16. St. Anthony Park Arts Festival
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: More than 100 Midwestern artists showcase their goods annually in one of St. Paul’s prettiest neighborhoods, with food and music available all along Como Avenue from Carter to Luther Seminary. You can find spectacular deals on truly unusual items at this juried art show.
17. Tater Daze
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (763) 493-8013
Description: Tater Daze celebrates Brooklyn Park’s potato-growing heritage. The weekend festival kicks off with a parade on the first night and is followed by a host of events, including live music and lots of family activities.
18. Art On The Lake
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (952) 474-6461
Description: For more than 20 years, Excelsior’s juried Art on the Lake has showcased the work of local and national artists through art competitions, demonstrations, and other related activities. Food, live music, and other entertainment are almost as important a part of this festival as the art itself.
19. Father Hennepin Festival
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (763) 421-2820
Description: This is a family-oriented festival, featuring fireworks, powerboats, personal watercraft races, and amusement park rides.
20. South St. Paul Kaposia Days
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (651) 451-2266
Description: This family-oriented festival includes a street dance, a treasure hunt, a grand parade, children’s activities, a flea market and craft sale, royalty pageants, bingo, water war games, fireworks, a Kiss the Pig contest, and athletic tournaments.
21. St. Louis Parktacular
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (952) 924-2550
Description: St. Louis Park’s annual community celebration features a carnival, live music, a parade, food vendors, a silent auction, and an art fair.
22. Stone Arch Festival Of The Arts
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: More than 250 artists, along with vendors, bands, and street performers, congregate along the riverfront, making this a fun festival to either take Dad to for the afternoon or to shop for a present for him. The festival also features free dance, theater, and music performances; kids’ art projects; free cooking demonstrations; and an Art Car show.
23. Midsommar Celebration
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (612) 871-4907
Description: Celebrate Midsommar in the Swedish tradition with music, folk dance, and food. Join the museum’s costumed guides and performers in this traditional festival that celebrates everything good about summer.
24. Buckhorn Days
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Description: This weekend-long festival in the western suburb of Long Lake features live music, dancing, carnival games, fishing contests, “mad scientist” exhibits, and concession stands.
25. Earle Brown Days Festival
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (763) 569-3400
Description: This annual festival honoring civic leader and activist Earle Brown, features a parade, fireworks, arts and crafts fair, ice-cream social, live music and entertainment, and special events aimed at kids and teens, including a kids’ fishing contest and lots of games.
26. Minnetonka Summer Festival
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (952) 939-8200
Description: This citywide festival includes family-oriented activities for all ages: live entertainment, rides, games, food vendors, and fireworks.
27. Msra’S Back To The ’50S Weekend
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (651) 641-1992
Description: Every year, the Minnesota Street Rod Association (MSRA) heads to the state fairgrounds to show off its members’ street rods, classic cars, and custom cars. More than 11,000 show cars can be seen at the event, which also features food and merchandise kiosks, commercial exhibits, and live music.
28. Twin Cities Glbt Pride Festival
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (612) 305-6990
Description: The largest annual gay/lesbian/bi/transsexual pride festival in the Upper Midwest includes a parade, music, food, and more. An estimated 400,000 people show up for the festival over the course of two weeks.
29. Uptown Pride Block Party
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (612) 825-3737
Address: 810 West Lake St.
Description: The name of this annual block party thrown by the Bryant-Lake Bowl has a dual meaning: It’s about having pride in both the Uptown neighborhood and in the Twin Cities’ loud and proud GLBT population. (Its timing coincides with the larger Twin Cities Pride celebration.) You don’t have to be an Uptown resident and/or gay, however, to enjoy the bands, drag performers, and breakdancers who parade across the stage over the course of an überfun evening.
30. Artery
City: Minneapolis, MN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (612) 623-9176
Address: 24 hours in late July
Description: Artery is a marathon of performance art that runs 24 hours straight, with each artist having 30 minutes to an hour to perform. What started as a curiosity in 2008 has become an increasingly visible showcase for performers both established and new to strut their stuff. Admission is free, so you can come and go as you please over the course of the day.