The Great Minnesota Get Together! Too many people for me…read morepersonally and it is always HOT but the food and beverages are plentiful and delicious!

I recently moved to MN and quickly learned from colleagues about how popular the MN State Fair is…read more I followed Nextdoor posts discussing whether the state fair was worth the crowds and money. Normally those factors would steer me away but as a recent MN transplant, I wanted to experience the fair firsthand. I met up with some new friends ~9:30 am yesterday (Labor Day, 9/1/2025). Knowing that parking would be difficult and expensive, I took a Lyft to one of the Park & Ride stations where I was able to take the bus for $6. When I got off the bus, I was offered a discounted ticket for $15 (normally $20) by a fair goer who had an extra ticket he didn't use. Once I got into the fairgrounds, we explored the livestock and agricultural exhibits. We loved the baby animals (especially the goats!) and the colorful dahlias. In addition to these exhibits, we also saw a lumberjack show. Fun! Now onto one of the most important - and highly debated - parts of the fair. The food! We shared the following: Cheese curds - first time trying them. Deliciously cheesy! Cream cheese wontons - average but came with a good dipping sauce Corn fritters - loved these. Perfect balance of sweet and savory Fried green tomatoes - not overly greasy despite "fried" in the name. Some people thought the tomatoes were too sour but I thought they were good Falawaffle - very tasty. I'd never seen a waffle using falafel batter elsewhere. Would love to pay Baba's in mpls a visit Three people in our group had the hot honey pizza balls, which I did not partake in as I don't eat meat (pepperoni). I wish they made a non-meat version but I plan to find a recipe online. The line was very long and though my friends enjoyed them, they didn't feel the wait was worth it. I got a frozen lemonade ($12) and frozen affogato ($10). Both yummy and perfect for a warm day! Of all the foods we tried, the cheese curds and corn fritters were my fave (and worth deviating from avoiding fried foods to keep my cholesterol in check). Weather was not too hot (60s/70s) and the crowds were manageable other than the very long line at the pizza place. The verdict: I'm glad I went and had the opportunity to experience a popular event in MN! I do agree with some folks on Nextdoor that the food is overpriced. I think the fair is worth checking out once but I'm not sure if I'd go again unless someone wants to go. Tips: 1) go with a group if possible as sharing food can cut down on costs. 2) take Lyft/Uber to/from the park and ride so you don't have to stress over parking!

There now is a fee for General Admission and the cost is $20 ...but it's so worth since the MUSIC…read moreand IRISH DANCING are the bomb! Awesome crowds, music, Irish dancers, band and bagpipes...! Vendors sell kilts and shirt and Irish hats and there lot kinds and lot good food and Irish Beer and whiskey wine. The music and dancing are plentiful and varied. The food is very tasty, and there is a variety of food vendors which make it easy to find something delicious at all prices. Now they accept cash and credit cards, no more tokens...hoorah! .

You don't have to be Irish to visit Irish Fair...but now you do have to pay the price of admission…read more The admission fees vary from a VIP experience to a daily general admission. The stages have been reoriented, which I'm sorry to say leaves most of the day performances on the main Dublin Stage in the full sun for the audience. I appreciate that they wanted to try something new, but full August sun & heat were oppressive for me. Close parking is a premium, so bike or ride share or bus in from the St. Paul Depot to save your cash for the more important things at IFM: Guinness beers, Celtic artwork and kilts, Anchor fish & chips. Don't forget to bring your lawn chair & SUNSCREEN if you do not buy the VIP passes. One very last and important thing: The MUSIC and IRISH DANCING are the best here!

This past June played host to the second annual St. Paul Summer Beer Fest. Having been to both the…read moreinaugural tasting, as well as this year's, I can confidently say that this event keeps getting bigger (over 70+ breweries in attendance this past year), better, faster (shorter lines), stronger (more high gravity beers) and depending on how many of the 175+ beers you try to sample - drunker. This event caters to the true beer drinking crowd, meaning that you're going to find many more of the small and obscure breweries in attendance than you would at any of the other local tasting events. As a result, the crowd is generally a bit older than you'd find at some of the other local beer festivals - which is fine by me as you can tell people are there for the beer sampling and not for the sole purpose of getting drunk. The event is held in the Midway Stadium parking lot and as a result there is plenty of room to spread out the tasting tents and for people to linger. Only downside to that is you're standing in a parking lot with minimal to no shade/cover on either a rainy, or like the last two years, very sunny and warm day (my farmer's tan is now better than yours). Make sure to stop by the tents of the event sponsors, YMCA silent auction and Midway Stadium food vendors while you're at it. This event will definitely get the 5th star from me if the stadium ends up moving to Lowertown and this event comes with it.

I go to a couple brew fests a year in the Twin Cities growing craft beer scene and I love the St…read more Paul one the best. Great location at the fairgrounds Bazaar with the major brewers out back on the grass along side a couple of food trucks. It is nice to have the grassy area out back where it doesn't seem as crowded as inside the Bazaar. They have lots of food stands available like Holy Land and a typical state fair stand when you walk in. They have one main stage with great bands playing, but I think this year they added a blue grass stage out back. I love blue grass, so I could have hung out there all day. There are hundreds of beers to try and everyone is happy to serve you. For a few thousand people drinking beer, everyone is cool and I haven't seen anyone really get out of hand at these things. All the major players like Surly, New Belgium, Sam Adams, Pour Decisions were all there. Great selection! I was with some great friends and we had lots of laughs, even though it poured for about 45 minutes, we were in a tent and made beer runs here and there. It was actually not horrible. Lots of restrooms are available which is huge at a beer festival and clean. It was $40 for the ticket, and $50 for a VIP ticket that gets you in an hour earlier and some tent seats if you like. I may do that next year. They have a designated driver ticket you can buy as well, which was kind of cool. Overall, this is the second time at this fest, and it was just as fantastic as last year!

