Clockwise from left: rendering by James Corner field operations; photograph by Ashley Sullivan; photograph by Dusty Hoskovec
The all-new Nicollet Mall, Mercury Dining Room and Rail, and Aquatennial’s Target Fireworks will light up the riverfront July 22.
Clockwise from left: The all-new Nicollet Mall, Mercury Dining Room and Rail, and Aquatennial’s Target Fireworks will light up the riverfront July 22.
The mpls downtown council and its hundreds of volunteers are working to realize a transformative vision for downtown Minneapolis by 2025. Though it’s still seven years away, much of that vision is coming to life now, in a boatload of events and projects taking shape this summer.
“Downtown truly is the heart of our region, and the people who make up our community are what give us our energy,” says Leah Wong, mpls downtown council vice president of external relations. “We’re working hard to fulfill the 2025 Plan’s mission of a consistently compelling downtown experience, and we think you’ll find something for everyone in this summer’s lineup of events. You might come down for one event, but we hope you’ll stay for many more.”
Here’s a sampling of all that’s happening, from headliner concerts to Nicollet Mall to the river that started it all. Check out the full events calendar at mplsdowntown.com.
June
June 3 | The reimagined Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, a partnership between the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, is now open! Pack a picnic and stroll the paths to find a perfect spot to nosh alfresco. While you’re there, check out Chalk, an interactive exhibition featuring 64-inch pieces of chalk for visitors to use as they choose.
Photograph courtesy of Mpls downtown council
Nicholas David of NBC’s The Voice performing last summer.
Nicholas David of NBC’s The Voice performing last summer.
June 1–30 | Find 25 artist-decorated pianos scattered across downtown during the second-annual Pianos on Parade. “Last year, it was inspiring to see how many people could play the piano,” Wong says. “We heard that it built a sense of community so we wanted to bring it back this year.” Do you play? Take a seat and try it outside!
June 6–11 | The Pulitzer Prize– and Tony Award–winning rock musical RENT will return to the Orpheum Theatre as part of its 20th anniversary tour, reminding us all to measure our lives in love.
June 9 | Join the a cappella gents of Cantus at Cowles Center for an epic sing-along of pop hits from the 1960s through today.
June 10–11 | Pull the best-ever all-nighter during Northern Spark 2017, the sunset-to-sunrise arts festival along the Metro Green Line between U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis and Lowertown in St.Paul. Popping up in The Commons:a climate- and sustainability-themed carnival. For more: northernspark.org.
June 16–17 | SEMISONIC will take the First Ave. stage to perform its debut album, Great Divide, in its entirety.
June 24–25 | The Twin Cities Pride Festival will bring the LGBT community together in Loring Park for live music and entertainment, hundreds of vendors, and the Twin Cities Pride Parade, which attracts an annual attendance of 400,000 along its Hennepin Avenue route.
Wednesdays, June 1–August 31 | Enjoy the lunch hour outdoors. Food trucks, yoga, yard games, and more will be waiting for you from 11:30 am–1:30 pm on Hennepin County Government Center South Plaza. Also catch outdoor piano performanceseach Tuesday.
Thursdays through October | Score the freshest local produce and flowers at the Downtown Minneapolis Farmers Market, also at Hennepin County Government Center South Plaza.
July
July 13–14 | Catch the Star Trek movie on Orchestra Hall’s big screen as Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s original score is performed live by the Minnesota Orchestra.
July 19–22 | It’s Minneapolis Aquatennial! Check out the full schedule here.
July 21–22 | Target Field will welcome fans and the Twins' 1987 World Series champions for a 30th anniversary reunion weekend.
July 28–29 | Billy Joel kicks off a special two days at Target Field. He’ll perform July 28, then Florida Georgia Line shares the stage with the Backstreet Boys, Nelly, and Chris Lane on July 29.
July 30 | Guns N’ Roses makes its first Minnesota tour stop in 25 years at U.S. Bank Stadium. Head over to Fulton Taproom’s patio for a pre-concert shindig with Minnesota Guns N’ Roses cover band Appetite for Zaccardi.
August
August 12 | The UK rockers of Coldplay take the U.S. Bank Stadium stage as part of a worldwide tour celebrating their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams.
August 18 | It’s Rod Carew Summer of ’77 Tribute Night as the Twins face off against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Target Field. The first 10,000 fans will receive a Rod Carew bobblehead and fireworks will honor the Hall of Famer and his 1977 season, in which he hit nearly .400. Carew himself will also be in attendance.
August 18 | On his first stadium tour, Canadian pop singer Justin Bieber will make a stop at U.S. Bank Stadium.
August 22 | Catch pop-punk band Simple Plan (also of Canada) in First Ave.’s Mainroom for a 15th anniversary tour of its 2002 debut studio album.
The New Nicollet Mall is Blooming
The new mall will contain more than 500 trees and shrubs.
The new mall will contain more than 500 trees and shrubs.
The one-mile street has been closed since July 2015 for a $50 million overhaul and additional underground utility work to replace water, sewer, electrical, and more. (It’s the first update for some of the utilities since the mall’s original construction in 1967.) But by November, construction vehicles will give way to a completely reimagined mall that mpls downtown council vice president of external relations Leah Wong calls “a place for everyone.”
Among the spoils: 249 newly planted trees in nine varieties, 280 new shrubs, Adirondack chairs aplenty, wider sidewalks, 1,500 40-foot-tall programmable LED light poles, a theater-in-the-round at the library, and the second-largest public art collection in Minneapolis, bested only by the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. From end to end, 9,000 cubic yards of cement will also be stenciled in three different sidewalk patterns to give people a sense of where they are on the mall.
“The greening along the mall is going to be eye-opening,” says David Wright, who serves as vice president of U.S. Bank’s Corporate Real Estate Group and member of the Nicollet Mall implementation committee. “It’s more than twice the number of trees and shrubs that Nicollet Mall has ever seen. It’s going to look much more park-like. These are not little trees; they are going to provide a very nice canopy and make Nicollet Mall greener than anyone ever remembers.”
