Minnesota State Fair

The 2021 great Minnesota get-together kicked off on August 26. Running until September 6, there is still plenty of time to make it out this year. The fair recently announced that there would be no mask mandate, or any covid protocol for that matter, which could be the reason for the impact in attendance. Over the first two days, less than half of the amount showed up as usual. The first day of the 2021 fair saw 62,000 guests, and the second day had almost 78,000 for a 140,000 two-day total. 2019 set the record for most attendance on both of the first two days, with 133,326 on day one and 157,224 on day two, a two-day total of almost 300,000, nearly four times as much as this year.

While the weather has not been optimal, this has never stopped people before from coming. For example, in 2019, when there were similar storms, the attendance numbers still reached almost 100,000.

While there is no official covid protocol, this may be the year to attend if you never have and always wanted to. The fair is mostly outdoors, and with half the amount of people, the fairgrounds will not be nearly as crowded as usual. However, if you choose to attend, do what you need to feel comfortable, whether wearing a mask and bringing hand sanitizer or just making sure you keep your distance from the other guests.