Planning for 2021 Minnesota State Fair Underway

 ​(KDLM) – Plans for the 2021 Minnesota State Fair are underway despite the cancellation of the 2020 Minnesota State Fair and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“From the day we canceled, our priority has been to ensure the future of the fair by holding our operation together,” said State Fair General Manager Jerry Hammer.

Hammer said that virtually all State Fair revenue dried up in 2020, and the fair reported an operating loss of $16.2 million. The State Fair receives no state funding of any kind. The fair’s normally aggressive program of maintenance and improvements to the historic State Fairgrounds slowed dramatically.

Average annual investment in facilities during the previous six years was $12 million; in ’20, it was limited to $2.4 million in basic essential maintenance, most of which was completed before the virus struck.

The Minnesota State Fair is one of the largest and best-attended expositions in the world, attracting more than 2 million visitors annually.  The 2021 Minnesota State Fair plans to run Aug. 26 – Labor Day, Sept. 6.​