Minnesota State Fair by the numbers 2024
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The Great Minnesota Get-Together is upon us. And for some of us, the best part about it isn’t the corn dogs and cheese curds we get to munch — it’s the data and the numbers we get to crunch.
Yearly attendance record: 2.1 million in 2019
This year’s attendance, 1,925,904, was the fifth highest on record and highest since the state fair was cancelled in 2020 due to COVID-19. The four higher-attended years were 2016 to 2019, increasing each year over that span to reach over 2.1 million in 2019.
Fair attendance has climbed over time, and not just because the length of the fair has been extended — from six days in 1885-1918 to double that starting in 1975. According to records given to us by the State Fair, attendance first topped 1 million in 1955, and then topped 2 million in 2018.
Daily attendance record: 270,426 on Saturday, Sept. 1, 2018
The fair set five day-by-day attendance records in 2024 — but not the highest day ever. That was achieved on the second Saturday of the fair in 2018, when the temperature topped out at 88, the night’s Grandstand headliner was Hairball: A Bombastic Celebration of Arena Rock, and the gate count totaled 270,426.
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Over 150,000 people enter the fairgrounds on an average day at the state fair, at least in recent years. That would make the State Fair Minnesota’s third largest city, smaller than Minneapolis (437,000) or St. Paul (311,000), but larger than Rochester (125,000).
The second Saturday is the highest-attended day of the fair, averaging over 230,000 attendees in recent years.
If you are looking for a smaller dose of humanity with your State Fair experience, the opening day is your best bet, averaging 112,000 attendees in recent years. But really any weekday is far less attended than the two Saturdays and Sundays of the fair, especially the concluding weekend.
Hottest recent year at the Fair, 2018. Most Rainy, 2021
If you were one of the nearly 120,000 people who made it to the last day of last year’s fair, congratulations! You survived the hottest day for the Minnesota State Fair — at least the hottest in the last 14 years.
While high heat and humidity are common at the State Fair, precipitation is not. On average it has only rained a half inch or more one day in each 12 day run of the fair in recent years. That includes the first three days of the fair’s 2021 run which kicked off with the recent record rainfall of 1.6 inches.
Best-selling food at the fair? You guessed it…
Sweet Martha’s topped this list by far again in 2023. Sweet Martha’s three sites combined to generate well over twice the sales of the second-place finisher, Pronto Pups. Five other vendors topped $1 million in gross revenue last year. Nine of the top 10 were also on last year’s list; Que Viet was the only new addition, bumping Turkey to Go off of the tenth spot.
In total, the fair lists 279 food vendors and another 630 shops, 30 Kidway rides, 26 Mighty Midway rides), and four adventure park attractions — not to mention stand-alone attractions like the Butterfly and Haunted Houses, the Sky-rider and glide, the Giant Slide and the Great Big Wheel. So even if you prepaid for your ticket, do not forget your wallet!
Most common Grandstand Act: Alabama
Country-rockers Alabama tops the list of Minnesota State Fair Grandstand Acts with no less than 19 appearances—at least according to the list maintained by the Fair since 1962.
By the end of this year’s Grandstand lineup, a showcase of amateur talent contest finalists will had appeared on the big stage 14 times, taking second place. Garrison Keillor has made 13 appearances on the Grandstand, 11 branded as “Prairie Home Companion” followed by two “Minnesota Show” acts.
Country legend Willie Nelson has appeared 11 times, as have the Beach Boys — sometimes on their own and sometimes as a part of a showcase. The Oak Ridge Boys have been on the Grandstand 10 times. The Turtles would have made their 10th appearance this year, again as a part of the Happy Together tour, but storms led to the cancellation of that show.
10 most frequently appearing acts, Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
Alabama (19)
Amateur talent contest finals (14)
Garrison Keillor (13)
Willie Nelson (11)
The Beach Boys (11)
The Oak Ridge Boys (10)
The Turtles (9)
Alan Jackson (8)
Ray Komischke Orchestra (8)
Bonnie Raitt (8)
Source: Minnesota State Fair plus 2022 and 2023 lineups.
The only female headliner in the top 10 is bluesy rocker Bonnie Raitt, who has graced the Grandstand eight times, tied with two other acts. This year the only female headliner is Becky G, who appeared on opening night, although Emily Ann Roberts is appeared as Blake Shelton’s “special guest.”
In terms of Minnesota icons, Prince never played the State Fair (although he was honored posthumously with a “Prince night” in 2016) and Bob Dylan has appeared twice on the Grandstand.
Last, but certainly not least, the blue ribbons
Don’t be fooled by all the smiles, strolling and staring at giant sturgeon, the fair is the site of cut-throat competition. At the fair you can compete in everything from most pullups at the U.S. Marine Corps booth to the 4-H Llama-Alpaca Costume Contest.
For example, this year’s Creative Activities competitions include:
310 types of needlecraft, including this year’s “Quilt-on-a-Stick” theme: Minnesota mascots
239 different handcrafts, including carving, painting, weaving, stained glass, and “group of dolls dressed by exhibitor, depicting a sort or group of characters (must have 3-5 dolls)”
84 crafts done by senior citizens aged 65 and older
92 baked different products, including breads, cakes, pies, cookies and, yes, bars
92 categories of canning, including pickles, kimchi and ketchup
71 categories of garment making, including blouses to bonnets
31 different types of collections, including stamps to scrapbooks
This isn’t even including all of the animal judging, other 4-H competitions besides the Llama-Alpaca Costume Contest, or the competition to win the best prize from spinning the wheel at Minnesota Public Radio booth near the corner of Judson and Nelson.