Connect with the people, programs and performances that are made of Minnesota, in the most Minnesota place imaginable, the Minnesota State Fair. Join The Current at MPR's State Fair Station Aug. 27 through Sept. 7.

MPR's State Fair Station is located near the corner of Judson and Nelson. Find your way to us to enjoy live broadcasts, performances, conversations, family activities and plenty of ways to connect with public media.

While you’re there, sign up for an e-newsletters and take a spin on the giant Wheel of Fun, where everyone's a winner! Gear up with special new merchandise from The Current. Take home a limited-edition MPR tote bag or score our new Nalgene water bottle. New designs will be announced, and pre-ordering will be available on Aug. 17.

Celebrate MPR’s Made of Minnesota Day on Friday, Sept. 4, in Dan Patch Park with performances from Koo Koo, Obi Original and Davina and the Vagabonds, and more. Plus, participate in activities, giveaways and community partners celebrating all things Minnesota. On MPR’s Made of Minnesota Day, members will receive a free mini tote (while supplies last). This onsite, in-person offer is not available by mail.

Plan your visit to MPR's State Fair Station with the schedule below from The Current. All programming is subject to change. Want to see what all of MPR is doing at the fair? See the full schedule here.

Programming schedule:

Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026 

• 3 – 7 p.m. – The Current's Morning Show Live in the Afternoon with Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala with the Cactus Blossoms

  • 3:30 p.m. Check-in with State Fair Correspondent Thomas Sticha

  • 4:30 p.m. Live performance by The Cactus Blossoms

  • 5:30 p.m. Root Beer Break with your song suggestions

  • 6:05 p.m. The Gig List with State Fair Correspondent Thomas Sticha

Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 

• 3 – 7 p.m. – The Current's Morning Show Live in the Afternoon with Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala with Thomas Sticha

  • 3:30 p.m. Check-in with State Fair Correspondent Thomas Sticha

  • 4:30 p.m. Live performance by Thomas Sticha & Friends

  • 5:30 p.m. Root Beer Break with your song suggestions

  • 6:05 p.m. The Gig List with State Fair Correspondent Thomas Sticha

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026 

• 11 a.m. – Rock the Cradle Pop up featuring The Jolly Pops
  Bring your whole family to MPR's State Fair Station for a morning of kid-focused programming featuring music by The Jolly Pops. 

• 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. – The Minneapolis Sound with Purple Funk Metropolis
  Purple Funk Metropolis is a seven-piece instrumental band blending soul, jazz, funk and high-energy grooves. Formed by University of Minnesota jazz students, the group has evolved through years of performing, recording and rehearsing together. With layered arrangements, sharp musicianship and infectious live energy, PFM brings dance-ready momentum to every stage.

Sunday, Aug. 30, 2026 

• 4 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. – The Current presents Country-oke
  Country-oke is a popular live-band country karaoke night in the Twin Cities, co-hosted and curated by Minnesota-based country-folk artist Thomas Sticha. Unlike traditional karaoke that relies on a backing track, participants get to sing vintage and modern country songs accompanied by a full, professional backing band.

• 5 p.m. - The Current's Music-on-a-Stick Show 2026 at the State Fair Grandstand with Sierra Ferrell

Monday, Aug. 31, 2026 

• 3 – 7 p.m. – The Current's Morning Show Live in the Afternoon with Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala with Durry

  • 3:30 p.m. Check-in with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

  • 4:30 p.m. Live performance by Durry (acoustic)

  • 5:30 p.m. Root Beer Break with your song suggestions

  • 6:05 p.m. The Gig List with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026 

• 3 – 7 p.m. – The Current's Morning Show Live in the Afternoon with Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala with Sophie Hiroko.

