Craig Rudland, who is entering his 44th year working at the State Fair, and second as general manager, said the public should expect the usual hallmarks from the 2025 edition, along with a number of quality of life changes.

“There’s lots of new things happening. We installed a new walkway connecting the east side of the fairgrounds to the west side. We put a big water fountain in, a nice new side walk, but now more importantly all new lighting. That area in the past has been kind of dark. Now at night it’s almost like daylight down there,” Rudland said.

Rudland also highlighted a number of new food vendors offering delicacies like fried Oreos and cookie dough; a new Auntie Em’s gluten free stand; and Jay’s Firehouse BBQ. More importantly, Rudland said the whole food experience has been revamped by infrastructure to allow vendors to accept cards along with cash payments under a unified payment system.

“It’s good for us, it’s good for them, but it’s good for the customer too. Having enough cash on you is almost impossible these days, so I think people are going to appreciate that,” Rudland said. “It’s been a few years in the works getting the fiber installed and the access points for the wi-fi installed. In talking with SRT, if you added it all up and laid it out in a line, it would be 140 miles of fiber installed in the last few years.”

Charles Crane/MDN Craig Rudland, general manager of the North Dakota State Fair, takes a call on July 10 amidst the preparations for the 60th State Fair in Minot.

Another area receiving modern updates is fair ticketing through self-serve kiosks at every gate, which will allow attendees to skip the line. Rudland said additional kiosks can be found at all Marketplace Foods and Dakota Square Mall in Minot; the Albertsons in Williston; and Kirkwood Mall in Bismarck. Rudland emphasized that there are no additional fees incurred when tickets are purchased at a kiosk.

“We’re pretty stoked about that. We’re trying to get the word out. These young people are pretty tech savvy, but others might scratch their head a bit. We will have people at each gate to help you walk through that process if you want to do that,” Rudland said.

Rudland also recommended attendees take advantage of a service he said was the most underutilized offering from the fair, which was the free bussing. From 1 p.m.-1 a.m., attendees can park their cars and hop on a bus at Dakota Square Mall, which will deliver riders right to the State Fair’s main gate. Rudland said more buses will be added as the need increases from day to day.

“It’s eight steps from where you get off the bus to the ticket booth, and you’re into the fair. On some of our heavy nights you could be stuck in traffic for a long time. The bus route that they take is streamlined and you’re not stuck in traffic,” Rudland said. “Get here early. For example, on Jelly Roll night, that concert is going to sell out so you’re going to be waiting. If you hop in your car at 7:30 thinking you’re going to get down here, get a parking spot, get through the gate, get to the Grandstand, go through security and be there ready for the concert at 8, you’re not going to be happy.”

Rudland also cautioned the public from purchasing tickets from third party websites, which he said are designed to resemble the State Fair’s official website but sell tickets at exorbitant prices and often to multiple individuals. Rudland recommended anyone who has purchased a third party ticket to seek a refund, and purchase genuine tickets at the correct price from the State Fair website or in person at the State Fair Office.

“The prices they’re charging for tickets are sometimes double, triple or quadruple of what we are. Unfortunately there’s not an awful lot we can do. There’s a chance that the ticket might not be good. They could sell that same ticket to five people. Whoever goes through when the ticket is scanned can get in, but that kills the ticket. The other four people show up to go to the concert but they can’t,” Rudland said. “I can’t tell you the number of calls we get.”

Rudland said Bailey Zimmerman concert on Friday night will not only serve as the official kickoff of the fair’s lineup of premiere acts, but will include a flyover of B-52 bombers from Minot Air Force Base over the fairgrounds and Grandstand.

“From what I’ve been told they’ll be doing that flyover at 1,000 feet, which is incredibly low. It will be something to see. You’ll probably be able to see it all over town, but to be right on the fairgrounds looking straight up at it, I think that’s going to be something very special,” Rudland said.

While Rudland felt the State Fair’s Grandstand Showpass offered a great deal of value, he championed the 60 acts performing at eight free stages throughout the fair. The acts themselves will cycle every three or four days to keep things fresh, including crowd-pleasers like Sea Lion Splash and Daryl’s Racing Pigs which are making their returns.

“Some of that entertainment, it’s hard to find in North Dakota. It’s free with your ticket,” Rudland said.

Rudland said those attending the State Fair can rest assured it will remain a safe environment thanks to some security enhancements put in place to prevent or mitigate the likelihood of threats to emerge to the public. He said some enhancements will be visible to attendees, but otherwise shouldn’t disturb the experience.

According to Rudland, the State Fair generates $42 million during the fair itself and a total $80 million annually through other events held at the State Fair Center and the fairgrounds.