5 Other Times the MN State Fair was Canceled

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of the 2020 Minnesota State Fair, just the sixth time in the event's history that the gates will remain closed. The Fair typically attracts more than two million people a year during its annual twelve-day run.

The 2020 Fair, scheduled for August 27th through September 7th, has been put on hold until August 26, 2021.

Since the Minnesota State Fair began in 1859, it has only been cancelled five times.

1861 & 1862

The Civil War and the U.S./Dakota War both played a role in the Fair's cancellation in both 1861 and 1862.

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1893

Scheduling conflicts with the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago caused the Fair's cancellation in 1893.

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1945

Travel restrictions imposed by the federal government during World War II led to the Fair's cancellation in 1945.

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1946

In 1946, the Minnesota State Fair was shut down for the second straight year, but this time around it was due to the polio epidemic.

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Now the Minnesota State Fair grounds will sit idle for just the six time, and the world confronts the COVID-19 epidemic. My pronto pups and cheese curd fix will have to wait until 2021.