Minnesota’s Largest Seasonal Attraction Opens This Weekend

It is a true sign that winter is in the past and Minnesota's favorite season is underway when this attraction opens for the season.

This year marks the 47th season for this iconic Minnesota attraction that will see some major upgrades and the return of a fa-favorite event this fall. And all the fun gets underway this week when the gates open for the 2024 season.

Valleyfair will kick off the season on Saturday, May 11th with their Season Pass Preview Day, season pass holders get exclusive access to the park between 11 AM and 5 PM, and starting on Sunday, May 12th, is the official 2024 opening day.

The lift hills on Valleyfair's eight roller coasters will start lifting passengers for another season of fun that will also include an upgrade food and drink menu from Valleyfair's new executive chef, Josh Slaughter.

Valleyfair will introduce 4 new food vendors for the 2024 season:

1. Lucky Loon Kitchen: Fresh, scratch-made meals including rotating roasts, fish & chicken, pasta salads, seasonal vegetables, and desserts.
2. Renegade Smokehouse: Slow-smoked, perfectly seasoned meats with savory sides.
3. Superior Funnel Cake Co.: Unique funnel cake creations & other sweet treats, located by the Ferris Wheel.
4. Northwoods Pizzeria: Fresh pizza and warm breadsticks.

Valleyfair is also bringing back ValleyScare, it will now be a stand-alone event, meaning that if you spent the day at Valleyfair, you'll need to buy a separate ticket to be able to attend the ValleyScare event in the evening. Valleyfair says it will be "more intense than ever before!"

It will cost you more to get into the theme park this year, day passes have increased $5 to $39.99 and season passes start at $89.

Valleyfair will also be hosting a variety of events for the 2024 season including Star-Spangled Night on July 4th, Latin Days August 3-4, Corn Fest Saturdays and Sundays between August 17-September 2, and a family friendly Halloween event called Tricks and Treats weekends between September 28-October 27.