00:00We have a turnout, a love affair with this gathering that makes it the single greatest cultural event for sure in America, and I have argued the world.
00:25Over 12 days, nearly 2 million people descend on a 322-acre plot of land between Minneapolis and St. Paul for the Minnesota State Fair.
00:36But what is it about the great Minnesota get-together that has it ranked as America's favorite state fair?
00:42Ask any Minnesotan and they will tell you the Minnesota State Fair is the best.
00:48But in 2025, it's not just Northerners ranking the festivities.
00:52According to USA Today 10 Best, Minnesota's annual gathering edged out other Midwestern stalwarts in Iowa and Wisconsin, while the home of big techs came in at No. 4 and the South Carolina State Fair rounded out the top five.
01:09Before you at me, they used a panel of experts and readers to set the rankings, but why Minnesota?
01:15This fair belongs to the people of Minnesota, and they take such ownership and pride in their fair.
01:21And I think our goal is to have something for everyone, whether it's food or music or arts or livestock.
01:29My name is Renee Alexander. I'm CEO of the Minnesota State Fair, and my favorite thing about the fair is all the people here having a great time.
01:37It really is a place that brings people together from throughout the state, where you have rural and urban and suburban can all converge in this one place and have a great time and find something about themselves that is here at the fair.
01:50So just how big of a fair is it?
01:53Well, in 2024, more than 1.9 million went to the fairgrounds at some point over the 12 days.
01:59By comparison, the state fair of Texas had nearly 2.4 million visitors for their 24 days of fun, but Minnesota boasts the highest daily attendance.
02:10And all those people mean big business.
02:13It's been a while since we've done a full economic impact, but we believe we're about $300 million annually.
02:20So that's about the size of a frivol that goes into a market.
02:23That $300 million is from all events throughout the year.
02:27Here's how the fair made its cash in 2018.
02:3140% of the fair's haul over the 12 days was from tickets.
02:35Another 15% came from rides and games at the Midway.
02:39Vendor sales are worth roughly 20%.
02:42That includes the commission the fair takes from food sold.
02:45And then 8% comes from the grandstand where concerts are held.
02:50And the rest is just labeled other.
02:52The food is a big boon for the fair's top food vendors and the fair itself.
02:56Last year, Sweet Martha's Cookie Jars, three locations, sold 4.9 million of those little buckets of chocolate chip cookies.
03:05Pronto Pups raked in 2.3 million.
03:08And fun fact, Pronto Pups are made with pancake batter rather than a cornmeal-based batter that makes corn dogs so famous.
03:15Then mouth trap cheese curds with $1.6 million, the perfect pickle with $1.5 million, and fresh french fries with $1.4 million.
03:26But they're all going to have to shell out 15% of the proceeds back to the fair as payment for the location.
03:32But a state fair is more than a money grab.
03:36It means a ton of Minnesotans.
03:39It doesn't define us, but it's the best cultural tentpole to explain us.
03:45And the entire state turns out for it.
03:49And it's actually not too hard an elbow turn from this idea of a community that loved me up when I finally landed here to this explanation of why this community, in so many ways, is as close-knit as it is.
04:08Andrew Zimmern, author, teacher, chef, all-around awesome TV guy, Minnesota resident for 34 years.
04:18Before we were a state, people were gathering on what is now the fairgrounds.
04:26It's the oldest permanent fairgrounds in America.
04:28And they were gathering there, as people did 175 years ago, to trade information and news of the day, and political information, and agricultural information.
04:46And that's really how this fair started.
04:50Celebrity chef Andrew Zimmern believes it's the depth and breadth of the Minnesota State Fair that sets it apart.
04:56Obviously, there's blue ribbons for everything from needle-pointing to, you know, 800 types of maple syrup that are graded in jars and on display in our Creative Activities building.
05:10There's an arts gallery that is massive, thousands of square feet with thousands of submissions every year, of which the august body chooses 300, 400 to be put on display.
05:24And it's the place that everyone in the state comes at least once.
05:30The fair is an excellent place for burgeoning businesses to sell its wares and get its name out there.
05:36We have entrepreneurs that are on these fairgrounds that are building small businesses, that are sustaining businesses, kids that have their first job, retirees that are coming in to work during the fair.
05:48So it really is an economic driver for these 12 days.
05:52A lot of the attention is put on the outrageous fried foods like jalapeno popper donuts, deep-fried olives, and Uncrustaburger, which is a hamburger sandwiched between two deep-fried Uncrustables.
06:05Not to mention all the craft beer options, including a soft-serve option.
06:10But taking a detour from traditional fair fare can pay off.
06:15One of my top ten, a place called Baba's, they're a small Middle Eastern restaurant, family-run.
06:22You know, they came in four years ago with a little portable, like, mobile van that they serve hummus out of.
06:30And then things kind of built from there.
06:34This year they have what's called a fa-waffle, which is a falafel mix cooked in a mini-waffle machine.
06:42Minnesotans will claim they host the nation's best fair, but Minnesota Nice always shines through.
06:48I don't know of a state fair that isn't a good time, especially if you like, you know, everything from sensible foods like mini donuts and foot-long hot dogs and french fries made right in front of you to the outrageous and crazy foods that seem to be dominating state's fair all around the country.
07:12The Minnesota State Fair runs through Labor Day, but the season isn't over yet.
07:17Big text doesn't kick off until September 26th.
07:21With Stray Arrow news, I'm Kennedy Felton.
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