The Free Fair
Seven days. Free at the gate. All of Olmsted County.
Since 1867 the Olmsted County Free Fair has been the week the whole county comes together. Seven days every summer the grounds fill with blue-ribbon produce, 4-H barns full of proud first-time exhibitors, the midway spinning under the lights, and grandstand nights that bring everyone to their feet. It is free to walk through the gate — always has been — because this is your fair.
July 27 – August 2, 2026
Gates open daily at 9:00 AM
Free at the gate since 1867
Admission has never cost a cent. That is the deal: no turnstiles, no ticket booth. Sponsors, vendors, paid parking and thousands of volunteer hours are what make it possible. It means a family of five can walk in, spend the whole day, and the only question is what to do first.
Day by day
Opening day
- Gates open 9:00 AM
- Opening ceremony at the Grandstand
- Midway opens at noon
Seniors & veterans day
- Free parking for seniors with ID
- Veterans recognition at 11:00 AM
- Afternoon bingo in Floral Hall
4-H livestock judging
- Beef and swine shows in the Covered Show Ring
- Livestock auction preview at 4:00 PM
- Kids' pedal tractor pull
4-H & open class finals
- Sheep and goat judging
- Open class pie judging
- FFA tractor driving competition
Kids' day
- Ride wristband special, $25
- Children's entertainment stage
- Petting zoo and pony rides
Demolition derby & free concert
- Demolition derby at 7:00 PM
- Free grandstand concert after the derby
- Fireworks at dusk
Closing day
- Parade of Champions at 2:00 PM
- Grand champion livestock auction
- Closing fireworks at 9:00 PM
Competitions & exhibits
Open class is open to every resident of the county; youth divisions run through 4-H and FFA. Every class and premium is listed in the premium book.
Livestock
Beef, dairy, swine, sheep, goats, poultry and rabbits, judged by breed and market class. Youth and open divisions run side by side all week.
- Market steer
- Dairy goat
- Meat pen of three rabbits
- Champion rooster
Horticulture & crops
Vegetables, fruit, grain and cut flowers out of county gardens and fields — the department that started this whole fair back in 1867.
- Beefsteak tomato
- Sunflower head
- Ear of field corn
- Sheaf of spring wheat
Creative arts & needlework
Quilting, knitting, crochet, embroidery and sewing, by hand or machine. Generations of craft laid out on one long table.
- Hand-quilted throw
- Knitted scarf
- Cross-stitch sampler
- Crocheted afghan
Baking & food preservation
Pies, breads, cakes, cookies, canned fruit, jam and pickles. Bring your recipe and your nerve — the judging is public.
- Apple pie
- Sourdough loaf
- Strawberry jam
- Dill pickles
Fine arts & photography
Painting, drawing, sculpture and photography in both amateur and advanced categories, hung in the Exhibition Building for the full week.
- Oil landscape
- Charcoal portrait
- Black-and-white photograph
- Carved wood sculpture
Youth 4-H & FFA
Projects from sewing to woodworking, animal science to robotics. Youth members learn the class, do the work, then stand up and explain it to a judge.
- Swine record book
- Robotics demonstration
- Embroidered pillow
- Vegetable garden poster
Fair details
Entries & the premium book
Every class, every rule and every premium amount is listed in the premium book, published each spring. Entries close Friday, July 10, 2026. Youth exhibitors enter free; open class entry is a small per-class fee. Premiums generally run $5 to $100 a class. Printed copies are available at the fair office, and the county 4-H program handles youth entries directly.
Grandstand nights
The covered 4,000-seat grandstand carries the fair's headline entertainment — the demolition derby, the tractor pull, the free Saturday concert and the closing-night fireworks. Most grandstand programming is free with general seating; reserved seats for headline acts are sold separately. Bring a jacket. Minnesota evenings cool off fast once the sun drops.
The midway
Rides, games and the food you only eat once a year, run by our contracted carnival operator. Unlimited-ride wristbands are $25 on Wednesday and Friday; single ride tickets are $1 each. The midway opens at noon Monday through Saturday and at 1:00 PM on Sunday.
Fair parking & shuttles
Parking is $10 per car during fair week — the only thing you pay to get in. Accessible parking is marked at every gate. A free shuttle loops from the off-site park-and-ride lot to the Main Gate every 15 minutes, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM daily. Lot A fills first; the North and South gates usually have room late morning.
Be part of the fair
Become a vendor
Food, craft, commercial and non-profit booths, indoors and out. Free Fair applications close May 1.
Learn more →Volunteer a shift
Gates, barns, parking and the information booth. Four hours of your week keeps the fair free for everybody else.
Learn more →Sponsor the fair
Underwrite a grandstand act, the livestock auction or a gate. Sponsorship is why there is no admission charge.
Learn more →Show an animal
Stalling, show ring schedules and exhibitor rules for 4-H, FFA and open class livestock.
Learn more →The daily schedule, entry deadlines and fees shown here are illustrative for this design-concept site. The Olmsted County Free Fair's actual program is set by the county and the fair board.
Planning your own event on these grounds the other 358 days of the year? The Free Fair is just the beginning of what happens here.