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Ticket prices to the Minnesota State Fair will not increase for 2026, organizers decided over the weekend. The Minnesota State Agricultural Society, the organization that operates the Fair, voted to keep admission and Fairgrounds parking prices steady for this year at its 167th annual meeting in Bloomington. The last time ticket prices did not increase was 2024. For 2026, regular gate admission for adults 13-64 will remain $20; children 5-12 and seniors 65 and older will be $18; children 4 and under will still be admitted free. Pre-Fair discount admission tickets, available now through Aug. 26, are $17 for all ages. Ticket information is available online at mnstatefair.org/tickets. The board also approved about $67 million in expenditures, including the State Fair’s annual $44 million operating budget and $23.2 million in Fairgrounds maintenance and improvements. Most notable among these projects is the massive Lee & Rose Warner Coliseum renovation, which will bring new seats, redesigned entryways and aisles and updated amenities to the arena. Other planned improvements include repairing street and sidewalk pavement, installing new fans in the Food Building, expanding the South Bike Lot and buying portable drinking fountains. “Minnesotans care deeply about their State Fair, and our approach is to make smart investments that honor tradition, set the standard for high-value, high-quality experiences, and ensure the fair’s continued relevance and significance for generations,” State Fair CEO Renee Alexander said in a statement. The Fair is financially self-supporting and does not receive government funding. As for events at the Fair, two Grandstand shows have been announced so far: ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic is set to return for his seventh Fair show on Aug. 28, and Rod Stewart is playing what could be his last large-scale show in the Metro on Sept. 1. State Fair admission costs have been rising rapidly in recent years. Ticket prices are up $5 from the busiest-ever 2019 Fair, the last before the pandemic. Last year’s $2 increase to $20 adult tickets was the largest single-year jump since 2007, when admission was raised from $9 to $11 per adult. Over the past decade, ticket price increases have taken place in 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2025. (The 2020 Fair was cancelled due to Covid-19.) Annual Fair attendance remains high, though. More than 1.94 million tickets were sold for the 2025 Fair, making it the busiest Fair since the pandemic and the fifth-best attended of all time. The 2026 Minnesota State Fair runs from Aug. 27 through Labor Day, Sept. 7. Related Articles Rod Stewart to play the Grandstand in what’s likely his final local concert ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic to play MN State Fair Grandstand for the seventh time Joe Soucheray: Marjorie Johnson, award-winning State Fair baker, I owe you a great thanks Legendary State Fair baker Marjorie Johnson, 106, dies

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Goodbye, Animal Control. Hello, Animal Services? Weeks away from relocating into a new building, the city division currently known as St. Paul Animal Control is looking to sport a new name. Angie Wiese, director of the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections — which oversees the unit that handles endangered and abandoned animals — told the council on earlier this month that the term “Animal Control” is passe within the industry, where workers are more likely to try and rehouse kittens or reunite a missing iguana with its owner than to control rabid dogs. “The term ‘Animal Control’ is very outdated in the animal services world, and comes from a time when animal care looked a lot different than it does now,” Wiese said. “One of the drivers to make this change now is that we’re preparing to move into a new space, and we want to brand that new space.” Wiese shared pictures of a giant turtle, a large white goose, an iguana, a kitten and other abandoned or escaped animals that were returned to their owners or rehomed with new families through partnerships with area nonprofits. “We do a lot more than dogs and cats,” she said. “We provide a number of services that are more than just control of animals.” Wiese said DSI has also worked closely with Human Resources to recast job titles such as “Animal Services officer” and “Animal Services manager.” The city council will host a public hearing on the division’s potential name change on Wednesday, and likely a final vote a week later. Related Articles Inside Twin Cities hospitals, ICE agents unnerve staff Downtown St. Paul: The man with a plan for U.S. Bank Center, other empty buildings DOJ investigating after activists disrupt St. Paul church where MN ICE official is a pastor VocalEssence and Sir John Rutter offer a balm for the wounded Twin Cities Two hotels in downtown St. Paul temporarily closed for safety concerns Animal Control currently operates out of an outdated animal shelter at 1285 Jessamine Ave. West, by McMurray Fields, that was built in the 1970s. Work began around last April on remodeling what had been a privately-held shelter in the same neighborhood at 1115 Beulah Lane, which will offer better separation between large and small animals and more space for veterinary care and adoption services. Animal Control is expected to move into the new facility early this year.

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