Coordinates: 44°59′8.79″N 93°10′6.37″W / 44.985775°N 93.1684361°W / 44.985775; -93.1684361 The Minnesota State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Minnesota. Its slogan is "The Great Minnesota Get-Together." It may be the largest state fair in the United States in terms of average daily attendance, though the State Fair of Texas runs twice as long and is the largest by annual attendance. It is held at the state fairgrounds, adjoining the Saint Paul campus of the University of Minnesota.

The site is in the suburb of Falcon Heights, Minnesota, midway between the state's capital city of St. Paul and the largest city, Minneapolis. Residents of the state and region come to the fair to be entertained, exhibit their best livestock, show off their abilities in a variety of fields including art and cooking, learn about new products and services, and enjoy many different types of food—often on a stick.

It typically runs for twelve days, running from late August into early September with the last day being Labor Day. In 2008, attendance was 1,693,533, up 12,000 from the previous year. Minnesota Territory first held a Territorial Fair in 1854, although the first Minnesota State Fair didn't occur until 1859, the year after statehood.

Since then, the fair has run annually except for five different years. In 1861 and 1862, the fair was not held because of the Civil War and the Dakota War of 1862. Scheduling issues between the fair and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, Illinois caused the 1893 show to be canceled.

The fair again closed because of war in 1945, as fuel was in short supply. It was again closed in 1946 because of an outbreak of polio. In its early years during the 19th century, the fair was held in many different locations.

Some were not far from the current site, but others were relatively far-flung, including years where it was held in Rochester, Owatonna, and Winona. For a time in the 1870s, the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul held competing fairs.

Minneapolis, the younger city of the pair, eventually outdid its neighbor by staging the larger fair with the help of William S. King. In 1884, a committee was put together by the Minnesota State Agricultural Society to select a permanent site.

One site that was considered was an area around Minnehaha Falls, but the final site chosen was the Ramsey County Poor Farm, the fair's current site. It was a politically-neutral site, being about halfway between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

The fair first opened its doors there on September 7, 1885. The site was then 210 acres (0.8 km²), but now stands at 320 acres (1.3 km²).

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