Record-breaking Opening Day of Minnesota State Fair

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (KMSP) – There’s a new record for opening day attendance at the Minnesota State Fair.
122,695 people came out to the Great Minnesota Get-Together on Thursday, Aug. 24, smashing the previous Day 1 record of 119,145 set in 2010.
Historically, Day 1 of the Minnesota State Fair is the lowest-attended day. The all-time single day record was the second Saturday in 2016, with an attendance of 260,374.
On Opening Day, the public parking lots at the fairgrounds were full by 11:15 a.m. At 11:28 a.m., the Minnesota State Fair announced all park and ride lots were full. Traffic around the fair also caused headaches for drivers, with some people reporting it took them more than an hour to go only one mile Thursday.