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Where to find Minnesota State Fair food after the fair
The Minnesota State Fair may be over, but you can still find many popular vendors serving up fair favorites at events around the Twin Cities after the fair is over.
FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota State Fair fell short of setting a new overall attendance record in 2026, but still drew its seventh-largest crowd on record.
2026 Minnesota State Fair attendance
What we know:
The total attendance for the 2026 fair finished at 1,923,325. That puts it at seventh all-time in total fair attendance.
The day-by-day breakdown was:
- Thursday, Aug. 27: 155,185
- Friday, Aug. 28: 204,065
- Saturday, Aug. 29: 198,842
- Sunday, Aug. 30: 171,054
- Monday, Aug. 31: 124,519
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: 112,836
- Wednesday, Sept. 2: 117,150
- Thursday, Sept. 3: 107,159
- Friday, Sept. 4: 155,204
- Saturday, Sept. 5: 217,929
- Sunday, Sept. 6: 200,281
- Monday, Sept. 7: 159,101
Bolded and asterisks denote a record attendance
2026 fair in retrospect
By the numbers:
The 2026 fair opened with two records and very strong attendance over the opening weekend. The fair also finished strong with solid attendance on both the second Sunday and Labor Day, which were both up from 2025.
Attendance was a little slower over the second week. Excluding the 2021 pandemic return year, this year's second Friday was the lowest-attended second Friday since 2014 with 155,204 visitors. Again, excluding 2021, over the last ten years, the average attendance for the second Friday has been more than 185,000.
The second Thursday was also slightly behind pace with 107,159 attendees. The average over the past ten years, excluding 2021, has been more than 120,000.
Some of those lower numbers may have been due to the later-than-normal fair, with some schools back in session ahead of Labor Day.
Big picture view:
The fair enjoyed nearly perfect weather for most of the two-plus week run. The event encountered no major storms or washout days. The fair also only saw three days of 90-degree weather.
What's next:
The Minnesota State Fair returns next year starting Thursday, August, 26 through Labor Day, Sept. 6.
The Source: Information from the Minnesota State Fair