You Can Kickoff Your Summer With The Minnesota State Fair Again This Year
Last year, the Minnesota State Fair hosted a "Kickoff to Summer". It was such a big hit, the event is making a comeback for 2022.
The five-day event includes food, brews, live music, shopping, and a whole lot of family fun at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
“Last year’s Kickoff to Summer was even more popular than we had hoped it would be,” said State Fair General Manager Jerry Hammer. “People really enjoyed getting together for a little slice of the fair, and we’re happy to bring the event back this year.”
The Kickoff to Summer event runs from May 26-30.
Ticket Sales Decided Through Lottery Process
A lottery process will decide ticket sales for the Kickoff to Summer event. There will be an attendance limit of 15,000 people for each of the seven timeslots. Admission is $12.50 per person, and children 4 and under are free and do not require a ticket.
Each ticket is for a specific date and timeslot. A lottery process will be used to randomly select people for an opportunity to purchase tickets (limit of 6 tickets per customer).
Lottery registration is open now through 11:59 p.m. Friday, Feb. 18. There is no fee required to register. You can register here.
Kickoff to Summer at the Fair timeslots:
Thursday, May 26, 4:30-9:30 p.m.
Friday, May 27, 4:30-9:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 28, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Saturday, May 28, 4:30-9:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 29, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 29, 4:30-9:30 p.m.
Monday, May 30 (Memorial Day), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Food, Music, and Attractions at Minnesota State Fair "Kickoff to Summer"
There will be more than 30 popular State Fair food and beverage vendors, an electric lineup of music and entertainment.
There will be Trivia Mafia games, the Giant Slide (at an additional cost), The Minnesota State Fair Community Gives Together collection of items for local nonprofits, board games, kids activities, State Fair mascot appearances, photo ops, specialty Minnesota merchandise shopping, a Memorial Day commemoration, free parking and much more.
Participating food vendors confirmed so far include: Al’s Subs & Malt Shop, Andy’s Grille, Baba’s, Ball Park Cafe, Bayou Bob’s, Big Fat Bacon, Blue Moon Dine-In Theater, Café Caribe, Coasters, Dino’s Gyros, Duke’s Poutine, El Sol Mexican Foods, French Meadow Bakery & Cafe, Fresh French Fries, Hansen’s Foot Long Hot Dogs & Corn Dogs, Hildebrand Concessions, Mancini’s al Fresco, Minnesnowii Shave Ice, Mouth Trap Cheese Curds, The Perfect Pickle, Produce Exchange, Pronto Pups, Que Viet Concessions, RC’s BBQ, Summer Lakes Beverages, Sweet Martha’s Cookie Jar, Sweets & Treats, Tiny Tim Donuts, Tot Boss, and West Indies Soul Food. More will be added in the coming weeks.
Guests will be required to follow all Minnesota State Fair policies and protocols (including health, safety, and security) in place at the time of the event.