Become a Vendor

Application Process

The concessions & exhibits department is responsible for selecting concessionaires and exhibitors for the annual 12-day exposition (2025 dates: Aug. 21 through Labor Day, Sept. 1). If you are interested in making a food & beverage or merchandise/exhibits presentation at the Minnesota State Fair, please complete an application form and email or mail it back to us to formalize that interest.

Applications are accepted all year and are considered as licensing opportunities become available. Read below for more information or view our printable rate and application information. Interested in operating an attraction? Learn more about becoming a Midway/Kidway operator.

• Applications are to be completed and emailed or mailed to:
  • sales@mnstatefair.org
  • Minnesota State Fair
    Attn: Concessions & Exhibits Department
    1265 Snelling Ave. N.,
    St. Paul, MN 55108-3003
• Application forms:
  • Food & Beverage Vendor Application
  • Merchandise/Exhibits Application

NOTE: There is not a cost to apply. DO NOT send payment with these forms.

If you have questions, please contact our concessions & exhibits staff at sales@mnstatefair.org or 651-288-4456.

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Vendor application form follows this information:

Thank you for your interest in making a commercial exhibit or concession presentation at the Minnesota State Fair. You may download and print or email an application form to formalize your interest. There is no deadline for applications to be received. Be sure to include photos of your booth and information regarding your product(s) and/or service(s). All submissions become the property of the Minnesota State Fair and will not be returned.

Once we receive your application, we will confirm its receipt and ask that you be patient. Your confirmation email will be the only correspondence you receive from us, unless a licensing opportunity presents itself. The staff reviews each application annually, and your submission will be maintained in our files for three years from the date of its receipt. There is no need to apply every year.

The process is very competitive. Each year, many applications are considered for a limited number of licensing opportunities. The Minnesota State Fair does not maintain a waiting list. As licensing opportunities become available, appropriate license applications will be selected from the pool of submissions.

A few criteria considered in application review:

• Experience at other fairs or events
• Booth presentation and appearance
• Balance of similar products/services around the fairgrounds
• Appropriateness of product, service or presentation to the available site
• Physical requirements

If you have questions, contact our concessions & exhibits staff at sales@mnstatefair.org or 651-288-4456

License Information

License fees are determined by the type of activity for which one is licensed and on the size and location assigned by the concessions & exhibits department. The rates below are for the duration of the 12-day fair.

Types of License Agreements

• Food and Beverage Percentage Concession – food and beverage concessionaires will pay a rate of 15% of gross revenue, after any applicable tax.
• Concession – (non-food) license issued to those who sell onsite or accept any form of payment or deposit for future delivery of products or services. Licenses have a rate of $130 per front foot. The example of a 10-foot-wide space would be 10 x $130 = $1,300 site fee for all 12 days of the fair.
• Percentage Concession – (non-food) license issued to souvenir, novelty, amusement, concession operations and are subject to 15% to 40% rate of pay. (Rate to be determined at time of licensing and is dependant on type of product(s) sold.)
• Exhibit – (non-food) license issued to those who display goods, equipment, products or services for advertising purposes and future sales only. These license holders may take orders, but will not be permitted to engage in retail sales, accept cash, checks or credit card payments, take deposits of any kind, solicit contributions, accept any form of payment for future product or service delivery, or deliver products or services from the site of their fair exhibit. Licenses have a rate of $115 per front foot. The example of a 10-foot-wide space would be 10 x $115 = $1,150 site fee for all 12 days of the fair.
• Institutional Exhibit – (non-food) license issued to institutions, organizations or agencies whose exhibits, in the discretion of the concessions & exhibits department, qualify as educational or as a service to the State Fair and/or its patrons. Applicants must provide an appropriate showing of their qualification for this status. No retail sales, order taking, deposit acceptance, contribution solicitation or product and service deliveries are allowed under the terms of these licenses. Licenses have a rate of $95 per front foot. The example of a 10-foot-wide space would be 10 x $95 = $950 site fee for all 12 days of the fair.

License fees are subject to change and cover most usual and ordinary costs, with the exception of electric connection and consumption, utility assessments, insurance, outside gate admission charges for personnel and vehicles and any other extraordinary costs. (The State Fair does not issue outside gate passes of any kind and has a mandatory commercial general liability insurance coverage requirement.) Any individual (of legal age), organization, association, corporation or partnership may submit a commercial space registration.