  • 3:30 p.m. Check-in with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

  • 4:30 p.m. Live performance by Sophie Hiroko

  • 5:30 p.m. Root Beer Break with your song suggestions

  • 6:05 p.m. The Gig List with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026 

• 3 – 7 p.m. – The Current's Morning Show Live in the Afternoon with Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala with Megasound

  • 3:30 p.m. Check-in with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

  • 4:30 p.m. Live performance by Megasound

  • 5:30 p.m. Root Beer Break with your song suggestions

  • 6:05 p.m. The Gig List with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026

• 3 – 7 p.m. – The Current's Morning Show, Live in the Afternoon with Jill Riley and Nilufer Arsala with Nur-D

  • 3:30 p.m. Check-in with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

  • 4:30 p.m. Live performance by Nur-D

  • 5:30 p.m. Root Beer Break with your song suggestions

  • 6:05 p.m. The Gig List with State Fair Correspondent jeremy messersmith

Friday, Sept. 4: MPR’s Made of Minnesota Day (all programming live in Dan Patch Park) 

• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – The Current presents Koo Koo
  Koo Koo is the high-energy duo of Bryan Atchison and Neil Olstad, who began the project in 2008 after meeting at Saint Mary’s University in Winona. Built on crowd participation, comedy, dance music and playful experimentation, Koo Koo turns every performance into an all-ages party. Their shows invite audiences to sing, move and laugh along, stretching the idea of what a band can be.

• 2:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Carbon Sound presents Obi Original and The Black Atlantics
  Obi Original and The Black Atlantics. Guitarist and producer extraordinaire, Obi Original mixes rock, highlife, and African fusion into a unique Minnesota sound.

• 4 – 5 p.m. – The Current presents Davina and the Vagabonds
  Davina Sowers and the Vagabonds have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, level A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism and Sowers’ commanding stage presence.

Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026

• 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. – The Current presents Bunny Blood
  Bunny Blood — the Minneapolis trio of Hallie Gronquist, Jared Jones and Josh Fetzek — was the top vote-getter in The Current’s 2026 Minnesota Music Month Scouting Report poll. Their genre-bending sound blends shoegaze, nu metal, grunge and alternative pop into music that is heavy, hypnotic and constantly evolving.

• 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. – The Current presents Room3
  Room3 is a jazz fusion wild card rooted in tradition yet driven by experimentation. Their sound is imaginative, playful and rhythmically sharp, mixing elements of bebop, contemporary jazz, prog rock, funk and more. The collective operates out of Minneapolis most commonly as a four-piece, with RAWTWHYLAH (aka Colin Mitchell) on drums, Beck Anderson on bass, Eli Awada on keyboards and Evan Espinoza Robles on percussion. Each member is a student of their craft with a unique approach to their instrument and a willingness to push boundaries.

Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026

• 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. – The Current presents jeremy messersmith
  jeremy messersmith is an indie pop singer-songwriter and one of Minnesota’s most recognized and celebrated artists, praised by The New York Times, NPR, USA Today, Paste Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, Time Magazine, Spin, and Rolling Stone, among many others. A thoughtful, clever lyricist with a tender voice, the Minneapolis-based troubadour crafts songs that are catchy and relatable, and span the emotional gamut from poignancy to whimsy.

• 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. – The Current presents Megasound
  Megasound is the rock and roll progeny of three indie pop friends. Kerry Alexander has fronted Bad Bad Hats with Chris Hoge for more than a decade, and the duo have known Elana Carroll (aka Party Nails) even longer. While on tour together in 2018, Carroll joined Bad Bad Hats on stage for an encore performance. It was a cover of “Pretend to Be Nice”, hit single of comic book band Josie & the Pussycats, written by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger for the 2001 live action movie. This swirling musical cauldron produced a bubble of an idea: a new band. Elana on lead vocals, Kerry on guitar, Chris on drums. Songs inspired by early 2000s rock, the music of their collective youths.

Monday, Sept. 7, 2026 

• 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.  – The Current presents Mason Jennings
  For Mason Jennings, songwriting has always been about creating a personal connection, both with his audience and with himself. Over the years, he’s become known for his unpretentious, emotive approach to folk music, combining introspective lyrics with acoustic melodies.

• 3 p.m. & 5 p.m. – The Current presents Miloe
  The story of Miloe begins in the pews of a church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Where Bobby Kabeya's family would congregate every Sunday was a place where community and rhythm entwined. Every week as parents sang in the choir, Kabeya remained transfixed by the percussion section's ability to keep the entire congregation on its feet. When he and his three younger brothers would return home, they'd turn to the warm enveloping sounds of everything from rumba to reggae, genres championed by nineties Afropop stars such as Papa Wemba, Lokua Kanza, and Lucky Dube.

Official Minnesota State Fair Resources

Official web site for the Minnesota State Fair
State Fairground map for reference
Official fair finder to locate food, booths, shops