Minnesota State Fair 2017: Tickets, Parking, ​Bus, Lineup

TWIN CITIES, MN — The Minnesota State Fair is right around the corner. The Great Minnesota Get-Together is 12 days long and runs from Aug. 25 through Labor Day, Sept. 5. Before heading out to the fairgrounds, find important information about this year's state fair here.

New Attractions, Exhibits and Foods: Thirty-one new foods and five new food vendors have been added to the fair’s list of more than 500 food options, according to organizers. Several new attractions make their State Fair debut in 2017, including:

• 156-foot-tall Great Big Wheel
• The Veranda, a new shop-eat-sip destination on the west side of the Grandstand’s upper level
• The Great Minnesota Knit Together with Minnesota’s largest yarnbomb – located on the Grandstand Ramp
• An Evening with Equine on Aug. 29
• Ramberg Center Relax & Recharge Station

Pre-fair discount tickets: Pre-fair discount admission tickets and ride and game tickets for the 2017 Minnesota State Fair are now on sale. Pre-fair discount admission tickets cost $11 and are valid for on any day of the fair.

Children under age five get in free. Ride and game tickets are $15 for a 25-ticket sheet.

• Buy tickets now

Other ways to purchase pre-fair discount tickets:

• Call (800) 514-3849
• At Minneapolis Visitor Information and participating Cub stores now through Aug. 23

Also read: 2017 Minnesota State Fair: Bargains, Ways To Save, Discounts

Regular fair-time tickets

• Adults (13-64): $14
• Seniors (65+): $12
• Kids (5-12): $12
• Children (Under 5): Free

Special discount day admission tickets

"Thrifty Thursday" (Aug. 24)

• Adults (13-64): $12
• Seniors (65+): $12
• Kids (5-12): $9
• Children (Under 5): Free

"Seniors and Kids Day" (Aug. 28)

• Adults (13-64): $14
• Seniors (65+): $9
• Kids (5-12): $9
• Children (Under 5): Free

Military Appreciation Day (Aug. 29)

• Adults (13-64): $9*
• Seniors (65+): $9*
• Kids (5-12): $9*
• Children (Under 5): Free

* Discount applies to active military, spouses and kids; retired military and spouses; and military veteran and spouses when they purchase a ticket at the gate and present valid documentation of military service.

Read and Ride Day (Aug. 30)

• Adults (13-64): $12**
• Seniors (65+): $9**
• Kids (5-12): $9**
• Children (Under 5): Free

** Discount applies to public library cardholders who purchase a ticket at the gate and present a valid library card (one discount per card).

Seniors Day (Aug. 31)

• Adults (13-64): $14
• Seniors (65+): $9
• Kids (5-12): $12
• Children (Under 5): Free

Kids Day (Sept. 4)

• Seniors (65+): $12
• Kids (5-12): $9
• Children (Under 5): Free

Grandstand Shows

Artists performing at the 2017 State Fair include Nickleback, Stevie Nicks, Jim Gaffigan, Toby Keith, Frankie valli, John Mellencamp, Garrison Keillor, and more. View the complete lineup here.

An interactive map of the entire fairgrounds can be viewed here. (For more local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alerts and newsletters from Minnesota Patch, click here to find your local Minnesota Patch. Also, follow us on Facebook, and if you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

Free Shows

The 2017 free entertainment lineup features more than 900 shows – all free with the price of State Fair admission. Check out the entire free music lineup.

Parking at the fair

Parking in all State Fairgrounds lots is filled on a first-come basis for $13 per car ($26 for vehicles with trailers, must fit in a double parking space). Limited accessible parking is available for $13 to those with valid disability placard. Gates open at 6 a.m.

Metro Transit routes 960, 84, 3 and the A Line are great options to get to the fairgrounds. Guests
planning to take the METRO Green Line to the fair should get off at the Snelling Avenue Station and take the A Line or Route No. 84 bus to the fairgrounds.

Three free secured bicycle parking areas are available on the fairgrounds and open from 6 a.m. to midnight.

App-based ride services, such as Uber & Lyft, have two designated drop-off and pick-up locations for getting to and from the fair. Fair guests can take Uber to the Minnesota State Fair and get $15 off their first ride by entering code MNSTATEFAIR when signing up.

Fair guests get 30 percent off two Lyft rides, up to a $5 savings on each ride, by using code MNSTATEFAIR
when signing up.

Express Bus Service

Express buses operate from 21 Twin Cities locations. To find the express site nearest you, use the State Fair Park & Ride Finder. For automated State Fair transit information, call (612) 373-3333.

Buses operate 8 a.m. – midnight; departure times are approximate. Express buses serve the State Fair Transit Hub, which is located on the west side of the fairgrounds near the West End Market. All express service is wheelchair accessible.

Special Events

Several special events are scheduled during this year’s Great Minnesota Get-Together.

The Milk Run 5K (sponsored by Great River Energy, Midwest Dairy Association, Minnesota Farmers Union and Giggles’ Campfire Grill) kicks off at 7:45 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 27.

Military Appreciation Day is Tuesday, Aug. 29, when the Minnesota State Fair honors our nation’s heroes with admission discounts and special events throughout the day. This year, the seventh annual Military Appreciation Day highlights the 100th anniversary of the 34th Red Bull Infantry Division.

The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with a ceremony at the Veterans Garden on the south side of the Agriculture Horticulture Building. It is followed at 9:45 a.m. with an opening ceremony flag-raising program at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell and the 34th Combat Aviation Brigade Helicopter Flyover.

Two Minnesota senior citizens will be recognized for exceptional community service at the Outstanding Senior Citizens Award program. The ceremony is set for 10:30 a.m. on Seniors Day Thursday, Aug. 31 at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell.

In its 45th year as a Minnesota State Fair tradition, the Amateur Talent Contest showcases Minnesotaʼs top talent. During the first 10 days of the fair, semifinals will be held at 6 p.m. nightly at the Leinie Lodge Bandshell. Winners from semifinals will compete in the finals at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 3, at the Grandstand.

Open class, 4-H and FFA competition judging takes place throughout the fair.

The 2017 Best Awards will be announced at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 on the International Bazaar Stage. Awards will be presented to the very best of the State Fair’s 1,200 commercial exhibit and food vendors.

Ticketed Attractions

In addition to dozens of rides and games at Mighty Midway and Kidway, there are more than 10 different ticketed attractions for fair guests to enjoy, including: Space Tower, Ye Old Mill, Go Karts, Haunted House, River Raft Ride, SkyGlider and Skyride, among others. Clown Around, a new Kidway (sponsored by DISH) ride, is set to make its debut taking little tykes ‘round and ‘round and up and down.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Jim Mone