Canterbury Park Autumn Festival 2026: What to Know + Where to Eat Before or After

Finding meaningful and unique gifts for your family and friends can be hard. It's easy to fall into the routine of shopping at the same stores and buying similar gifts year after year. You'd like to get your loved ones something new, but don't always know where to start. This year, try starting out your holiday shopping at the Canterbury Park Autumn Festival.

The Autumn Festival at Canterbury Park brings hundreds of artists and crafters from all over the country to Shakopee for four days of displaying and selling handmade, one-of-a-kind items. You can buy tickets at the door for cash or online, and one ticket grants entry for all four days of the festival.

This year, the Canterbury Autumn Festival takes place from November 12th through the 15th. The four day event gives shoppers plenty of opportunities to explore hundreds of vendors and discover unique, handcrafted gifts. On the 12th and 13th, the doors will be open from 11 in the morning until 8 at night. On Saturday the 14th, the festival runs from 9 AM to 6 PM and on Sunday the 15th, you can still get in from 10 to 4.

So how can you get the most out of your trip to Shakopee for the Autumn Festival? Can you bring your kids? Beyond the great shopping, are there drawings or contests? With everything available to you at the festival, is there food? We'll answer all these questions and a few more to make sure that you are ready for a great weekend of arts and crafts at Canterbury Park.

What is the Canterbury Park Autumn Festival?

Each year, Canterbury Park welcomes hundreds of artists and crafters from across the country for one of Shakopee's most popular annual shopping events. Vendors from more than 30 states showcase handcrafted jewelry, artwork, home décor, seasonal decorations, and other one of a kind items. 

And while it is normally known for racing, Canterbury Park arts and crafts connection goes back several years. For many local shoppers, the Autumn Festival has become a favorite tradition that marks the beginning of the holiday shopping season. 

As the biggest arts and crafts festival Shakopee hosts, the Autumn Festival boasts thousands of unique gift ideas. You can also use the event to find creators you like that have websites for further orders for birthdays, anniversaries, or any other occasion throughout the year.

What Can You Find at the Autumn Festival?

The merchandise you will see at Canterbury Park is all made and sold by individual creators. So each item is unique to the vendor selling it. That makes it the perfect place to find gifts that will surprise your loved ones.

At this huge Canterbury Park craft fair, you will be able to shop for all sorts of items including:

• Home Decor
• Fine Art 
• Jewelry
• Seasonal Gifts
• Artisanal Products
• Holiday Themed Gifts and Decorations

Keep in mind this is unlike any other arts and crafts festival Minnesota sees all year. That list sums up most of what you will find and there will likely be artists selling crafts that can't be so easily categorized.

Also events at Canterbury Park give attendees the opportunity to experience the food options on site. At some convention centers or event venues, you might get some food trucks outside or limited concession stands. There are several restaurants and bars throughout Canterbury so you can eat on-site or head out for a bite before returning for more shopping.

When Should You Go?

When you are planning a trip to an arts-and-crafts fair of the magnitude of the Autumn Festival, it's a good idea to think through what you want to get out of the event. Someone looking for a specific vendor that they follow on social media might want to roll in as soon as the doors open to ensure access to every product they want while someone looking to make a day of it with friends will want to wait until Saturday for the longest shopping window.

Here are some tips for when to make your trip out to Canterbury Park to grab some of the best handmade gifts in Minnesota:

Thursday, November 12th

Opening day is the best time to come if you want to be sure that you can see the most inventory. Vendors' stock will deplete over the course of the festival, so opening day is the best time to see the most unique items. If you have work, don't worry. The doors remain open until 8 PM.

Friday, November 13th

It may be Friday the 13th, but this will be a very lucky day to come out to do some holiday shopping in Shakopee! If you come early in the day (doors open at 11 AM), you can look around with smaller crowds. You can also use the event as a launchpad for your weekend. If you come in later (closing is again at 8), you can celebrate all the great stuff you bought with a dinner on-site or at a nearby restaurant.

