Tips for eating your way through the fair

It’s almost time to suit up in our finest fanny-pack-anchored apparel to take in all the fun of the 2025 Minnesota State Fair. There’s nothing like the rush of our first visit: The grass is at its greenest, the blue-ribbon optimism is at its zenith and new fair foods are waiting to be discovered.

As part of the food team’s preparation for that first day, when we eat and rank every new dish offered at the Great Minnesota Get-Together, we’ve been gathering good-to-know tidbits. And we wanted to share that newfound knowledge with fellow food fans before the gates swing open on Thursday.

Here are 10 things to know before heading out for your first bites at the Minnesota State Fair.

Hardcore fans know that admission officially starts at 7 a.m., and most fair vendors are open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Early birds can use the fair’s online food finder’s “Open Early” filter to discover which stands open first. Enjoy the crackle of energy underneath the morning quiet, when corn dogs and mini donuts are acceptable breakfast foods. It’s game time and everyone is ready for the big show.

There never seems to be enough decent napkins, handy utensils or water stations if you’re planning a real-deal food day at the fair. We always bring our own collection of reusable forks and knives, wet wipes (nobody wants to be sticky), a stack of higher-quality napkins and a few sandwich baggies. There’s zero shame in the leftover game.

It’s also important to stay hydrated. The best move is a collapsible water bottle, but whatever vessel you choose to bring, just make sure it isn’t expensive or adorned with your favorite stickers. Despite our best efforts, we can always count on accidentally releasing one into the Fair Great Beyond (the lost and found bin). RIP, Hydroflask, you served us well.

Each year fair vendors jockey for a coveted mention on the Minnesota State Fair’s Official New Foods list. But there’s plenty of creativity poured into new menu items that don’t get the official designation. The good news for fair foodies is that we still get to try them. Vendors proudly call out their new items on their page of the fair’s food finder. Or, let us do the work for you. We include those unofficial new foods alongside the official ones in our first-day reviews.

No visit is complete without a stop at the Creative Activities Building. We love learning more about the storied and often underappreciated history of baking, crafting, preserving and more. It’s worth time to marvel at the competitors’ prowess with breads, pies, cookies, cakes, canning and more, and a newly installed cooler adds an additional 30 feet of space for showcasing these beauties. (If you’re there on Aug. 28, the Star Tribune has a full day of programming at the Cambria Kitchen.)

Rick’s Pizza, home to the viral pickle pie that was an immediate fan favorite, now has two locations: new digs on the west side of Cooper St. between Murphy and Lee Avs., plus the OG location on the west side of Cosgrove St. between Wright and Dan Patch Avs. The wildly popular cheese curd stand Mouth Trap, located inside the Food Building, had the opportunity to add a little extra space after a neighboring gyro spot moved out. Those quick-moving lines should go even faster with the extra fryers they’ve installed. And Bridge N’ Barrel has brought their fair’s root beer barrel presence up to six locations.

Jammy Sammies by Brim, the spot for gluten-free grilled jam sandwiches and coffee near the Hangar, chose not to renew their lease. (At least there’s still the Uptown cafe.) And Nordic Waffles has also folded their cute stand at the fair’s West End to shift focus to their year-round business of making those famous waffle sandwiches found in supermarket freezers. A retail vendor snapped up the space.

Losing Brim is a bummer, not only for the tasty bites they brought but also as a gluten-free stand for fairgoers who need that cuisine. To find other options, Twin Cities ROCK (Raising Our Celiac Kids) has always been a fabulous resource for navigating a gluten-free fair experience — and they’ve got a booth in the Education Building.

More people also are choosing a plant-based diet, and the fair has more options every year beyond our favorites of peaches and frozen grapes. To aid our vegan friends, we’ve put together a whole list of vegan offerings at the fair and where to find them. Look for it at startribune.com.

That Peachey’s doughnut line? It’s not getting any shorter. The people who stop mid-stride because there’s something that must be stared at right now? They’re not going anywhere. (Who doesn’t end up awestruck at some point in this sea of overstimulation?) And the tumble, fumble of Sweet Martha’s cookies? It’s not the fair until the top of the first towering batch is sacrificed underfoot. It’s the Great Minnesota Get-Together and there is no place we’d rather be. Bring it on.

The Star Tribune’s food team will be at the fair on opening day before you finish your first cup of coffee. Follow along with our live blog at startribune.com (or on X at @stribgoingout) as we taste our way through the new foods. You’ll find our reviews posted at startribune.com later that evening, and in Saturday’s Star Tribune.

New this year: Map your new-foods adventure. Tap or click to add a food to your list, hit “map my foods” and the routes to deliciousness will appear. (If you’re on a mobile device at the fair, you can add your location, too.)

Want to insert a little fun into choosing what you eat? Our new Strib Fair Bot can be your personal guide to all fair food. Tap one of our categories or type what you’re craving at fairbot.startribune.com and it will comb through the more than 250 vendors for suggestions. Read more about the AI-powered discovery app here.

Want to talk about fair food? Join us for a live Q&A Friday, Aug. 22, at 11 a.m. Submit your questions in advance right here.