For music fans, the Minnesota State Fair is 12 days of near-constant live entertainment – between the nightly Grandstand shows and free stages spread across the fairgrounds. To unlock peak enjoyment, and to minimize aimless wandering, get to know the best food and beverage options near the performance you’re checking out.

To make things easier, The Current has set you up with menu suggestions near the main stages where live music is a central factor. It’ll keep the energy high for all the belt-out singing one plans to do at the fair.

International Bazaar Stage

Located at the corner of Judson Avenue and Underwood Street, the International Bazaar resembles the open air souks and markets found around the world, and the stage is centered right at the entrance. With acts ranging from The 70s Magic Sunshine Band (Aug. 22-23) and the Cedar Cultural Center’s Global Get Together (Aug. 28-29), to the International Reggae All Stars (Aug. 30-31) and Grupo Esplendor Norteño (Sept. 1-2), the sounds alone will draw you in. 

Appetizer: Simply Nuts & More in the Warner Coliseum offers Honey Cinnamon Almonds and other flavored nut snacks.

Entree: The Grilled Purple Sticky Rice from Union Hmong Kitchen topped with one’s choice of Hmong beef jerky or pickled mushrooms is one of the new foods on the menu worth a try.

Dessert: Afro Poppers from Afro Deli in the adjacent food building serves as a slammin’ dessert option.

Beverage: To cool down on those scorcher days, or calm one’s mouth down after habanero pistachios, procure a virgin bloody mary from St. Martin’s Olives.

Leinie Lodge Bandshell Stage

On the fairgrounds’ south end, the Leinie Lodge Bandshell sits where Cooper and Cosgrove Streets meet, just north of the Space Tower. The outdoor stage has hosted countless local and national acts, and 2024 delivers a deep mix of musical styles. The Leinie Lodge has a range of headliners in the evening like Semisonic (Sept. 1-2), the War & Treaty (Aug. 26-17), Marky Ramone (Aug. 28-29), and Maggie Rose (Aug. 24-25), while the daytime acts boast a spectrum of genres including The Men of Motown (Aug.22-23), Terrence Simien & The Zydeco Experience (Aug. 26-27), and more. It also boasts a close proximity to the Food Building to grab your bites to eat accordingly.

Appetizer/Beverage: Pick a sambusa, any sambusa at Afro Deli’s stand, and get some plantains on the side, along with an iced Somali chai to wash it down with.

Entree: The Spicy Thai Noodles at Oodles of Noodles or take on the Raging Ball at The Herbivorous Butcher will quell those hunger pangs with relative satisfaction and ease. 

Dessert: Swing by The Dairy Bar for your choice of dairy-based or oat-based soft serve ice cream, or get some lefse at Lynn’s Lefse.

Schell’s Stage at Schilling Amphitheater 

On West Dan Patch Avenue, not far from the Grandstand, Schilling Amphitheater is home to the indie pop, folk, and country acts that play the great Minnesota get-together. Not only is it near the handmade goods and quirks at the West End Market, it also has countless food options. Performers include local favorites Tina Schileske & Friends (Aug. 22-23), Mae Simpson (Aug. 24-25), and the First Avenue Goes to the Fair as the Fair’s shows featuring house band Al Church and the Congregation playing on Aug. 30 (with Fanaka Nation, Jake Balistrieri and Sarah Mevissen from Pit Stop, Lars Pruitt from Yam Haus, student 1 and The Foxgloves) and Sept. 1 (Anderson Daniels, Ashley Ackerson, Ava Levy, Pop Wagner and REIKI).

Beverage: I mean, it is the Schell’s stage sponsored by Schell’s Beer, right?

Appetizer: Fresh French fries from the Fresh French Fries stand. So nice that it has got to be said twice.

Entree: A Southern Chicken Biscuit Sandwich from LuLu’s Public House serves as a most excellent feast, and pairs well with any beverage.

Dessert: A toasted waffle ice cream sandwich at West End Creamery is an incredibly simple and delectable dessert to go with.

