The 2024 Minnesota State Fair brought people together from across the state of Minnesota to celebrate. This year’s cumulative total attendance total was 1,925,904, making it the fifth best-attended fair ever!
“It’s been a phenomenal year for the Minnesota State Fair, filled with unforgettable moments and fun for everyone. This year’s fair also had its share of Minnesota weather, and the State Fair team responded by pulling together to keep people safe and to take care of the fairgrounds amidst episodes of extreme heat and humidity, rainstorms and high winds. The Great Minnesota Get-Together is truly a special event where we can celebrate all that is great about Minnesota and each other. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back to the fair Aug. 21 through Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2025.” – Minnesota State Fair CEO, Renee Alexander
2024 Fair Fun Facts
Competitions
The Minnesota State Fair’s agricultural and creative competitions drew more than 34,000 entries this year, with competitors vying for a share of ribbons, trophies and special awards and nearly $2 million in prize money. Competitions included events for livestock, horses, school projects, dog trials, baked and canned goods, fruit, vegetables, crafts, bee and honey products, fine arts, farm crops, flowers, butter, cheese and more.
The State Fair’s Fine Arts Exhibition featured the largest juried art show in Minnesota. The 2024 People’s Choice Award – Adults’ Choice went to “Mallards Facing Winter,” a photo by Omar Ghrayeb of Minneapolis, Minn. Kristin Williams of Minneapolis, Minn., won the Kids’ Choice Award for “Sprout,” a needle felt sculpture.
The Purple Ribbon Auction on Saturday, Aug. 24, set 10 new record prices and raised more than $1.2 million for the 115 4-H members who participated in the auction. In addition, the auction awarded $140,000 in scholarships to 56 4-H youth participants.
In open class livestock competitions, supreme champion titles were awarded to the best grand champions out of all beef cattle, dairy cattle, boer goats, dairy goats, breeding sheep and swine grand champions and were exhibited by:
- Open Class Supreme Champion Dairy Female: Lisa Demmer, Discovery Genetics, Ellsworth, Wis.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Dairy Junior Female: Pit-Crew Genetics, Cambridge, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Beef Female: Nolan Hackett, Brookwood Farms, Sauk Rapids, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Beef Bull: Patrick Wall, PAW Livestock, Pleasantville, Iowa
- Open Class Supreme Champion Beef Cow/Calf: Jaxon Hilbrands, Hilbrands Simmentals, Holloway, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Boar: Mike Patterson, Country Girls Show Pigs, Kenyon, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Gilt: Braden Bailey, Bailey Livestock, Towner, N.D.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Ram, Wool Breeds: Dylan Nohner, Pines End Natural Coloreds, Erwin, S.D.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Ewe, Wool Breeds: Isaiah Bauck, Dew Drop Farms, New York Mills, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Ram, Meat Breeds: Adriana Wendland, Northern Starr Livestock Services, Shakopee, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Ewe, Meat Breeds: Devin Wolkow, Wolkow Dorsets, De Smet, S.D.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Dairy Goat Herd: Tatiana Deters, Russian Ridge, Spring Grove, Minn.
- Open Class Supreme Champion Boer Goat: Kayla Schmidt, Schmidt Boer Goats
FFA Supreme Champion honors were also awarded:
- Breeding Beef: Leighton Hackett, Foley FFA
- Dairy: Alex Schroeder, New Ulm FFA
- Breeding Sheep: Adriana Wendland, Kenyon-Wanamingo FFA
- Breeding Swine: Kaytlin Faber, Fairmont FFA
Supreme and Signature winners in the Minnesota State Fair Horse Show were:
- Supreme Champion Stallion Draft Horse: Summit Farms, Alden, Iowa
- Supreme Champion Mare Draft Horse: Mystery Hills Stable, Kiel, Wis.
- Supreme Champion Gelding Draft Horse: Stalheim Farms/Stade Farm, Amery, Wis.
- Draft Horse Supreme Six-Horse Hitch: Ames Percherons, Jordan, Minn.
- Draft Horse Supreme Cart Classic Series: Ames Percherons, Jordan, Minn.
- Youth Cart Classic Series: McKenna Shaw driving for Ames Percherons, Jordan, Minn.
- Signature Tandem Bareback Champion Team: Vivian Mayers, Corcoran, Minn., and Brenna Segner, Waconia, Minn.
- Signature Mounted Costume: Annie Mickelson, Loretto, Minn.
- Four-In-Line Barrels Champion Team: Jus’ Kiddin’ Around Saddle Club (Rachel Duenow, Avarie Duenow, Jacie Duenow, Brynlie Duenow)
The Douglas K. Baldwin Award for FFA livestock show participation and leadership went to Tayler Franz of Windom FFA.
Rachel Visser of Hutchinson, Minn., representing McLeod County, was crowned the 71st Princess Kay of the Milky Way and will serve as the official goodwill ambassador for nearly 2,500 Minnesota dairy farm families this year.
The award-winning CHS Miracle of Birth Center welcomed 159 newborn animals, including 134 piglets and 25 lambs.
Learn more about results in Ag-Hort Bee, Creative Activities and K-12 competitions.
