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!

Super crowded, no organization to latern launch... Total overly corwded free for all. It was…read moredifficult to even get to the water with people blocking the way. I'll never do this event again.

This past year (Winter of 2017) I first heard about the Seattle Lantern Light Festival. I'm not…read moresure if the festival was at the Puyallup Fair Grounds before but last winter was the first I heard about it. I have been to a lantern festival about a year or two prior in Spokane and really enjoyed it and so when I heard this one on the radio I jumped at the opportunity to go see it. On top of that this particular festival was much closer so that also made it too hard to pass up. This particular festival was held from November 24th and would have ended around the beginning of January but the festival was so popular the dates were extended to January 14th. The festival started within this time period everyday at 5 p.m. and ended at 10 p.m. on weekdays, 11 p.m. on weekends. I believe some nights towards the end of the opening hours they would set off fireworks as well. There were many similarities to the Spokane lantern festival and it seemed like some of the lanterns I saw at this festival I saw at the Spokane one but there were many other lanterns that were new to me as well. Not only that, at this festival there were performers as well, acrobats specifically which proved to be highly entertaining. There are other activities as well like inflatable buildings to play in, face painting and other activities. This festival also had a market or vendor type section as well where there was a lot of lighted merchandise your could buy, t-shirts, sweatshirts and more artistic vendors that did elaborate and detailed paintings all made with their fingers and hands. There were also other artistic vendors as well but the finger painter is what we found to be really impressive! There was food served here as well but it wasn't terribly authentic. It was the typical vendors that are there when you go to the county fair. But that all may have been during the time we went. The website says they do have authentic food somewhere there. I really do hope that this particular lantern festival returns for future years to come. I got a lot of enjoyment out of it and love taking in the bright, vivid colors of the lanterns as you stroll around in the dark. Tickets for adults for this festival are $23 and children tickets are $18. There are also other ticketing packages as well by checking out their website.

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

You say to-may-toe, I say toe-mah-toe. Regardless, this fruity fight was saucy good time, with room…read morefor improvement. As this was the first for the tomato fest, I'm sure organizers didn't quite know what to expect, but I still think they could have had more entertainment. There was really nothing to do at the tomato fest when you weren't busy flinging tomatoes. There were concession stands, live music, and ONE beer tent (the line got pretty long). They also said they would have stations to rinse off at, but 2 hoses spraying in front of fans was not enough for over 2,000 tomato covered people. Also, a warning that parking was $5 would have been nice, I almost didn't bring any cash. The tomato fight itself was AMAZING! It was so much more fun and juicy than I had ever expected. Be prepared to get DRENCHED in tomato seed, tomato juice, and tomato pulp, so wear old clothes and organizers recommend that you wear white, or be creative and make costumes with some friends. Also, bring goggles! They will save your eyes. I am sure after this first fest, the tomato fest planners will have much more to offer next year, and more entertainment. I hope they read this and 'ketchup' with what they can improve on for next year.

I gave it 4 stars because of the crappy beer!! OMG they had almost nothing good to drink.. out of…read moreall the local beers they had schells..ewwwwwwwwwwww.. the fest was great i went with a friend and we had a great time.. the other issue was the country guy who tried to hard. Gesh if i wanted to listen to country i would of went to country fest. It seemed like the country band played for 5 hours non stop geshhhhh.. The fight was great next year i think i will wear different attire so that i can just throw them away.. the car still smells like tomatoes lol

Although I didn't find it all that great I still think the observatory and zoo are places to see. I…read morewould say there were too many merchants selling kimonos and not a lot of variety. I also saw one vendor selling knock off blind boxes and labubus without disclosing they're inauthentic. The merchants selling hard goods kinda felt like a garage sale. Perhaps it's just not for me. Unfortunately with all the rain fall (and ironically it also rained during the event) the algae bloom was very strong. One thing I did enjoy is part of the observatory was open and it was pretty unique to see as it's usually closed this late during their normal business hours so you get to bask in the twilight ambiance inside with the greenery.

Obon festival is a celebration of your ancestors and family. The Japanese believe that your…read moreancestors visit you once a year and you light a candle in a water lantern to guide them back to the spirit world. The lanterns were $10. You get to decorate it by drawing on them. I would have hoped to let my water lantern float in a bigger pool, but that was reserved for the festival's show at the end of the night. The performances included Japanese music, dances, and drums. I liked the drum performances because they included unique choreography and encouraged audience participation to cheer the players on. Some of the music was original as well, written by the drummers or singers. I had higher expectations of the food vendors, but there were a lot of food that was just average. I liked the takoyaki balls and the onigiri. They had a really good juice vendor that had free samples where I ordered coconut juice.

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!

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!

The Minnesota State Fair is such a special place! I'd give it a 100/5 if I could. Signaling the end…read moreof summer for most, this is a one stop destination for food, live music, people watching, and so much creativity. I am not a casual state-fair goer; this is where my type A planning really kicks in! I typically go early in the morning on a weekday since I have a lot I want to do, so the less lines the better. I have some must-eat foods each year: roasted corn, a pronto pup, sweet marthas cookie cone/cup, cheese curds (millers variety or the mouth trap), mint lemonade, amish donuts, pickle pizza, vietnamese coffee Faves from the last couple of years: koshari, egg roll on a stick, paella, lemonade sorbet, deep friend red velvet oreos, hot honey pizza balls Logistics: I find the state fair app super helpful since I can pre-plan what I want to eat/see/do. I walk around a ton to build up an appetite for everything I want to eat! My state fair buddies are amazing at doing this to pace ourselves. I also always take the park and ride buses to minimize stress.

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!