve is more your speed, Pryes Brewing is back with its Royal Raspberry beer soft serve and adding a new Royal Peach version this year, with both available as a twist cone.

Don't Skip the Classic: Lift Bridge's Mini Donut Beer

Every year I tell people the new drinks are fun, but there's one beer that isn't new at all and still can't be skipped: Mini Donut Beer from Lift Bridge Brewing Co., a Stillwater brewery that's become something of the fair's unofficial house brewery. It debuted back in 2013 as the fair's very first specialty exclusive brew, and it's been a tradition ever since — right alongside the other new sips at Ball Park Cafe.

Mini Donut Beer is a sweet, malty brown ale built to taste exactly like it sounds: warm cinnamon, vanilla, and a soft bready sweetness, served with a cinnamon-sugar rim on the glass.

• Minnesota State Fair official Specialty Sips page: mnstatefair.org/new/sips
• Lift Bridge Brewing Co. State Fair page: liftbridgebrewery.com/state-fair

Vicki's Pro Tips After 40 Years of Never Missing One, a family tradition from 6 months-80 yrs

Go on a weekday morning if you can. Saturdays regularly draw crowds well over 200,000 people in a single day. If your schedule allows any flexibility, a Tuesday or Wednesday morning gets you shorter lines at the food stands and actual elbow room in the animal barns. Try and go early in the fair, closer to the beginning.

Pick your "new foods" list before you go, and split servings. With 36 new items this year alone, you cannot eat your way through the whole list solo, and you shouldn't try. Pick your top four or five, and go with a group so you can split plates and taste more without leaving miserably full by noon. There's lots of benches to sit on and relax.

Bring OWN water bottle, fill up and Budget more than you think. Prices at food stands add up fast across a group, and while most vendors take cards now, some smaller family-run booths are still cash-preferred.

The Fairgrounds' free park-and-ride buses are worth using. Parking near the fairgrounds fills early and gets expensive; the fair's free shuttle system from remote lots around the Twin Cities is genuinely the easiest way in, especially on weekends. *Love the buses, but plan you might need to wait in line if leaving at popular times

If you're bringing kids, hit the animal barns first thing. They're air-conditioned, they're free, and kids have the most patience for them before the heat and crowds set in later in the day. Strollers are great to pack things in you buy or information collected and for the kids to rest. I love to see the bunnies.

Why This Matters Beyond the Fairgrounds

I bring this up as a real estate agent, not just a fair fanatic, because moments like this tell you something about a place that no listing sheet ever will. Families who move to Minnesota often ask me what winter is really like, or how far a commute feels — and I always tell them the flip side matters just as much. Minnesotans build an entire culture around making the most of the warm months, and the State Fair is the biggest, most unifying example of that. It's a tradition that cuts across every city, suburb, and lake community in this state, and it's one of the first things I tell relocating families to put on their calendar.

If you're weighing a move to the West Metro and want to understand what year-round life here actually looks like — not just the market — my Lake Minnetonka summer lifestyle guide and Insider's Guide to Buying on Lake Minnetonka series cover the rest of the calendar. And if schools are part of your decision, my guides to the Wayzata and Minnetonka school districts are a good next stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Minnesota State Fair in 2026? The 2026 Minnesota State Fair runs from Thursday, August 27 through Labor Day, Monday, September 7 — a twelve-day run with the fairgrounds open every day.

How many new foods are at the Minnesota State Fair in 2026? The 2026 fair introduced 36 official new foods and nine new vendors, including Pickle Pie, a Surf 'N' Turf Burger, a Hmong Corndog, and Dill Pickle Cookies.

How old is the Minnesota State Fair? The fair traces back to a territorial fair in 1855, with the first official Minnesota State Fair held in 1859, a year after statehood. It has run nearly every year since, with only six exceptions due to wars, a scheduling conflict, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

How many people attend the Minnesota State Fair? The fair draws close to two million visitors over its twelve-day run most years, making it the second-largest state fair in the country.

What is the best day to go to the Minnesota State Fair to avoid crowds? Weekday mornings, particularly Tuesday through Thursday, tend to be less crowded than weekends. Saturdays regularly draw the fair's highest single-day attendance.

Vicki Peters is a licensed REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty, based in Wayzata on Lake Minnetonka and specializing in luxury and lakeshore real estate across the West Metro Twin Cities. Beyond real estate, Vicki is a lifelong Minnesota State Fair devotee who hasn't missed a single year in four decades — a family tradition she's now passed on to her own kids. Whether it's a Lake Minnetonka bay or near the fairgrounds, Vicki's approach is the same: understand a place by understanding what its people actually do together. Call Vicki today 763-443-9084

This post is intended for general informational and lifestyle purposes only and does not constitute real estate, legal, or financial advice. Fair dates, new food availability, and vendor details referenced above are current as of the time of writing and are subject to change; please confirm details directly with the Minnesota State Fair before making plans. Outbound links are provided for convenience and reference third-party websites not controlled by Vicki Peters or Coldwell Banker Realty. Coldwell Banker Realty is an Equal Housing Opportunity broker and fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act. This content is not intended to solicit properties currently listed with another real estate broker.