The Minnesota State Fair, a premier annual event, offers attendees a wide array of complimentary items from various vendors, exhibitors, and organizations. While admission requires a ticket, many booths provide free products, samples, and promotional goods to fairgoers. This guide details the available freebies based on verified information from official sources and event reports, helping visitors maximize their experience.
Free offers at the fair span numerous categories, including household goods, food and beverage samples, outdoor and camping items, educational materials, and personal care products. The availability of these items is often tied to specific locations, daily schedules, or interactive activities such as trivia wheels or sign-ups for newsletters. Some promotions have limited daily supplies, suggesting that early arrival may be beneficial for securing certain items.
Key Locations and Free Offer Categories
Based on the provided information, freebies are distributed at booths across the fairgrounds, often grouped by theme or sponsoring organization. The following sections outline the primary locations and the types of free items available at each.
Agricultural and Environmental Exhibits
Several booths focus on agriculture, conservation, and environmental education, offering practical and informative freebies.
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Exhibit: Located in the North Hall of the Agriculture/Horticulture Building at the northeast corner of Underwood Street and Judson Avenue, this exhibit provides educational resources and free items. Visitors can participate in a prize wheel with questions about invasive species, with prizes including Junior Entomologist kits and personal insect repellent. The booth also offers information on managing noxious weeds. Additionally, fairgoers can receive a free Swedish dishcloth by voting for their favorite way to support local farmers through the Minnesota Grown program. Signing up for the "Pick of the Month" newsletter enters participants into a drawing for a basket of local Minnesota Grown items. Temporary tattoos are also available to show Minnesota Grown pride.
- Minnesota Native Landscapes: Situated on the west side of Underwood Street between Murphy and Lee Avenues, this booth provides native seed packets for attendees interested in making their yards more pollinator-friendly.
- Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT): Across from the Education Building, the MNDOT booth features a prize wheel. By spinning the wheel and answering a trivia question, visitors can receive a packet of native Minnesota seeds. They also distribute Minnesota road maps.
- Friends of the Boundary Waters: Located at the North End, this environmental group offers a free reusable spork to protect the wilderness.
Food and Beverage Sampling
Beyond full meals, several vendors offer free food samples or related products.
- Bush’s Beans: Located on Underwood Street near the Great Giant Wheel, this booth provides free taste testing of baked beans between 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. daily. They also distribute customizable bucket and trucker hats, though supply is limited each day. Staff have reported that people line up as early as 8:00 a.m. for these hats. A prize wheel may also offer a chance to win a hat.
- Blue Flame Gas: Located west of Nelson Street, this booth gives out reusable tote bags and bottle grips. The Minnesota Blue Flame Gas Association also operates the Blue Flame Lodge, an air-conditioned building on Nelson Street between Carnes and Dan Patch Avenues, where they distribute yardsticks, water bottles, coloring books, key chains, and can koozies.
- Health Fair 11: Located in the southwest corner of Dan Patch and Cooper Streets, this exhibit offers hand sanitizers, emery boards, rulers, and other health-related items from various organizations.
Radio Stations and Media Booths
Radio stations are a significant source of free promotional items, often with specific distribution schedules.
- KQRS Radio: East of Cooper Street, this station gives away drawstring backpacks.
- KS95 Radio: South of Dan Patch Avenue, visitors can pick up a reusable bag perfect for fair shopping.
- WCCO Radio: South of Carnes Ave., this station distributes free drawstring bags on August 28 and water bottles on August 29.
- WGVX Radio: West of Underwood Street, this booth offers an array of goodies including sunglasses, water bottles, compact mirrors, wine stoppers, and ponchos.
- myTalk 107.1 FM: Located on Underwood Street next to Bush’s Beans, this station provides a new and improved spork (spoon and fork combination) that is dishwasher safe and has a serrated edge. Visitors may need to ask a staffer for this item.
- Minnesota Star Tribune: Located on Carnes Avenue in front of the Grandstand, the Strib booth gives away free lip balm daily. The 2025 flavor is Norway Pine.
Automotive and Consumer Goods
Automotive dealers and consumer product companies use the fair to promote their brands with free merchandise.
- Buick GMC: East of Underwood Street, this display offers a free cooling towel to help visitors cool down.
- Driven to Discover: West of Cosgrove St., this booth provides string backpacks, sunglasses, and stress balls while educating visitors about University of Minnesota research projects.
