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General Information

Gate Admission

Ages 7 & older: $9
Ages 6 & under: FREE

Re-entry: Wristbands/stamps for re-entry will be given upon payment of admission.

Gates open at 8 a.m. each day

Gate admission is FREE beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday evening!

Tickets

Fair Admission Tickets can be purchased at the gates during all hours of the fair. Cash & credit cards are accepted at all gates. When purchasing with a credit card, processing fees will be added.

Demolition Derby Tickets (Sunday night grandstand event) can be purchased:

  • Online (for pickup at Will Call at Gate 5) through 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 10, 2024.
  • In person at the Administration Building through 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 10, 2024. No tickets will be sold from the Administration Bldg on Sunday, August 11.
  • At the Grandstand beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 11, 2024. Cash/checks/credit cards will be accepted at the Grandstand.

Midway Ride Tickets

During the Fair, ride tickets are only available for purchase at the Midway for $1.50 per ticket or 40 tickets for $50. Cost per ride varies (3, 4, 5 or 6 tickets) per person to ride. Save money with daily ride specials!

Special Days

Thursday: Senior Citizen Day

Seniors 60 & older: Half price from 8 a.m.—6 p.m.

Friday: Military Appreciation Day

Free admission for veterans and current military with current military ID

Sunday

Gate admission is FREE beginning at 6 p.m. on Sunday evening!

Advanced Sale Tickets

Save money with advanced sale items!

Buy online (processing fees will be added) and pick up in the Administration Building or have them mailed to you.

The last day advanced sale items will be mailed is Wednesday, July 24. Advanced admission tickets not picked up before the opening of the fair will be at WILL CALL at the North Gate (Gate #5).

Tickets can also be purchased in the Administration Building (M–F 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) beginning Monday, June 17. When purchasing with a credit card, processing fees will be added.

Advanced sale items will not be available after 8:00 a.m. Wednesday August 7, 2024.

Carver County Agricultural Society Membership & Gate Tickets

Save $5 on admission! A Carver County Agricultural Society Membership costs $40 and includes 5 gate tickets.

Midway Ride Tickets

Save with advanced sale ride tickets! 8 rides for $20! Available via 4-H club members or in our online store. Only available for purchase before 8 a.m. the first day of the Fair!

Fair bucks were discontinued in 2018.

Building Hours

Exhibit Buildings

Wednesday12 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Thurs. – Sat.8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Animal Barns

Wed. – Sat.8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sunday8 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Commercial Buildings

Wednesday12 p.m. – 9 p.m.
Thurs. – Sat.10 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday10 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Location Map


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Exhibiting

Please visit the Exhibiting at the Fair page for information on exhibit categories, pre-registration, drop-off, premiums, and more.

Parking

Public parking

Public parking for the Carver County Fair is available for free on the city streets in Waconia. Parking is also available for a fee in the lots outlined on the map below. Public parking is not available on the Fairgrounds.

Carver County Fair Parking Map thumbnail
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Handicapped parking

Handicapped parking is located on Burandt Blvd adjacent to Gates 1 & 5; there is limited parking available inside the fence at these gates. If there is a spot available you will be allowed to enter and park. Sorry, no motorized scooter rentals available.

Free Shuttle Buses

Free shuttle buses will be available per map below at the following times:

  • Wednesday, Aug. 7 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Thursday, Aug. 8 thru Saturday, Aug. 10 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
  • Sunday, Aug. 11 from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Carver County Fair Route Map thumbnail
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Commercial & Food Vendors

Commercial and Food Vendors can purchase parking passes as part of the lease agreement with the Fairgrounds. Parking space for holders of parking passes is limited and no guarantee is given that parking will be available. No parking passes sold to general public.

Accessibility

Handicapped parking is located on Burandt Blvd. adjacent to Gate #1 (Main Gate) and Gate #5 (North Gate).

