MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Kickoff To Summer Returns To Minnesota State Fairgrounds As A Smaller, Slower Prelude To The Great Minnesota Get-Together

FALCON HEIGHTS, MN (May 21, 2026) Long before the gates officially open for the Minnesota State Fair in late August, before attendance records are challenged and before nearly two million people flood the fairgrounds over 12 relentless days, another tradition now quietly signals the beginning of summer in Minnesota.

It begins with the smell of hot oil and sugar drifting through the fairgrounds in May.

With the first bucket of Sweet Martha’s cookies carried across Underwood Street months ahead of the actual fair. With the unmistakable silhouette of the Giant Slide rising again above the fairgrounds skyline. With families pushing strollers past mostly manageable crowds instead of shoulder-to-shoulder congestion. And with Minnesotans, after another long winter, once again gathering around food stands, music stages, and open-air walkways in Falcon Heights.

Beginning Thursday evening, the annual Kickoff to Summer at the Fair officially returns to the Minnesota State Fairgrounds for its sixth year, offering what organizers continue to describe as a “slice-of-the-fair” experience ahead of the 2026 Great Minnesota Get-Together.

Running from Thursday, May 21 through Sunday, May 24, the four-day event has evolved from a temporary post-pandemic concept into one of the fairgrounds’ most successful off-season attractions, blending iconic State Fair foods, specialty beverages, live entertainment, family programming, shopping, and reduced crowd density into a condensed spring version of Minnesota’s most recognizable annual event.

Unlike the full State Fair in August, attendance for Kickoff to Summer remains intentionally capped each day to maintain lighter crowd flow throughout the grounds. Tickets are date-specific, allowing organizers to regulate attendance levels and preserve the more relaxed atmosphere that has increasingly become central to the event’s appeal.

Minnesota State Fair spokesperson Maria Hayden recently described the gathering as a smaller but highly recognizable extension of the full fair experience.

“The Giant Slide will be open,” Hayden said. “We’ve got a lot of the favorite fair foods like your cookies, your Pronto Pups, and your pickles. We’ve got mini-donut beer, some of the specialty drinks you can only find at the fair.”

This year’s operating schedule includes:

• Thursday, May 21: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Friday, May 22: 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Saturday, May 23: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Sunday, May 24: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Advance admission tickets were priced at $14 online through May 20, while day-of admission costs $17 online or at the gate. Organizers note that gate ticketing is now fully cashless, utilizing QR code processing for debit and credit card purchases only. Children ages four and younger are admitted free.

Parking throughout the fairgrounds remains free, though officials caution that on-site parking capacity remains limited during peak attendance periods.

For many attendees, however, the event’s primary attraction remains the food.

More than 40 food and beverage vendors will operate throughout the fairgrounds this weekend, bringing back many of the culinary staples that have become deeply tied to Minnesota seasonal identity and collective memory.

Returning favorites include Pronto Pup, Sweet Martha's Cookies, Mouth Trap cheese curds, Nelson’s Foot Long Hot Dogs, RC’s BBQ, and the ever-present pickle offerings that have become synonymous with State Fair culture.

At the same time, organizers continue expanding the event’s newer specialty food selections.

This year’s lineup includes Rick’s Pizza and its increasingly talked-about pickle pizza, LuLu’s Public House serving deep-fried ranch dressing, and newer 2026 additions including Aldo’s Burgers, Amish Annie Donuts, and Mami Churros & Creamery.

The beverage lineup similarly reflects how the Minnesota State Fair has increasingly evolved into a destination for specialty drinks and experimental local brewing collaborations.

Among this year’s featured offerings are Chocolate Chip Cookie Beer, mini-donut beer, and Royal Raspberry Soft Serve Beer produced by Pryes Brewing Company, alongside additional regional craft beverage selections spread throughout the grounds.

Yet Kickoff to Summer has steadily grown beyond simply functioning as a food event.

This year’s programming includes several expanded attractions and public exhibits, including the debut event inside the newly renovated Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum, which will host the Hunter & Jumper Horse Show throughout the weekend. Admission to the horse show is included with general gate admission.

Organizers have also introduced the Second Glance Crop Art Exhibit, giving attendees an early-season preview of Minnesota’s uniquely recognizable crop art tradition, where artists create detailed portraits and imagery using seeds, grains, and agricultural materials.

Across the grounds, additional family-focused programming includes 10 “Silly Stops” featuring youth-oriented interactive games, puzzle-hunt activities, and the Read to a Breed program, where children can read aloud to therapy animals on Saturday and Sunday.

Live entertainment will once again be spread across multiple stages and vendor locations throughout the fairgrounds.

The DNR Stage, Christensen Farms Stage, Visitors Plaza, Cafe Caribe, Dino’s Gyros, and additional locations will feature tribute bands, local musicians, pop-up arts performances, dance showcases, and community entertainment acts throughout the weekend.

Among the scheduled acts are tribute performances honoring bands such as Earth, Wind & Fire and ABBA, alongside regional performers and cultural organizations representing multiple Minnesota communities.

The Minnesota State Fair itself remains one of the largest and most attended state fairs in the United States, routinely drawing close to two million attendees annually during its late-August run.

But Kickoff to Summer occupies a noticeably different emotional space.

It is smaller. Slower. Less overwhelming.

For many Minnesotans, that is precisely the point.

What began in 2021 as a post-pandemic experiment intended to reconnect the public with the fairgrounds after the cancellation of the 2020 State Fair has gradually become its own annual tradition. Some visitors now specifically prefer the abbreviated spring version because it offers the sensory familiarity of the fair without the logistical intensity of peak August attendance.

The result is an atmosphere that feels less like a major exposition and more like an early seasonal reunion.

Parents introducing children to their first Giant Slide ride. Friends gathering around beer tables after winter. Retirees walking the fairgrounds at a manageable pace. Families returning not necessarily for spectacle, but for familiarity itself.

The first mini donuts of the year.

The first live music drifting through the fairgrounds.

The first collective reminder, after months of cold weather, that summer in Minnesota is finally beginning again.

MinneapoliMedia | Community. Culture. Civic Life.