Minnesota State Fair attendance dips slightly from previous two years

Minnesota Reformer · Alyssa Chen · September 9, 2026

Thousands fill the streets during the Minnesota State Fair Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer) The 2026 Minnesota State Fair’s record-smashing attendance during its first two days had Minnesotans wondering if this year’s crowds might reach historic heights. It certainly felt that way with people lining up for blocks for glazed donuts, packing in tight to watch a cow give birth and filling the Grandstand for Weird Al Yankovic.

Total attendance ended up being around 1.9 million attendees, slightly lower than attendance the prior two years and falling short of the pre-pandemic 2019 record of 2.1 million attendees. Total attendance refers to the sum of daily attendance, meaning State Fair superfans who buy tickets for all 12 days are counted 12 times.

Minnesota has an estimated 5.8 million residents. That’s around one State Fair attendance day for every three Minnesotans, though the fair draws in people from across the country.

Like in past years, the busiest day was the second Saturday with nearly 218,000 people in attendance. The 2018 State Fair still holds the record for second Saturday attendance, though, at 270,000 people.

Some other State Fair numbers went up this year.

Bakers vying for chocolate chip cookie accolades, for example, faced steeper competition in 2026 than ever before, with over 280 submissions for the category — over double the number of submissions a decade ago.

The State Fair previously had categories for chocolate chip cookies with oatmeal and with nuts (no fruit still!) but consolidated to a single classic, no-nonsense chocolate chip cookie category in 2025, which was the most popular category in the fair’s Creative Arts competitions.

For those looking for the best odds at winning a blue ribbon next year, there were 45 competition classes in arts and crafts that had only one entry this year. Those include “Bride doll dressed by exhibitor, sewn clothes only on adult-type doll (no animals)” and “Machine-Knitted Articles (Not otherwise specified, wearable, any technique).”

Total ticket revenue from the fair has yet to be released. Last year’s fair raked in nearly $31 million in State Fair tickets, which were $20 each without discounts in both 2025 and 2026; $17.5 million from vendors and exhibitors; $10 million in Midway and Kidway carnival rides; and nearly $6 million in Grandstand concert tickets.

Food vendors, some of which make millions in two weeks, pay 15% of their revenue to the State Fair to lease the space. The Mouth Trap, the third biggest vendor in 2025 after Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar and Pronto Pups, sold around 72,000 pounds of cheese curds this year, said owner Dave Cavallaro.

The fairgrounds also make some money by renting to other groups outside of the 12-day extravaganza leading up to Labor Day, though revenues from non-fair events contributed less than $3 million to the $77 million total revenue in 2025.

Read the full story at Minnesota Reformer