Photo courtesy of Tony Nelson
food-truck
Nicollet food trucks
For more information about these events, visit mplsdowntown.com/events.
June
June 1–30 | Local pianists create music for our ears, and local artists create art for our hearts as part of Pianos on Parade presented by PNC Bank, which features impromptu concerts and painted pianos throughout downtown Minneapolis from noon to 1 pm every Thursday.
Photo courtesy of Mpls Downtown Council
the-commons
June 1– August 31 | It wouldn’t be summer in downtown Minny without outdoor music and movies each week at The Commons. Every Wednesday at dusk, catch a movie (including Top Gun: Maverick, Where the Crawdads Sing, Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, and Miss Congeniality). Every Thursday at 7 pm, tap your toes and dance along to live music.
June 1–August 31 | Each Tuesday and Thursday, look for fun activities over lunchtime along Nicollet, including food, music, games, giveaways, and more.
June 2 | Chameleon Shoppes’ latest location opens in the Young-Quinlan Building with a ribbon-cutting celebration. Strive Bookstore is an indie bookstore owned by the Black, female founder of Strive Publishing. Keep an eye out for ongoing events and activities in this vintage downtown space. chameleonshoppes.com
June 2–August 25 | Fresh food, handmade goodies, and opportunities for small businesses—that’s all at the center of the Minneapolis Park Markets, a new initiative by the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board, including five pilot markets that open this summer. Water Works market will swing by 425 West River Parkway from 10 am to 2 pm every Friday.
June 7–August 30 | Also park of the Minneapolis Park Markets is The Commons market at 425 Portland Avenue South from 11 am to 3 pm every Wednesday.
June 8–10 | Named one of Rolling Stone’s Five Comics to Watch, Ryan Hamilton is slated to perform at Acme Comedy Company—one of the nation’s best places to see live comedy. acmecomedycompany.com
Photo courtesy of Minnesota Lynx
mn-lynx
June 9 | Dribble your way to the Target Center for the 25th-anniversary game of the Minnesota Lynx, versus the Indiana Fever. Nearly all members of the All-25 team will be fast on their feet on the court. lynx.wnba.com
June 10 | Experience the magic of the Minnesota Orchestra’s Symphony Ball, featuring magic-themed works of Mozart, Ponce, Strauss, and Stravinsky, plus gourmet desserts, savory bites, and signature cocktails to follow. (That’s not even to mention special musical guest Chan Poling!) minnesotaorchestra.org
June 11 | Celebrate the jersey retirement of Minnesota Lynx legend and former Chicago Sky pro basketball player Sylvia Fowles at this home game versus the Los Angeles Sparks. lynx.wnba.com
June 11–August 5 | Summer in Minnesota means emerging from the piles of snow to face something worse: road construction. One sketch comedy performance couldn’t possibly encapsulate our lofty expectations of the warmest months of the year, so Brave New Workshop offers a different performance of It’s Not the Heat, It’s the Stupidity! every night this summer. bravenewworkshop.org
sensory-friendly-concert
June 15 | Music can be a beautiful, wonderful thing, but it can also be overstimulating for teens and adults with autism or sensory sensitivities. Enter: the Minnesota Orchestra’s Sensory-Friendly Concert for Teens and Adults, ensuring everyone can experience the magic of live music. minnesotaorchestra.org
June 15–18 | Take yourself out to a ball game, specifically any one of this weekend’s four Minnesota Twins home games against the Detroit Tigers. Friday night features fireworks, but don’t miss the Twins bucket hats on Saturday and Kids Day on Sunday. twins.com
June 17–18 | The annual Stone Arch Bridge Festival features a weekend of art and music on the riverfront, plus family-friendly activities. stonearchbridgefestival.com
June 17–August 13 | What happens after “happily ever after”? Find out in a magical performance of Into the Woods, featuring beloved fairy-tale characters Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and Jack (you might know him from a certain beanstalk?). guthrietheater.org
