Minnesota State Fair announces 5-day walk-through event over Memorial Day weekend

Missing the Great Minnesota Get-Together? You could get a preview later this month. 

The Minnesota State Fair announced it will host a five-day "Kickoff to Summer at the Fair" event over Memorial Day weekend. Guests will get to walk around the fairgrounds and experience many fair favorites, including popular food vendors, attractions like the Giant Slide and live music, according to a news release. 

Tickets will be sold through an online lottery system. Registration for the lottery is open now until Thursday on the state fair's website.

Each ticket is valid for a specific date and timeslot. There will be seven five-hour timeslots over the five-day run, each limited to 10,000 people. 

  • Thursday, May 27: 4-9 p.m. 
  • Friday, May 28: 4-9 p.m. 
  • Saturday, May 29: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 4-9 p.m. 
  • Sunday, May 30: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 4-9 p.m. 
  • Monday, May 31 (Memorial Day): 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Guests will be required to wear face masks and must be seated while eating or drinking during the event.

Fair organizers say the proceeds will help offset the loss of revenue after the 2020 Minnesota State Fair was canceled due to COVID-19. They remain hopeful the 2021 fair will go on as planned. 

"We don’t know exactly what it will look like, but we’re staying very flexible with our planning and look forward to the 2021 Great Minnesota Get-BackTogether in August," General Manager Jerry Hammer said in a statement. 

Gov. Tim Walz said last week the Minnesota State Fair should be "pretty close" to normal this year as long as current COVID-19 projections continue.