Panda Fest is set up in the North Lot of Mall of America from July 31 through August 2, bringing over 80 food vendors and food trucks serving more than 200 dishes from across China, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond, according to Mall of America.
General admission runs $14, with Saturday tickets bumped up to $16, and VIP passes are $35 ($37 on Saturday), per the mall. VIP buyers get fast-pass entry, access to exclusive areas and bathrooms, and an exclusive panda bag, while every general admission ticket comes with a complimentary panda pin and headband. A limited run of 1,000 Early Bird tickets sold for $10 during an April sale window.
Beyond the food, organizers built the weekend around cultural programming: lion dances, K-pop dance performances, calligraphy, paper cutting and sugar painting demonstrations, plus a marketplace of more than 20 vendors selling crafts, apparel and other Asian-culture-inspired goods. This is the Twin Cities' stop on a national circuit — organizers say the 2024-2025 run drew more than 500,000 attendees across 13 events in 11 cities, and Panda Fest heads to more than a dozen cities in 2026, including this Bloomington date sandwiched between stops in Boston and Washington, D.C.