MN State Fair raising ticket prices in 2025

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) – The Minnesota State Fair will hike ticket prices by $2 this year, bringing the cost of a regular ticket for an adult to $20.

Ticket price increase

What we know:

Fair officials announced on Sunday, following the Minnesota State Agricultural Society’s Annual Meeting, ticket prices would go up as the fair looks to “fund extensive capital improvements and maintenance work and address rising operational costs.”

Among the projects the fair is eyeing this year is a $22 million renovation of the historic Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum.

The fair kept ticket prices flat in 2024 after a series of $1 hikes in the years prior. Ticket prices were raised by a dollar in 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023. Over the past twenty years, ticket prices for the fair have more than doubled, going from $9 in 2005 to $20 this year. Many of the recent hikes came as the fair tried to rebound after losing the 2020 festival due to COVID.

On-site parking prices will also go up, jumping from $20 to $25.

Dig deeper:

Minnesota State Agricultural Society board approved a $71 million budget at the meeting.

Along with the Warner Coliseum renovation, the fair is looking to make upgrades to 4-H building roof, fencing and gate areas, “revamping” the Creative Activities Annex, Christensen Pavilion upgrades, repairing sidewalks and streets, improving lighting, replacing water stations, buying misting machines, and street pavement, caring for and adding trees, and purchasing a police squad..

Among rising operational costs, the fair says its public safety budget has more than doubled since 2019 while it is also “prioritizes providing competitive wages for the fair’s more than 2,000 seasonal and fair-time staff members.”

Minnesota State Fair ticket prices

By the numbers:

With the increases across the board, prices for tickets bought during the fair will be:

• Adult (ages 13-64): $20
• Seniors and kids: $18
• Children ages 4 and under: Free

Tickets are currently available at a discount, $15 for all ages, until Jan. 26. After Jan. 26, tickets will be available at a pre-fair discount of $17 for all ages.

What they’re saying:

In a statement, Minnesota State Fair CEO Renee Alexander wrote:

“Our goal is to exceed the expectations that guests and fair participants have for an exceptional experience in well-maintained facilities. Delivering on this while ensuring the sustainability of our operations requires increased investment and financial stewardship. We consciously did not raise ticket and parking prices last year because we know that Minnesotans’ budgets are tight. We encourage our guests to take advantage of the many ways to save on admission – such as buying pre-fair discount tickets – as nearly 60 percent of our guests did in 2024. Because we strive to keep admission prices as low as we can, this makes it challenging to account for the expense of improving our aging facilities and infrastructure. We do not take lightly the decision to increase prices, and every dollar earned is reinvested into ensuring the State Fair remains a premier experience and one of the best values you’ll find for any event.”

The 2025 Minnesota State Fair

What’s next:

The 2025 Minnesota State Fair is scheduled to be held from Aug. 21 to Labor Day, Sept. 1.

Big picture view:

The 2024 Minnesota State Fair ended with the 5th highest total attendance in history.

The fair also saw five daily attendance records broken during the 2024 festival: 

• The first Thursday saw 138,875 people — the previous record was 133,326 in 2016.
• The first Friday saw 171,233 people — the previous record was 164,741 in 2023.
• The first Wednesday saw 145,531 people — the previous record was 144,940 in 2018.
• The second Friday saw 225,521 people — the previous record was 209,789 in 2019.
• The second Sunday saw 256,015 people — the previous record was 245,243 in 2019.

Minnesota State FairFalcon Heights