Saturday, November 14th

Saturday has the earliest start (9 AM) of any day in the festival. It's the best time to go for out of towners with families or locals looking for things to do in Shakopee. You can arrive in the morning and spend the day exploring the festival with friends, family or on your own. Everything closes up at 6 PM, leaving your evening free for all sorts of fun, fall activities before the night is over.

Sunday, November 15th

Sunday has the shortest shopping window as the festival is only open from 10 AM until 4 PM. However, there will still be lots of great items available and you may even stumble into some sales from vendors who want to sell as much as they can before making the trip home. The early closing time also frees you up for a nice, leisurely, early Sunday dinner at any restaurant in Shakopee.

Coming in on Multiple Days

Remember: one of the great things about the Autumn Festival, one of the biggest craft shows in Minnesota, is that your entry fee allows you to come and go as much as you want. It's one purchase for the run of the entire event. So you don't need to do everything all at once.

You can come in early on Thursday for some targeted shopping from artists you already know of and follow, then come in on Saturday with your kids and your friends for a more relaxed trip around the event floor to discover new crafters and items. 

You could do the majority of your shopping on Friday before coming in on Sunday to see if anything that you didn't buy but stuck in your head is still available. You could come in every day, or just once. It all depends on how you like to experience Minnesota craft fairs.

Is the Canterbury Park Autumn Festival Family-Friendly?

The Autumn Festival is absolutely family-friendly. That's one of the reasons it has gained such a great reputation among fall events in Shakopee. There are great items for sale at the festival for all ages. Not only that, but kids under 10 get in free.

One thing to remember if you bring little ones that might need a stroller is that the crowd size can make the aisles between tables a bit narrow, so big strollers are not recommended. A foldable, umbrella stroller will help you navigate the sales floor without making things difficult for the people around you.

Where to Eat Before or After You Do Your Shopping

If you have never shopped at big Canterbury Park events before, you should be aware that it can get exhausting. Taking breaks for food and water is important. There will be food onsite, but one of the benefits of having a one-time entry fee is that you can leave, get some fresh air and come back.

Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar is just 25 feet away from Canterbury Park's entrance. You can pop out of the festival, take a short stroll over, and sit down for a good meal without worrying about losing your parking spot. 

The food is made from scratch and there is something for everyone. You brought your kids out for some holiday shopping in Shakopee? Boardwalk has a great kid's menu. You want a drink to cap off a big day out with friends? Boardwalk has the beer, wine, and craft cocktails to satisfy your whole group.

If you want to come over for a quick appetizer before going back to Canterbury for more shopping, that works, too. Boardwalk is perfectly positioned to be an oasis for you to relax at before, after, or during your trip to one of the best weekend events Shakopee hosts every year.

Check out our menu. We specialize in harbor-style, American food. That means wood-fired dishes, steaks, sandwiches, and seafood. And, depending on the weather, you may be able to take advantage of our incredible outdoor seating that overlooks the Canterbury Park track. There won't be any racing happening during the Autumn Festival, but eating outdoors on a crisp fall day is pretty great.

Get to Shakopee for the Best Arts and Crafts Festival in Minnesota

When it comes to things to do in Shakopee in November, there's nothing quite like Canterbury Park's Autumn Festival. You can come in and find unique items that were made by hand by artisans from all over the country. 

This is a great opportunity to get a jump start on your holiday shopping and to get out to have a good time with friends and family. The affordable tickets and the ability to come and go as you please (be sure to get a stamp for re-entry!) allows you to customize your trips to the festival. You can peruse tables at an easy pace one day and do targeted shopping on another. It's up to you.

You can also use your trip to the Canterbury Park Autumn Festival as an excuse to try out some of the restaurants in Shakopee. Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar is one of the easiest spots to go to since it is so close to the event, but you can also try out food onsite or take a trip to downtown Shakopee for even more local flavor.

So get your tickets to the Autumn Festival, pick up some incredible, one-of-a-kind crafts, and stop by Boardwalk for a bite. There aren't too many better ways to spend a weekend in November.