State Fair

The 2025 Minnesota State Fair runs Aug. 21 through Sept. 1. For all of the events at the MPR booth and Dan Patch Park, go to mpr.org/statefair.

Making a more accessible fair experience
The Minnesota State Fair is a different experience for everyone. There is no denying it is loud, overcrowded and anxiety-inducing but if you’re autistic, it can be even more nerve-wracking. Jillian Nelson of the Autism Society of Minnesota took MPR News on a tour of the fair through the lens of an autistic person.
At State Fair, Walz, Jensen try to make campaigns stick
With a little more than two months left before Election Day, the frontrunners in the race for Minnesota governor took different tacks to making their presence known at the annual end-of-summer event.
Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: What happens to all the money at the State Fair?
There’s a lot of money at the fair. Beyond the cash and cards used by visitors, vendors have to pay for their business spaces. In this edition of Infrequently Asked Questions, MPR News Reporter Tim Nelson traces the fair-wide money flow.
A year's worth of work takes center stage at state fair's high school FFA competitions
Nearly 1,000 high school students have moved into the barracks at the State Fairgrounds for the big weekend of Future Farmers of America competitions. Cathy Wurzer talked with T.J. Brown, FFA superintendent, about the changing FFA and what all those young people are up to this last weekend of the fair.
Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: Where do the 4-H kids sleep?
Most people associate 4-H kids at the Minnesota State Fair with animals. When you go to the fair, you see these hard-working farm kids prodding pigs, shearing sheep and cozying up with cows — all in hopes of earning a ribbon. The animals stay in the barns. But where do the kids that brought them go at night?
Appetites live at the state fair with Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl
On the last Appetites, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl made some predictions about which new state fair foods will get the glory. She returns to see how they held up and fields questions from fairgoers in a special live broadcast from the fairgrounds with MPR News host Tom Crann.
Infrequently Asked Fair Questions: What happens to all the manure at the Minnesota State Fair?
Hundreds of farm animals are shown every year at the Minnesota State Fair — and where you find farm animals, you know you’re going to find something else. Manure. Lots and lots of manure. Where does it all go?