June 20–25 | A desperate actor lands the role of a lifetime in the laugh-out-loud Broadway musical Tootsie, which rolls into the Hennepin Theatre Trust’s Orpheum Theatre this June. Recommended for ages 10 and up. hennepintheatretrust.org
June 22 | Comic Colin Jost, a head writer at Saturday Night Live, will hang around the State Theatre to share his humor and wit—and maybe even a healthy dose of self-deprecation, which appears in his recent memoir A Very Punchable Face. (No punches allowed here, though!) hennepintheatretrust.org
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
tc-pride
Twin Cities Pride Festival
June 23–24 | Don’t make this a “Cruel Summer.” Get “Out of the Woods” and into U.S. Bank Stadium to be “Enchanted” by Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. You’ll be in a “Lavender Haze” for the rest of the summer. usbankstadium.com
June 23–24 | Celebrate freedom with the Minnesota Orchestra’s Juneteenth: Celebration of Freedom, commemorating the emancipation of the last enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas. minnesotaorchestra.org
June 23–25 | Raise those rainbow flags and bring your sparkle to Loring Park and Parade Park for the 51st annual Twin Cities Pride Festival, with BIPOC and LGBTQ vendors, food, beer, and music. tcpride.org/festival
June 24 | You don’t need Scandinavian roots to enjoy the festivities, songs, crafts, and dancing of the annual Midsommar celebration at the American Swedish Institute, which welcomes back warm weather and marks the longest day of the year. asimn.org
June 25 | Catch the outrageously funny storytelling and stand-up of Q, Murr, and Sal—creators of Impractical Jokers, the longest-running original comedy on TruTV—at 7:30 pm in the Target Center. targetcenter.com
June 25 | The Todo Y Nada Tour hits the Target Center, featuring rapper, singer, and songwriter Santa Fe Klan with Show Tha Product and Tornillo, starting at 7:30 pm. targetcenter.com
July
July 9 | If you missed the exciting 25th-anniversary action of the Minnesota Lynx, catch this home game versus the Las Vegas Aces at the Target Center. lynx.wnba.com
July 7–9 | It’ll be a home-run experience at any one of this weekend’s four Minnesota Twins home games against the Baltimore Orioles. The first 10,000 fans to Friday’s game can welcome the newest Twins shortstop with a Carlos Correa bobblehead. Save the planet with a free LED light bulb courtesy of Xcel Energy on Saturday. On Sunday, kiddos can rock the promotional sleeveless Twins T-shirt in honor of Kids Day. twins.com
July 14–15 | Introducing the inaugural TC Summer Fest at Target Field, bringing two nights o
Photo courtesy of Dusty Hoskovec
fireworks
Aquatennial
f rock ‘n’ roll to downtown Minny, with headliners The Killers and Imagine Dragons, followed by The Flaming Lips and AJR, thanks to the Minnesota Twins and 555 Events. twins.com
July 14 | “Carry On My Wayward Son” to the Kansas: Another Fork in the Road—50th Anniversary Tour at the State Theatre, where Kansas fans can hear classics including “Dust in the Wind,” “Point of Know Return,” and “Fight Fire with Fire.” hennepintheatretrust.org
July 14 | Grown-ups will love TikTok star, comedian, actor, and singer Trey Kennedy’s Grow Up comedy tour at the Orpheum Theatre. hennepintheatretrust.org
July 15 | It’ll be hard not to dance along to the Minnesota Orchestra’s International Day of Music, featuring 12 hours of music, dance, visual art, and more inside and outside of Orchestra Hall. Don’t miss the free concert on Peavey Plaza. minnesotaorchestra.org
July 20 | What happens when you let a master pianist on the loose with 88 keys? The Grand Piano Spectacular at the Minnesota Orchestra. Beethoven’s spirit is probably smiling. minnesotaorchestra.org
July 19–22 | Kick off Aquatennial festivities with the Torchlight Parade trundling down Nicollet (July 19). Don’t miss the Target Fireworks along the Mississippi riverfront (July 22)—one of the top five annual displays in the country. aquatennial.com
Photo courtesy of Kurt Moses Photography
loring-park-art-festival
Loring Park Art Festival