Grandstand
Total Grandstand attendance was 86,724 (not including the free MSF Amateur Talent Contest Finals).
- Aug. 22: Becky G with special guest Los Aptos
- Aug. 23: Chance the Rapper
- Aug. 24: Nate Bargatze: The Be Funny Tour (sold out)
- Aug. 25: Blake Shelton with special guest Emily Ann Roberts
- Aug. 26: Happy Together Tour 2024 featuring The Turtles, Jay and the Americans, The Association, Badfinger, The Vogues and The Cowsills (canceled due to severe weather)
- Aug. 27: Ludacris & T-Pain (sold out)
- Aug. 28: Jon Pardi with special guest Dillon Carmichael
- Aug. 29: Mötley Crüe with special guest White Reaper
- Aug. 30: Matchbox Twenty with special guest Beauty School Dropout
- Aug. 31: Stephen Sanchez with special guest Madi Diaz
- Sept. 2: KIDZ BOP LIVE 2024
Amateur Talent Contest
Nearly 4,000 fans cheered on the best amateur talent in the state at the MSF Amateur Talent Contest Finals held Sept. 1, at the Grandstand. Contestants were competing for nearly $20,000 in prize money. Winners were:
Open Division
- Dante Carlson of Woodbury, Minn., cello solo, “Julie-O”
- Angelina Elliott of Brooklyn, Minn., dance solo, “Anamorphosis”
- Cypher Side Dance School of St. Paul, Minn., dance group, “Hip Hop Mix”
Teen Division
- Aaliyah Dixon of St. Michael, Minn., dance solo, “Burden Down”
- Danica Scofield of Blaine, Minn., piano solo, “Chopin Ballade No. 1”
- Matthew Woody of Farmington, Minn., vocal solo, “Rainbow”
Preteen Division
- Brandt Montag of Alexandria, Minn., vocal solo with guitar, “Movies”
- Matinly Conrad and Chase Lang of Shoreview, Minn., dance performance, “When I Was Your Man”
- Tillie Kuhl of Shoreview, Minn., dance solo, “Escape the Weight”
New This Year
New Additions and Highlights
- Minnesota State Fair Featured Design available on merchandise at the State FairWear gift shops
- Official MN State Fair App
- Cats & Dogs The Exhibition at the North End Event Center
- Minnesota State Fair Foundation’s Welcome Wall
- Additions to accessibility and guest services
- Aira app
- Audio description additions
- Joy Mobile
- KaiBi Mobile Family Care Center
- Another adult-size changing table
- Two new Midway rides
- State Fair History Snapshots
- Guest experience enhancements
- Re-designed Crop Art Exhibit space
- New windows and doors in historic Fine Arts Center
- The Garden and Dan Patch Park updates
- New competitions & themes
- 90 years of the Streetcar Arch
- 90 years of the DNR Building & Park
- Additional historical highlights
- Transportation expansions
Plus even more! View the full list of what was new in 2024.
New Foods
Six new food vendors in 2024:
- Chan’s Eatery
- El Burrito Mercado
- Kosharina Egyptian Cuisine
- Loon Lake Iced Tea
- Midtown Global Market’s Indigenous Food Lab
- Paella Depot
The 2024 fair featured 33 new foods:
3 Piggy Pals On-A-Stick, Afro Poppers, Ba’bacon Sour Cream + Onion, Blazing Greek Bites, Buffalo Cheese Curd & Chicken Tacos, Chile Mango Whip, Cookie Butter Crunch Mini Donuts, Cotton Candy Iced Tea, Crab Boil Wings, Deep-Fried Halloumi Cheese, Deep-Fried Ranch Dressing, Dill Pickle Tots, Fried Bee-Nana Pie, Grilled Purple Sticky Rice, Ham and Pickle Roll Up on a Potato Skin, Lady’s Slipper Marble Sundae, Marco’s Garden, Mocha Madness Shave Ice, Nixtamal & Wild Rice Bowl with Wóžapi & Bison Meatballs or Sweet Potato Dumplings, Patata Frita Focacciawich, PB Bacon Cakes, Raging Ball, Savory Éclairs in Two Varieties, Shroomy “Calamari,” Strawberries and Cream Waffle Stick, Strawberry Lemonade Donut, Swedish Ice Cream Sundae, Swedish ‘Sota Sliders, Sweet Corn Cola Float, Sweet Heat Bacon Crunch, Turkey Kristo, Walking Shepherd’s Pie and Wrangler Waffle Burger.
Learn more about 2024’s Official New Foods.
Best Awards Winners
- Anderson Bros Outdoors
- Blue Barn, Caricatures by Cindy
- Crazy Mouse owned by Wood Entertainment
- Demetri’s Fine Greek Food
- Homespun Gifts and Décor
- Milk Can Game owned by Coy Heatherly Concessions
- Minnesota Department of Public Safety
- Orange Treet
- Pria Handmade Accessories
- Puppy Express owned by Prime Pacific
- Tot Boss
The State Fair’s 2024 Best Awards recognized outstanding vendors, attractions and commercial exhibits.
