Summer (June–August) is the best time to visit. Temperatures reach the 80s°F (26–30°C), outdoor events are plentiful, and the city is at its most lively. The Red River Valley is green and the farm country surrounding the city is in full production. The Fargo Film Festival runs in March.
Winters are genuinely brutal — Fargo is one of the coldest cities in the continental United States, with January temperatures regularly dropping below -20°F (-29°C) and wind chills that make it colder still. If you visit in winter, come prepared and embrace the indoor culture: the bar and restaurant scene here is warm and welcoming partly because the weather forces everyone together. The city holds the Fargo-Moorhead Winter Fest in February for people who have made peace with the cold.