No hoverboards, skateboards, roller or inline skates, bikes or motorized scooters, etc. are allowed on the fairgrounds. Handicap scooters are the exception.

Sorry, no motorized scooter rentals are available at this event.

Gate Policies & Restrictions

Cash & credit cards are accepted at all gates. A processing fee will be added with credit card transactions.

All gate entrances with parking: each person in the vehicle requires a gate admission ticket or must pay admission to get into the Fair.

Main Gate 1:

  • Small animals may leave this gate (no inbound animal trailers are permitted)
  • Limited handicapped parking is available; vehicles may enter/exit if space is available. Please look to see if a spot is available before the car enters the Fairgrounds.
  • Bands for Entertainment Center may enter/exit. A list of bands permitted will be provided to gate volunteers. Call Steve at 612-867-2603 if any problems.

East Gate 2:

  • Southview Elementary School is our emergency evacuation shelter. East Gate 2 must not be locked in the event an evacuation route is needed. Please open the gate if there is an emergency evacuation announced for fairgoers to move toward the Southview Elementary School shelter.
  • Barricades will be tied together and no one will be allowed to enter the Grandstand area from this gate.
  • Livestock exhibitors with livestock trailer passes will be allowed to open and close this gate upon arrival. Gate must be closed immediately upon entry so no other traffic can enter.
  • Small animal parking is only allowed to exit through Main Gate.
  • Drive-in gate will be closed but not locked, with no one allowed to drive in after 4 p.m. each day.

South Gate 3:

  • No driving in or out from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

West/Burandt Gate 4:

  • Livestock large animals can enter/exit with a livestock pass
  • Horse trailers are allowed for the open shows

Ag Gate 5:

  • Limited handicapped parking is available; vehicles may enter/exit if space is available. The parking is located along the fence on the inside. Please look to see if a spot is available before the car enters the Fairgrounds.
  • Weekly or daily car passes may enter/exit
  • Bands for Patio may enter/exit. A list of bands permitted will be provided to gate volunteers. Call Steve at 612-867-2603 if any problems.

No car passes sold to general public. Only commercial and livestock exhibitors can purchase car passes.

Livestock Exhibitor Gate Pass Policy: If entries and required registration are in the Fair office by the deadline date, one Fair-week gate pass will be issued to each livestock exhibitor, but only one parking pass will be issued per residence/family exhibiting livestock. The Carver County Fair Board already issues each 4-H livestock exhibitor a gate pass via the Carver County Extension Office; no second gate pass will knowingly be issued to anyone.

Rules, Policies, Pets

NO DOGS or other pets allowed in fairgrounds. Exceptions are bonafide service animals or if the pet’s presence is part of an organized and announced fair activity. ANYONE violating this rule with a pet must take the pet off fairgrounds property immediately upon being asked by any fair official or law enforcement personnel.

An air-conditioned breastfeeding building is available next to the Administration Building.

Alcoholic beverages are only allowed in the Entertainment Center and Grandstand.

No hoverboards, skateboards, roller or inline skates, bikes or motorized scooters, etc. are allowed on the fairgrounds. Handicap scooters are the exception.

While the greatest care will be executed by the Management to protect patrons of the Carver County Fair, each individual will be held personally responsible for his or her actions, and the Management will not be accountable or responsible for any injury. The Carver County Agricultural Society Management assumes no liability for loss or damage to any property to the concessionaire, exhibitor or patron, due to theft, fire, tornado, weather conditions or other causes. The Directors of the Carver County Fair Board reserve the right to refuse any offensive or obscene exhibits or fair event participation in which the judgment of the Fair Board would be offensive to the general public.

The Carver County Fairgrounds is private property. It is the expectation of the Carver County Fair Board that patrons will behave in an appropriate, lawful manner. No entrances or exits can be obstructed or limited in any way. The distribution of literature or other informational pieces must come from a commercial exhibitor space. Fill out our Vendor Request Form if you would like to inquire about renting a space at the Fair.