The Great Minnesota Get-Together returns August 27 through Labor Day, September 7, 2026 — and this year’s Grandstand lineup reads like a jukebox that can’t make up its mind in the best possible way. Rod Stewart one night, TLC and Salt-N-Pepa another, Weird Al in a Hawaiian shirt somewhere in between. If you’re coming in from out of town for a show (or three), here’s the full night-by-night schedule — and a very good reason to skip the highway hotel and sleep in a Gilded Age mansion instead.
The 2026 Grandstand lineup, night by night
Every show below starts at 7 p.m. unless noted, with the fair’s nightly fireworks after. We verified this on the official Minnesota State Fair Grandstand page — grab tickets early for the big names.
- Thu, Aug. 27 — Bonnie Raitt with Jon Cleary & The Absolute Monster Gentlemen
- Fri, Aug. 28 — “Weird Al” Yankovic: Bigger & Weirder 2026 Tour with Puddles Pity Party
- Sat, Aug. 29 — Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Homecoming: A Celebration of the Minneapolis Sound
- Sun, Aug. 30 — Sierra Ferrell with Tanya Tucker (The Current’s Music On-A-Stick)
- Mon, Aug. 31 — Tommy James & The Shondells and Herman’s Hermits starring Peter Noone
- Tue, Sept. 1 — Rod Stewart with Richard Marx
- Wed, Sept. 2 — AJR with Quinn XCII and Avery Cochrane
- Thu, Sept. 3 — Brad Paisley with Jake Worthington and Laci Kaye Booth
- Fri, Sept. 4 — HARDY with McCoy Moore
- Sat, Sept. 5 — TLC and Salt-N-Pepa with En Vogue — IT’S ICONIC
- Sun, Sept. 6 — Amateur Talent Contest Finals, 7:30 p.m. (free)
- Mon, Sept. 7 — CeCe Winans, 3 p.m.
For the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis homecoming especially, note that this is a one-night celebration of the Minneapolis Sound in the city that invented it — expect that one to feel like a hometown holiday.
Sleep in a mansion, not a motor lodge
300 Clifton is the historic Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion in Loring Park — on the National Register of Historic Places and widely considered the finest Georgian architecture in Minnesota. Concert nights end late and happy; the mansion is where they land softly. Slip into the 4-season garden hot tub under the stars, or carry your nightcap down to Gertrude’s Cistern, our speakeasy and haunted video lounge with heated reclining seats.
Rooms range from the Crystal Mansion and Grand Edwardian suites to the snug, story-filled Estate rooms — carved fireplaces, hand-painted murals, English gardens outside the window. Coming for Rod Stewart with someone you love? Ask about the romantic add-ons on our specials and packages page.
Getting to the Grandstand from Loring Park
The fairgrounds sit in Falcon Heights, an easy 15–20 minute drive from the mansion. Better yet, skip fairgrounds parking entirely: Metro Transit’s State Fair express buses run non-stop, air-conditioned rides from free park-and-ride lots straight to the gates — details and ticket info on the fair’s site. Go early, eat everything on a stick, see the show, ride back, hot tub. That’s the correct order of operations.
Twelve days when Minneapolis fills up fast
Grandstand week is also the busiest stretch of the Minneapolis calendar, which is exactly why we suggest booking now. The Twins are home August 28–September 2, Alabama Shakes play Surly Brewing Festival Field August 28–29, Gopher football opens September 3, and Labor Day weekend caps it all off. New to the fair itself? Start with our full guide to staying in Minneapolis for the 2026 State Fair.
Make a full weekend of it: ride a Minneapolis Trolley Tour through the city’s prettiest neighborhoods, book a moody pre-show dinner at the Pillsbury Club mansion, and if your crew needs longer-stay space downtown, Oakland’s on 9th has furnished studios by the week or month. More ideas: things to do in Minneapolis.
Book your Grandstand-week stay
Twelve nights of music, one mansion a short hop away. Check availability at 300 Clifton for August 27–September 7 — the hot tub is warm, the ghosts are friendly, and the fireworks are on the house.
Keep reading: Banana Ball hits Target Field first — see our guide to the sold-out Savannah Bananas weekend (and the 2027 outlook).