150 Vendors Drop Out Of 2021 Minnesota State Fair: Report

TWIN CITIES, MN — When the Minnesota State Fair opens Thursday for the first time in two years, there will be some familiar faces missing. Approximately 150 vendors dropped out of the fair this year due to COVID-19 concerns, supply issues, and lack of staffing, according to organizers.

"Yes, we did lose 150 vendors, but that’s over the past year," fair spokesperson Danielle Dullinger told the Pioneer Press. "I know a lot of state agencies are not able to come this year."

Only one of the vendors is food-related. With 61 new vendors joining the fair, there will still be 975 vendors in total.

MN State Fair Mask, Vaccine Policy

The Minnesota State Fair strongly recommends that attendees come fully vaccinated and wear a mask at the fair this year. However, the fair will not require fairgoers to wear a mask or be vaccinated, according to the fair's 2021 health guidance.

"We understand that by urging rather than requiring people to follow current guidance, many of our usual fair fans will not be comfortable attending," fair organizers said in a statement.

"We ask that those who attend do so because they are willing to follow our health guidance – not because it's mandated, but because it's the right thing to do."

The staff of Heavy Table, a Twin Cities-based food and drink magazine, say they're skipping the 2021 Minnesota State Fair because fair organizers won't enforce a COVID-19 vaccine or mask mandate.