- Minnesota Rusco: Located at the Lower Grandstand, this company offers free estimates on home improvement projects and distributes back scratchers, rain ponchos, and rubber ducks.
Banking and Financial Services
Financial institutions also participate by offering practical freebies.
- Bremer Bank: North of Judson Avenue, this booth gives away sunglasses and seed packets.
- Federal Reserve Bank: Located in the Education Building, the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis exhibit provides shredded money souvenirs as takeaways.
Tourism and Local Attractions
Several booths promote Minnesota destinations with free promotional items.
- Visit Bemidji: Located in the Education Building, this booth offers reusable bags, beach balls, and foam hats promoting the Bemidji area. According to another source, they also provide a Babe the Blue Ox foam hat, tote bag, and guide book.
- Department of Public Safety: Also in the Education Building, this department distributes freebies like footballs and flying discs that promote safe driving.
Other Notable Freebies
Additional free items are available at various other booths throughout the fairgrounds.
- KaiBi Mobile Family Care Center: On the west side of Underwood Street between Carnes and Judson Avenues, this climate-controlled facility offers freebies including reusable hot/cold packs, mini bubble wands, fidget toys, and push pops.
- Project Turnabout: Located in the Education Building, this booth provides backpacks, rain ponchos, pens, and fly swatters, alongside information on compulsive gambling and chemical dependency recovery.
- Minnesota Farm Bureau: West of Underwood Street, this agricultural organization distributes spatulas, stress balls, and reusable wheat cutlery.
- MN Newspaper Museum: By the 4H Building, this museum offers postcards, bookmarks, notebooks, and First Amendment posters.
Important Considerations for Fairgoers
While the Minnesota State Fair offers many free items, visitors should be aware of several practical considerations to manage expectations and plan their day effectively.
Limited Supplies and Timing: Many free items, such as the Bush’s Beans bucket hats, have a limited daily supply. The report indicates that people begin lining up as early as 8:00 a.m., and hats may run out before the booth closes. Other items, like the WCCO Radio water bottles, are only available on specific dates. Visitors seeking particular items should inquire about distribution times and potential limits.
Interactive Elements: Some freebies are tied to participation in activities. For example, the MNDOT booth requires spinning a wheel and answering a trivia question to receive a seed packet. The MDA exhibit uses a prize wheel for Junior Entomologist kits and repellent. The Swedish dishcloth from the MDA is conditional on voting for a preferred method of supporting local farmers. These interactive components may require more time but also provide educational value.
Sign-Up Requirements: A few offers involve signing up for newsletters or information. The Minnesota Grown booth offers a prize drawing for those who sign up for the "Pick of the Month" newsletter. Minnesota Rusco requires signing up for free home improvement estimates. These actions may lead to future marketing communications.
Geographic Specificity: The freebies are exclusively available at the Minnesota State Fair, which takes place from August 21 through Labor Day, September 1. Exhibits are generally open from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., with hours ending at 8:00 p.m. on Labor Day. The free items are not part of a mail-in program or a national sample campaign; they must be collected in person at the designated booths on the fairgrounds.
Source Reliability: The information presented is compiled from a mix of sources, including official state department announcements (e.g., Minnesota Department of Agriculture) and media reports from local news outlets and blogs. Official state department information is considered highly reliable for details about their own exhibits and schedules. Media reports and blogs provide valuable on-the-ground details about specific vendor offerings but should be considered as current for the reported year (2025). For the most accurate and up-to-date information on any specific booth or offer, consulting the official Minnesota State Fair website or contacting the sponsoring organization directly is recommended.
Conclusion
The Minnesota State Fair presents a unique opportunity for attendees to collect a diverse range of free products and samples from over 30 identified booths. The complimentary items span categories such as food and beverage (beans, seeds), household goods (tote bags, utensils, cooling towels), outdoor gear (sporks, fishing kits), personal care (lip balm, sanitizer), and educational materials (maps, books, posters). Availability is often contingent on daily limits, specific dates, or participation in interactive activities like trivia wheels or surveys. Visitors are advised to plan their route based on areas of interest, arrive early for high-demand items, and be prepared for potential sign-ups or informational sessions at certain booths. This guide, based on verified sources, aims to help fairgoers navigate the extensive grounds and maximize the value of their admission by accessing these complimentary offerings.