Grandstand Stage

With a max capacity at about 17,000 people, the Grandstand is the sports-arena-sized State Fair music venue, and home to the biggest shows. Considering a diverse array of worthy headliner acts, that range from country and Americana’s shining icons to R&B/hip-hop royalty, there’s a little something for everyone. Being that the shows take place during the evening, it feels right to pair each show with either a dinner or dessert of choice.

Becky G & Los Aptos

Thursday, Aug. 22

Dinner of choice: Before Becky G blazes up the stage, visit El Burrito Mercado to get some Quesabirria Taquitos, with a side of esquites.  Ordering an Agua de Sandia Loca to wash all that down doesn’t hurt, either.

Chance The Rapper

Friday, Aug. 23

Dinner of choice: Given Chance’s affinity and love for Chicago and its food staples, the recommendation is to stop by Chicago Dogs for some Chicago-style hot dogs or an Italian beef.  Rest assured, it’ll be worked off by singing along while jubilantly waving hands and jumping to the infectious energy in Chance’s songs.

Blake Shelton & Emily Ann Roberts

Sunday, Aug. 25

Dinner of choice: Shelton has noted his affinity for steak and mashed potatoes on several occasions whenever he cooks at home, so stop by Pickle Barrel Sirloin Tips for a steak dinner with fresh grilled steak tips, and homemade mashed potatoes. If that's too much to handle, a steak pita may be more easily mobile.

Ludacris & T-Pain

Tuesday, Aug. 27

Dinner/drink of choice: If there’s a uniting point between T-Pain and Ludacris, it could be chicken paired with a fantastically boozy libation (or drank). There’s no shortage of places to get either, but tonight it’s gotta be the crab boil wings from Soul Bowl or Jamaican jerk wings from West Indies Soul Food. 

Drinkwise, live out Ludacris’ fourth album title in true fashion by pairing the chicken with a Pineapple Party blonde ale brewed by Liftbridge Brewing Company at LuLu’s Public House. T-Pain is no stranger to a good cocktail (he joined James Beard award winning mixologist Maxwell Britten and professor/author/writer/dopest multi-hyphenate Kathy Iandoli for a book filled with cocktail recipes called Can I Mix You a Drink?), the Boombox Freeze crafted by Bauhaus Brew Labs at The Blue Barn is a surefire way to enjoy all of the night’s hits.

Mötley Crüe

Thursday, Aug. 29

Dinner of choice: A while back, Mötley Crüe launched their own line of hot sauces, so in that similar spirit, the Hot Hen at RC’s BBQ, with its smoked pulled buffalo chicken and pickled jalapenos, provides plenty of spice to a Minnesotan’s palate.

Matchbox Twenty & Beauty School Dropout

Friday, Aug. 30

Dinner of choice: When asked about food consumption on the road, Matchbox Twenty frontman Rob Thomas in a GQ interview stated “It's so bland. My mornings are egg whites and Turkey sausage. I try and eat something every three hours. I try and keep it under 300 calories, except for dinner, oddly, which I eat, whatever the fuck I want, because I'm going to go on stage and burn it off.”

With that energy, the Pulled Turkey Sandwich at Turkey To Go will provide plenty of sustenance, for when one wants to lift their voice and sing along to “Push” or “3 A.M.” 

Stephen Sanchez

Saturday, Aug. 31

Dinner of choice: In an interview with Beyond the Stage Magazine, retro-rock crooner Sanchez mentioned “Honestly, I love asking other artists to breakfast. I wouldn’t be able to do that if I wasn’t one, myself. Food is actually very intimate – you can connect so deeply over a table of food.”

With the breakfast mindset in tow, bringing a fresh stack of Al’s Breakfast blueberry pancakes over from the Hamline Church Dining Hall might be a tall task. A better mobile option would be either the Hamline Egger or to stop by Quesadilla Junction on one’s way to the Grandstand to partake in a breakfast quesadilla to munch on, or an ever-so-portable breakfast burrito from Juanita’s Fajitas.