How to Get to the 2026 Minnesota State Fair From the South Metro

TLDR

• MVTA runs all 12 days from four park-and-rides: Burnsville, Eagan Transit Station, new Blackhawk in Eagan, and Southbridge in Shakopee.
• Parking is free. The bus is $6 round trip.
• Buses run about every 15-20 minutes. Last bus home is 11:30 p.m. most days, 8:30 p.m. on Labor Day.
• There is no dedicated Fair express from Apple Valley, Lakeville, Farmington, Rosemount, Prior Lake, Savage, or Hastings. Use the closest MVTA lot.
• That $6 ticket is not a Fair ticket.

The Minnesota State Fair is Aug. 27 through Labor Day, Sept. 7, 2026. If you live in the south metro, the bus you want is MVTA, not Metro Transit.

Which lot do I use?

All four MVTA lots run every day of the Fair. Addresses from MVTA:

• Burnsville Transit Station, 100 E Highway 13 (Highway 13 and Nicollet)
• Eagan Transit Station, 3470 Pilot Knob Road
• Blackhawk Park and Ride (new), 4565 Blackhawk Road, Eagan
• Southbridge Crossings Park and Ride, 1401 Crossings Boulevard, Shakopee

There is no State Fair service from Marschall Road Transit Station in Shakopee. Use Southbridge.

Eagan Transit Station and Blackhawk share one return bay at the Fair. MVTA labels it Eagan/Blackhawk. If you parked at either of those lots, get in that line.

Apple Valley and Lakeville folks usually head to Eagan or Burnsville. If you are coming up Pilot Knob or Cedar, Highway 77 construction is still in play. Apple Valley drivers on County Road 42 should also check the CR 42 detours before you leave.

Farmington and Rosemount: nearest posted lots are the Eagan ones. Prior Lake and Savage: Southbridge in Shakopee or Burnsville. Hastings: no MVTA Fair lot. The closest Metro Transit Express lot on the official map is Cottage Grove Park and Ride on Highway 61.

Hours (use MVTA’s page)

Aug. 27-Sept. 6: outbound 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., return noon to 11:30 p.m.

Labor Day, Sept. 7: outbound 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., return noon to 8:30 p.m.

Frequency is about every 15-20 minutes. Times can slide in traffic.

Metro Transit’s State Fair page lists different Labor Day hours for MVTA (5 p.m. out, 9:30 p.m. back). Use MVTA’s own hours.

You go back to the same Transit Hub drop-off. That is Gate 16 on the west end of the fairgrounds.

What it costs

$6 round trip. One ticket covers both ways. You do not show a ticket on the return.

Pay with the RideMVTA app (MVTA recommends that), $6 exact cash, or credit or debit with staff on site. Drivers do not make change.

Kids 0-5 ride free. Disabled veterans ride free with a Service Connected ID. MVTA also says State Fair employees and law enforcement officers ride free with ID.

Go-To cards, College Passes, and MetroPasses do not work on this service.

The bus ticket is not Fair admission. Buy that at mnstatefair.org.

Accessibility, strollers, and bikes

Southbridge and Blackhawk are surface lots. Buses have ramps or lifts. Collapsible wagons and collapsible strollers only. Bikes go on the front rack, first come first served.

What if I am not near an MVTA lot?

Metro Transit Express does not start in Scoop cities. The closest lots on their map are Bloomington 30th Ave Park and Ride (30th Ave and 82nd St) and Cottage Grove Park and Ride on Highway 61. Those run all 12 days. Maple Grove is weekends and Labor Day only, and that is not a south-metro lot.

Metro Transit Express: about every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. Last return midnight most days, 11 p.m. Labor Day. $5 in the Metro Transit app or $6 cash. Kids 4 and under free.

Regular Metro Transit (A Line, Green Line, routes 3 and 61) only helps if you are already near Snelling or downtown. It is not a south-metro park-and-ride.

SouthWest Transit is Eden Prairie, Chanhassen, Chaska, and Carver. Out of Scoop range.

If you rode out for the Dakota County Fair music week in Farmington, this is a different trip. State Fair buses drop at the St. Paul fairgrounds, not the Farmington grounds.

The Bottom Line

Park at Burnsville, Eagan, Blackhawk, or Southbridge. Pay $6 once. Ride to Gate 16. Check MVTA before you leave, especially Labor Day, when the last bus home is 8:30 p.m.