How the Minnesota State Fair gets visitors to spread out

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. — In 2019, the Minnesota State Fair set its overall attendance record: 2,126,551 visitors.

If you think so many attendees are prompting plans for some sort of expansion - think again.

"We're in the middle of a neighborhood and then we also have the U of M right next to us," said State Fair spokesperson, Maria Hayden. "So, there isn't a lot we can do in terms of expansion."

In terms of physical space, the fairground has about 300 acres to fit in the barns, vendors, venues and people. So, the Fair is strategic with the space they do have.

The fair's North End was developed in 2019 to pull people towards the northern end of the grounds. It includes the North End Event Center, which features a different exhibit every year to keep people coming back. 

This year the exhibit is the Sweet and Selfie experience, which is a history of candy that includes places to take photos. 

The Perfect Pickle just added a new location near the north end of the fair. 

"We're trying to make attractions on other parts of the fairgrounds to encourage guests to check out parts of the fair that they might not visit regularly," Hayden said. "And spread out the people that are here a little bit more."

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