The 2026 Houston County Fair Talent Show will be happening Wednesday, August 19th at 6:30pm, in the Entertainment Building.
Contestants performaing should arrive by 6:00 pm or 6:15 pm at the latest to check in. Check in will be at the Entertainment Building.

The fee to enter the talent show is $2.00 and can be paid at the Fairgrounds Office.

HOUSTON COUNTY FAIR TALENT CONTEST RULES

The contest is open to all amateur entertainers; professionals (union musicians or those whose talent is a principle source of income) are not permitted to enter. Each contestant may perform in a maximum of 2 acts and each act needs to be a difference type of talent. Also, if someone is involved in 2 acts, each act must be in a different division. There is a $2.00 fee per act that can be sent with the entry form or pay at the fair office before the contest.

Divisions

All acts compete in one of three different divisions, based on the ages of the contestants at the time of the county fair contest date. The Preteen Division is open to contestants age 12 and under. The Teen Division is open to contestants ages 13 through 18. The Open Division is open to any contestant regardless of age. In cases where the act consists of a group of people, choose the division that is appropriate for the majority of the group members. Accompanists may be of any age.

Accompaniment

Vocalists may use recorded accompaniment, provided it contains instrumental accompaniment only; There should be no background voals on the recording. You will not be disqualified if there are background voalcs, but it will aaffect the final score. The Minnesota State Fair Talent Contenst does not allow any background voals in recorded accompaniements. You may bring a CD of your recorded accompaniment or it can be played from your phone or ipod provided it has a headphone jack or adapter for the output. We’re not sure at this time if our sound system can accomodate Bluetooth streamig from your device. Listed below are some karaoke producers that offer no background vocals in their songs. These were found on iTunes but they also may be availalbe through other downloadable usic companies or services. All-Star Karaoke, Pro Source Karaoke, Keynote Karaoke, Avid Professional Karaoke, and Performance World.

Check-In

All acts are required to check in no later than 15 minutes prior to the contest. If you don’t check in then your spot may be given to someone on the waiting list. Contestants who are using recorded accompnaiments will need to bring it with them at this time.

Judging

Judge’s decisions are final and scores are not released to contestants or the public. Contestants will be judged on: Quality of Performance(including selection), Stage Presence, and Entertainment Value. Time Limit. The time limit for each performance is 4 minutes. You WILL be penalized for going over.

Pre-Registration

Pre-registration is a requirement and entries will be limited to the first 25 contestants. Register early to guarantee your spot. If you have any questions regarding the rules please contact us houstoncountyfairmn@gmail.com.

MINNESOTA STATE FAIR TALENT CONTEST INFORMATION The first and second place winners in each division have the option to compete at the Minnesota State Fair Competition. If the first or second place winner decides not to compete at the MSF then that opportunity goes to the next placed winner, and so forth. The winners will have to decide after hearing the results announced if they want to compete at the MSF. We realize this is a sudden decision but we want you to be aware of this so you can plan ahead. If you do decide to compete at the MSF you will fill out a form with some personal information as well as the dates you cannot perform. The MSF will then inform you as to when you are scheduled.

++If you end up being chosen to participate in the Minnesota State Fair Talent contest your age is based on the age you were when you qualified on August 14th. This would apply to you if you are 12 or 18 and might have a birthday between August 14th and the date of the Talent Show at the Minnesota State Fair. In those cases you will NOT get bumped up to the next category.

You will be responsible for all expenses involved in competing at the MSF Talent Show Contest. Due to the close proximity of our talent show contest and the State Fair Talent contest, these forms will have to be faxed in by the Houston County Fair Board either the night of the contest or the next.

Please refer to the Minnesota State Fair Website for information on their Talent Contest and Rules. https://www.mnstatefair.org/competitions/amateur-talent-contests/