July 21–22 | BRKFST Dance Company presents the world premiere of a complete choreography centered around a suite from Igor Stravinsky’s famous ballet score The Firebird, alongside the Minnesota Orchestra. minnesotaorchestra.org
July 21–23 | The home games that ought to not be missed: Minnesota Twins go head to head with regional rival, the Chicago White Sox. Don’t miss the Friday Night Fireworks followed by Back to School Backpacks on both Saturday and Sunday. twins.com
July 25 | Music helps humans find comfort, express emotions, and heal. Join the Minnesota Orchestra as principal conductor of Live at Orchestra Hall Sarah Hicks explores music’s healing powers at Music and Healing. minnesotaorchestra.org
July 28–29 | See the film that was nominated for ten Academy Awards while the Minnesota Orchestra plays Tan Dun’s musical score as part of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in Concert. minnesotaorchestra.org
July 29–30 | Creativity and community converge at the annual Loring Park Art Festival, which features 140 visual artists, live music, family-friendly activities, and food vendors to boot. (We’re looking at you, Jerry’s Shaved Ice, Rollin’ Nolen’s BBQ, and Powl Smoothie and Bowl!) loringparkartfestival.com
August
August 2–6 | Our favorite sassy seniors are back for one more hurrah in Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue at the Pantages Theatre. hennepintheatretrust.org
August 3–5 | Singer, songwriter, and Minneapolis native Dessa takes the stage with her trademark charisma and wit and the Minnesota Orchestra. minnesotaorchestra.org
August 4 | Celebrate the former University of Minnesota head coach and pro basketball player Lindsay Whalen on “Whay Day,” with an extra hoot and holler for her Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction at this Minnesota Lynx home game versus the New York Liberty.
August 4–6 | Sure, there’s the electrifying Friday Night Fireworks and a kick-butt kids’ lunch box promotion on Sunday, but you won’t want to miss this Minnesota Twins home game versus the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday, with the Twins Hall of Fame induction. twins.com
August 8–13 | Remember all the feelings that make you human—joy, love, and heartache—with the production of Jagged Little Pill at the Orpheum Theatre, based on music by Alanis Morissette. hennepintheatretrust.org
Photo courtesy of Tony Nelson
street-art-festival
Street Art Festival
August 9 | Grammy-nominated country singer Zach Bryan will be straight fire with his Burn, Burn, Burn North American tour, lighting up the Target Center at 8 pm sharp. targetcenter.com
August 12 | You + your besties = one great night at U.S. Bank Stadium, where Ed Sheeran will do some simple math as part of his +–=÷x Tour starting at 6 pm. usbankstadium.com
August 12–13 | Soak in the beauty of art in all its forms at the annual Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival on Nicollet, featuring chalk and spray art, murals, crafts, food, and fun. mplsstreeetartfest.com
August 18–20 | Friday night’s Twins home game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates will feature the team’s first-ever Drone Night, with more than 200 drones lighting up the night sky. Don’t miss your chance to snag a kids’ toy tractor on Sunday. twins.com
August 26 | While you may not see lions, tigers, and bears at Pink’s Summer Carnival tour, you will spot the pop artist’s incredible acrobatics. Plus: see Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo, Grouplove, and DJ Kid Cut Up, starting at 6:30 pm at Target Field. twins.com
Photo courtesy of Kurt Moses Photography
farmers-market
Farmers Markets
Every Saturday through October, 8 am to 1 pm | The Mill City Farmers Market between the Guthrie Theater and Mill City Museum offers a unique outdoor shopping experience enhanced by local and organic farmers and makers.
Every Saturday and Sunday through October, 7 am to 1 pm | Just blocks from Target Field, the Farmers Market Annex has activities for kids, as well as live entertainment and a wide variety of food.
This article originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of Mpls.St.Paul Magazine. Read more on downtown Minneapolis, 2023 summer-style, sponsored by the mpls downtown council, here.
