How Many People Attended the 2025 Minnesota State Fair?

Fall may be here. But in Minnesota, before we send the kids back to the classroom and throw on our flannels, we thankfully get one last sendoff for summer at the Minnesota State Fair.  

People around the country are probably more familiar with the fair as a stop for politicians trying to prove how down to earth and relatable they are, but for me, it's really just a fun moment to spend time with my kids. We’ve been attending the fair for years, and being able to see how my kids have grown by scrolling through the photos on my phone from all of our visits can get me a little teary-eyed. That’s why, when we found out rain was in the forecast this year, I was a little worried that the weather could potentially mess up our annual family outing.  

But my family—and the rest of Minnesota apparently—isn’t going to let a little rain spoil the fun. I’m happy to report that the fair was full of families enjoying those classic carnival rides and chowing down on food that we probably should only be eating once a year. All total, about 1.94 million people stopped by the fairgrounds over the 12 days of the event this year.  

That got me thinking: How does the weather actually impact turnout for the Minnesota State Fair? And how would I even go about even finding the answer to this question, especially since attendance data seems to be limited to more recent years?

How has weather affected Minnesota fair crowds?

Well, it may not be a photo album that I can conveniently flip through on my phone, but the Wayback Machine allowed me to search through those archaic (but fun) early 2000s internet pages to find attendance data dating back through 1999. The web design...takes me back.

I was then able to plot it against weather data collected by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and build out an app using Domo.  

It turns out, regardless of the weather, more people are coming out to the fair. Aside from the Covid years, attendance is generally trending up. Attendance hovered around the 1.7 to 1.75 million mark for much of the early 2000s, before jumping up to its height pre-Covid at just over 2 million attendees. Between 2022 and 2025, it hasn’t quite hit the 2 million mark, but is steadily increasing.  

What role does the weather play in attendance? It’s not exactly shocking that attendees prefer clear weather. No rain and cooler days appear to be the sweet spot for Minessotans. And heavy rain unsurprisingly keeps the crowds home. On an interesting note, light showers aren’t as big of a deterrent as heat. Overall, days over 85 degrees are most likely to cause potential fair-goers to skip the festival. We may just not be built for those sweaty days.  

The good news is that organizers seem to have timed the fair just right. More than 70 percent of fair days since 1999 have had clear weather, with more than half having no rain and also not reaching higher than 85 degrees. And only 10 out of the more than 300 days counted in the data set saw rain accumulation of more than an inch. For the most part, Minnesotans are treated to the right weather mix to enjoy fun with the fam.  

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Catch Domo on Data’s 2025 Minnesota State Fair recap

So if you don’t believe me, check out the numbers for yourself. And if you do believe me, you’ve got a whole year to book your visit to the 2026 Minnesota State Fair. We’ve got (likely) beautiful weather ahead and a deep-fried bacon-wrapped mini donut with your name on it.