Live music. Booze. Mechanical bull riding. Booze. Corn dogs. Booze. People watching. Booze. Fresh…read moreAir. Booze. Walleye on a stick. Booze. Stupid drunk girls. Booze. What's not to love? Recommend walking rather than attempting to park... and also wear comfortable closed toe shoes so stupid drunk people don't step on your feet. It gets crowded.

It was our first time this year, and I was surprised at how long we lasted! We got wristbands in…read moreadvance (probably didn't need them you can hear the bands just fine from the other side of the gate, unless you need beer) caught the end of the parade, checked out the local artists (at noon there wasn't much in this area), got some food (our faves were the bison brat and the corn on the cob w/ the mexican crema, cheese and cayanne), got some beer and listened to 4 on the Floor (?). It was pretty hot, but we found some shady spots to take a rest, and it wasn't nearly as crowded as I was expecting. Also, the free shuttle bus running on Summit was great. I think we'll be checking this out next year!

What a grand idea! This place had it all. Plenty of food options and music to entertain. Not…read moresure if this is a regular event but certainly one that you should keep on your calendar. The variety was nice. The lines were long so plan to wait for your food. Mear park was full of people and parking was surprisingly plentiful despite being the weekend and a Saints game going on. Highly recommend.

This year marked my second consecutive year of attending this festival and I have to say...it gets…read morebetter every year! The variety of trucks is great (even for gluten free vegan!) And the park is beautiful. Everyone seemed to be having a blast! My only issue is that with such a popular event the lines can be quite long and the park can be very crowded. Can't be shy; push your way through and get a little rough!

Pierohi was stellar! Russian tea cake was ok. Bbq beef sandwich meat was awesome!! However there…read morewasn't too much meat and it was on a wrap. This was a negative. The corn looked really good but unfortunately I didn't have any room left in my stomach for it. Good music, nice assortment of vendors. And super friendly people.

A great day, good food, and very friendly community - and a beautiful church, wow!read more

Made it to the MN State Fair today. Beautiful day at the fair 70' couldn't ask for nicer weather…read more We ate a bunch walked a lot watched the parade got our flu shots and had a nice day.

Such a fun experience! Once you got past the struggle of securing a ticket, I was so so excited to…read moreget a taste of the fair, despite the current state of the world. The fair made it so easy to plan out your trip and decide which food to order. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect as far as how long the wait would be, but it was a super fun and fast paced way to experience the fair. The food was super easy to order and I felt safe throughout the event. The route was easy to follow and the signage was excellent. The only thing is that the food wasn't the freshest. A lot of it seemed less fresh than when I got it at the fair in past years. For example the pronto puffs were luke warm. All together an unforgettable experience! But I can't wait for the return of the fair in 2021.

Enjoyed walking around looking at all of the art. There is so much talent in the Twin Cities!…read moreJumped in on some Zumba too! And of course what's a festival without food. I stuck with the basics of corn, corn dog and churro. Prices seemed high but sadly food costs are on the rise. Can't wait until next year!

6.21.26 If I liked snow and brutally freezing weather, I would move here. All the green spaces…read moreencourages you to get up and move, get outside, smell the roses and get your vitamin D on. From the music to art festivals, everything is FREE. Though....parking is a bit challenging. Nonetheless, I would do it again and again. Weather was perfect 73 degrees People, hmmm...I am impressed on so many levels. For 1 they support the Somalian community and they stand for what is just and fair. Its funny, my friend of 52 years asked me, what are we doing this year, I said Cruise, Jamaica, Mexico...she said how about Minnesota. I said what's in Minnesota? And that's when I went down the rabbit hole and did my research. I can honestly say, I'm glad I was too busy to plan our annual trip this year. She did it all, I just had to send my money. From a ferry down the Mississippi river, to several lakes, downtown Minneapolis, Paisley Park, Mall of America to sooo much more. I would like to come back, but there is so much more on my bucket list to double back. Cheers to Minnesota and all its fabulousness!

I've only been here once, and what an event it was!! It…read moretruly does capture the atmosphere of Jazz music. The location is perfect, while it can be hectic getting into downtown and parking, I would suggest going green and spend an all day visit. Taking the rail or bus either way you'll be greeted with GREAT music! They have several stages, played at different times in which you walk from one block to another should you feel the need to explore. Food is wonderful! Plenty of FOODTRUCKS and local eatery. BIGRIVER pizza near CHS and farmers market is AWESOME! Not to mention too, there will Art booths set up from local artist. Including myself :-)) Http://DeMeglioart.com I'll be there FRI-SAT It's a place to come and it's FREE, not the food of course!

Love it! Well organized, Talented Musicians, Great Security, and just a fun Summer Festival!…read more I normally stay at the Mears Stage because I live right there but many other venues around like Black Dog, Amsterdam, and Union Depot Stage, have acts playing at the same time. I think the bigger name bands play at the Main Stages however. Thursday night is a perfect night, not too busy. Friday night is still great but Saturday does get really really crowded so get your spots saved early on that day. I must applaud the Security Team this year. Last year I had a few pesty drunks bugging me, since I am a magnet for that type but this year, while sitting with my friend Ron, a drunk started bothering him, and within a minute, Security was right on it! Bam! Get out of here! It really made me feel good that they were very visible this year!! Thank you to the organizers who arranged this fine security group!