2026 Burnsville Fire Muster Festival

The Burnsville Festival & Fire Muster returns September 10-12, 2026, and this year’s celebration might be the biggest one yet. Three days of carnival lights, live music, fire trucks, food trucks, and a fireworks finale for the record books, all of it free to the whole community. Walser is proud to be back as a sponsor and community partner, and we can’t wait to celebrate right alongside you.

What the Fire Muster Is Really About

If you’ve only ever known the Fire Muster as the weekend the sirens roll down the street and the sky lights up, there’s a bigger story behind it.

The Burnsville Festival & Fire Muster is a nonprofit, and the festival is the city’s largest and oldest fundraiser. Every button sold, every beverage poured, and every sponsorship dollar goes back out the door to local nonprofits: youth sports and booster clubs, community theater, food and housing organizations, scout troops, service clubs, and more. In a recent year alone, the Festival gave back to nearly 20 area groups, and that list keeps growing.

Here’s the part that still amazes us: it’s run entirely by volunteers. More than 100 neighbors give their time each year to plan and pull off a three-day festival that draws over 20,000 people. Nobody’s getting rich off this weekend. They’re just people who love Burnsville.

A Tradition That Started With One Man’s Fire Trucks

The whole thing traces back to the late 1970s, when Burnsville resident and fire equipment collector Roger Jackson started parking his fire truck collection at the old Diamond Head Mall each summer to entertain local kids, then capping the day with a short parade down Nicollet Avenue.

In 1980, Jackson pitched the idea of a full fire muster, modeled after the ones popular in New England, to a group of residents and business owners. The city liked it. Nearly 50 years later, that idea has become a Burnsville institution. Fire equipment now rolls in from across the Midwest, everything from turn-of-the-century horse-drawn hand pumpers to modern rigs. And in 2004, the Fire Truck Parade earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest fire truck parade in the world, with more than 120 trucks.

Not bad for something that started in a mall parking lot.

Thursday: The Kickoff Block Party

The weekend opens Thursday evening at Nicollet Commons Park and the Ames Center Plaza, where the Food Truck Festival and Kickoff Block Party turn the Heart of the City into a hometown gathering. Families wander between food trucks, kids find a new favorite treat, and the Walser Nicollet Commons Park Stage hosts live music from the Free & Easy Band. Grown-ups can sample local pours at the craft beer and food tasting, and the Festival Medallion Hunt runs all day across Burnsville parks for anyone who likes a good treasure hunt.

Friday: Fire Trucks, Live Music, and 1,000 Drones

Friday the Festival moves to Civic Center Park and kicks into full gear. The Family Fun Zone opens up with inflatables and Ninja Anywhere, Kidz Korner fills with activities, the bingo tent gets going, and the fire truck display rolls out for anyone who wants a closer look at the machines that started it all.

Music runs all evening on the Walser Auto Group Main Stage, with Old School 191 opening and Kat Perkins Country Roads closing out the night.

Then, at 9:30, everyone looks up. A 1,000-drone aerial show will light the sky in a tribute honoring the 25th anniversary of 9/11, a fitting moment at a festival built around firefighters and first responders.

Saturday: The Parade, the Fun, and the Fireworks

Saturday is the day Burnsville shows off. The Fire Truck & Community Parade rolls down East 130th Street late morning, with sirens, marching units, candy for the kids, and waves for the crews. Afterward, Civic Center Park is packed with things to do: Kidz Korner baby crawl races and big wheel races, the K9 Officers Show, futsal at Sky Oaks, pickleball at Red Oak Park, the Zombie Garage Zone at the skate park, and the Burnsville Community Ed Theatre taking the stage.

The Multicultural Music Stage, sponsored by Walser, runs through the afternoon, celebrating the range of cultures that make up Burnsville. Femmes of Rock headlines the evening.

And then the finale: an America’s 250th Birthday fireworks special that the Festival is calling the largest show in its history. Bring a blanket. Find a spot early.

Find Walser in the Middle of the Fun

For us at Walser, this weekend is about more than a sponsorship. It’s about showing up for the community that supports us year-round, and supporting an event whose whole purpose is turning a good time into real dollars for local nonprofits.

That’s why Walser Subaru Burnsville, Walser Mazda Burnsville, Walser Nissan Burnsville, and Walser Honda Burnsville are coming together again for this hometown tradition. You’ll spot us rolling in the Fire Muster parade right alongside the fire trucks, you’ll see our name on the Main Stage all weekend, and you’ll find us at our booth with giveaways, smiles, and a few surprises.

Whether you’re chasing down cheese curds, dancing to live music, or staking out a spot for the fireworks, we’d love to see you.

Want to Be Part of It?

The Festival is always looking for more hands and more local businesses. If you’re interested in setting up at the event, check out the vendor information page for food, merchant, Kidz Korner, and nonprofit booth applications. And if you’d rather give your time, the Festival’s volunteer page is where it all starts.

Mark Your Calendars

Join us September 10-12, 2026, at Civic Center Park and the surrounding streets in Burnsville. Free shuttles run from the Burnsville Transit Station, so getting there is easy.

A quick heads-up before you go: the Festival has security-staffed entry points with bag checks, and coolers, outside food and beverages, weapons, and pets aren’t allowed (personal water bottles and service dogs are fine). There’s also an 8:00 p.m. curfew for unsupervised minors. Full details are on the Festival schedule page.

Bring the whole family, bring your neighbors, and let’s make this year’s Fire Muster one to remember.