You can eat new Minnesota State Fair foods before it even starts

You can eat Minnesota State Fair foods before the Great Minnesota Get Together even starts at this hidden gem event.

Give Me The Mike July 5, 2025 2 min read

It’s not the most publicized, but it’s truly a fun night. And it’ll make your friends jealous.

Every year on the Thursday before the Minnesota State Fair starts, traditional and new Fair food vendors gather in the International Bazaar for an event called Taste of the Fair.

And you can attend.

In addition to the food, event-goers can play Midway games, listen to music by performers playing during the Great Minnesota Get Together. And guess what? There aren’t mile-long lines to try even the most sought after food! I have gone four times — it’s a lot of fun.

07934A7E-49D4-46B6-9CCC-1AAFF90787B5 — Me with the Minnesota State Fair’s mascots, Fairchild and Fairborne, at the Taste of the Fair.

Tickets to Taste of the Fair are $125 and benefit the Minnesota State Fair Foundation, the group responsible for maintaining and upgrading the buildings and fairgrounds. Your ticket price is all-inclusive, meaning you will get food and drink provided once you enter the event.

The 2025 Taste of the Fair is on Thursday, August 14 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Learn more online. The 2025 Minnesota State Fair runs August 21 through September 1, 2025.