MVTA achieves record-breaking Renaissance Festival ridership
Oct 1, 2025 1:59 pm
MVTA transported 53,841 riders to the Minnesota Renaissance Festival in 2025, setting a new record for the popular Scott County event. The achievement continues MVTA’s streak of record ridership across major regional events this year.
The 53,841 rides this year represented an 8.3 percent increase for the previous record set in 2024.
MVTA partnered with Scott County and Renaissance Festival representatives to deliver a smooth and successful transit operation for festivalgoers.
“Our goal is to create a convenient option for riders while also alleviating traffic and parking concerns,” said MVTA Chief Executive Officer Luther Wynder.
MVTA provided daily service throughout the festival, which ran from Aug. 16 through Sept. 28. Trips departed from Southbridge Crossings Park and Ride, Eagle Creek Park and Ride, and Burnsville Transit Station, offering attendees flexible, reliable connections to the event.
The second, third, and fourth weekends of this year’s Renaissance Festival were all record ridership weekends for MVTA. Ridership this year was up significantly prior to Labor Day.
Ridership at Eagle Creek Park and Ride was up 14 percent over 2024.
Building on State Fair Success
The Renaissance Festival milestone follows another record: MVTA’s highest-ever ridership for the 2025 Minnesota State Fair. During the 12-day event, MVTA provided 148,715 rides, a 17 percent increase over 2024.
“Record ridership for these major events shows the value of public transit,” said Wynder. “With busy road construction across the region and the events drawing massive crowds, transit played a critical role in the transportation solution.”
