FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — Some 353 days after the gates were closed and locked for another year, the Minnesota State Fair is up and running again for a 12-day party organizers swear will be the best one yet.
KARE 11 was at the main entrance at 7 a.m. when the 2023 edition of the Great Minnesota Get-Together officially opened for business. The first fairgoers were a Minnesota family who camped out for more than 16 hours.
For those hardcore fair fiends, the morning wait was nothing compared to the hours they spent in line. Ginger Johnson, an Apple Valley resident, caught up with us while she waited, having gotten to the gates late Wednesday night.
"You don't sleep if you're in line," she said. "At least you're not supposed to, that defeats the purpose."
Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan joined the queue alongside the excited fair fans. They said their first stop would likely be breakfast at the Farmer's Union.
Other guests in line outside the doors included Princess Kay of the Milky Way and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who said she was looking forward to eating the "holey ham loaf" from the Hamline Church Dining Center.
The one thing that these die-hard fans can agree on, is that the Minnesota State Fair is a lifelong memory.
"I've got Minnesota State Fair tattoos, one for each of the last five years," fairgoer Amanda Riley said. "This year's [tattoo] is the champion alpaca ... I love the llama and alpaca costume contest and the obstacle course competition."
Looking for a scouting report before heading out to the fairgrounds in Falcon Heights? KARE 11 has you covered with articles on:
If you want a BIG Picture look at what you need to know about the 2023 Minnesota State Fair, we've prepared a wide-ranging guide on the entire experience. Check it out here.
Have fun!!!
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more from the Minnesota State Fair
Watch the latest coverage of the 2023 Great Minnesota Get-Together from KARE 11 in our YouTube playlist: