Get Your Food Nerd On At The Minnesota State Fair

The Creative Activities Building hosts daily foodcentric presentations including Scandinavian baking tips, how to make your own spirits, and a demonstration of New Nordic cuisine and cocktails by FIKA Café. While you are there, peruse the many entries in a long list of food competitions. All are behind glass, but we recommend visiting during the first few days of the fair, before some of the decorated cakes start to look a little worse for wear.

Image credit: Alex Lodner

Tucked into the West spoke of the Agriculture Horticulture Building is a lovely booth promoting the local brewing industry’s strong connection to Minnesota agriculture. Local brewers will be on hand to discuss their individual brews. Presented by the Minnesota Craft Brewers Guild.

Image credit: Alex Lodner

The agriCULTURE: From First Peoples to New Immigrants exhibit in the Eco Experience Building will feature cooking demonstrations of the wide variety of ethnic foods in Minnesota along with educational displays and food samples.

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Who doesn’t love free samples? The Moo Sample Station outside the Moo Booth serves free samples of healthy dairy noshes like cheese, chocolate milk and yogurt through out the day.

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The Common Table: Minnesota Eats exhibit in the Agriculture Horticulture Building promotes shopping and dining local and growing your own food while nurturing soil and reducing waste. Daily demonstrations will highlight community initiatives, organic and indigenous foods, worksite gardens, and immigrant farming and discuss the future of food.

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If your stomach- and wallet- can handle it, make it your mission to try all the new dishes at the fair this year. There are 40 new foods and 11 new frozen treats, so pace your self. Items include Mac & Cheese Cupcakes at Lulu’s Public House, Espresso Floats at Java Jive and five varieties of little hand pies at new vendor Sara’s Tipsy Pies.

Image credit: Alex Lodner

The fair may be known for eats on a stick, but it’s also a great place to shop for the foodies in your life. From adorbs aprons in the West End Market to a lifetime supply of golden flax seed in the Dairy Building, there are options galore. Search the vast list of merchandise available at the fair here.

Image credit: Alex Lodner

The iconic All-You-Can-Drink Milk Stand will have its first price hike in 11 years, raising the cost of a bottomless cup of milk to $2. The price will drop back down to $1 on Military Appreciation Day, Tuesday, Sept. 1.

Image credit: Minnesota State Fair