Courtesy of the Great Northern Festival
Luminary Loppet Great Northern
The Great Northern Festival, Minnesota's premier celebration of winter, is adding a sweeping amount of icy-themed programming this season. The 10-day festival, which began in 2017, promises 52 events, more than double what it offered in 2021.
“We strive to both celebrate and reflect on aspects of winter and Northern culture,” executive and artistic director Kate Nordstrum, who joined the festival in 2019, said in a statement. “This festival is unique and intentional in its presentation of programming that weaves together seemingly disparate threads; our intention is to help attendees experience on a cellular level what a gift winter can be to their lives and this planet, compelling them to seek out solutions that will help sustain it.”
In addition to the ice-enclosed greenhouse for dark-colored plants, the range of events detailed include thermic bathing experiences by Stokeyard Outfitters, an anechoic chamber experience at Orfield Laboratories (named the World’s Quietest Place in 2012 by Guinness World Records), and a '70s performance art piece reimagined by cellist Seth Parker Woods and composer Spencer Topel called ICED BODIES—featuring electronic music and an ice cello dyed black that will melt over the duration of the performance.
A series of lectures focused on climate change solutions will also take place throughout the festival, on topics including Minnesota and beyond, sustainability in fashion, and under-represented voices in climate discussions. Other events are grounded in a sense of place: founder of @BrownPeopleCamping Ambreen Tariq will lead a winter hiking class and a program with the Minnesota Humanities Center will invite participants to expand their understanding of local sites with significance to Dakota people.
As for music, some highlights include the return of Naeem, whose album Startisha was released to critical acclaim in 2020, and is performing a homecoming set at Icehouse. Dancer and choreographer Dimitri Chamblas will bring together a 20-minute collective slow dance to Como Lake. For the 85th birthday of composer Philip Glass, the festival will project the film KOYAANISQATSI onto the United Crushers Mill at Malcolm Yards. The Minnesota Orchestra will also help ring in the Lunar New Year celebration with a special performance.
And of course the legacy fests are back: The Loppet Foundation’s City of Lakes Loppet, the Saint Paul Winter Carnival, and the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships are also returning, which have helped the festival bring up to 375,000 annual visitors.
“I’m excited for The Great Northern’s most ambitious festival yet,” Askov Finlayson CEO and festival co-founder Eric Dayton. “As we head into a season that has the potential to isolate, it’s critically important to create compelling reasons to get outside, experience the restorative power of nature, and safely come together to reconnect and heal as a community.”
The Great Northern kicks off with a launch party at Northeast Minneapolis' Quincy Hall on Jan. 26 with food by chefs Yia Vang (Vinai, Union Hmong Kitchen) and Gustavo and Kate Romero (Nixta). The festival runs through Feb. 6, 2022. Find the full schedule of events here.
