Spring and summer arts and fun: 20+ family-friendly fairs and fun festivals to flock to — fast!
Ever so slowly, the weather is warming up.
We’re stretching out. Seeing the sun. And a packed schedule of art fairs, pride festivals and community and cultural celebrations will give us plenty of opportunities to spend time with our neighbors once again.
Several pre-pandemic favorites — Grand Old Day and the Asian-Pacific cultural Dragon Festival, for two — are making triumphant returns. And new events are on the scene, too, like St. Paul Pride, a daylong block party meant to boost economic opportunities for queer youth of color.
A few events are off the books: The quirky overnight arts festival Northern Spark will not return, and no Festival of Nations this year, either. Cinco de Mayo celebrations on the West Side are still a question mark.
Here’s a month-by-month rundown of the details you need to know about this season’s fairs and festivals:
April
Multiple dates, The St. Paul Art Crawl: Billing itself as the longest-running such event in the country, the crawl stretches across 21 venues and four weekends, each focusing on different neighborhoods. In addition to visual art, studios will host live music and other performances, too. Hours may vary by location; stpaulartcollective.org.
April 14–16: West Side; Cathedral Hill; Summit and Grand avenues.
April 21–23: West Seventh; the Creative Enterprise Zone along Raymond and University avenues
April 28–30: Downtown and Lowertown
May 5–7: Merriam Park; Payne Phelan; South Como
April 27–30, Art in Bloom — Minneapolis Institute of Art: Get a head start on May flowers with floral renditions of art from the Mia collection. It’s free! And they’ll have activities for younger visitors, too. 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis.
May
Go before May 7, “Step Into Art” closes — Minnesota Children’s Museum: Up in the Children’s Museum special exhibition space, kids can step into four well-known paintings brought to life. Tickets for all ages are $16 on weekdays and $19 on weekends; $15 tickets can be pre-purchased online, and $3 income-based tickets are available. 10 W. 7th St.; mcm.org
May 19–21, Art-A-Whirl — Northeast Minneapolis: The massive open-studio weekend returns with more than 1,000 artists, galleries and businesses offering art for sale, free demos, interactive activities, music, and more. Full schedule and maps at nemaa.org/art-a-whirl.
May 25–28, Kickoff to Summer at the Fair — Minnesota State Fairgrounds: The now-annual Kickoff to Summer at the Fair gives us a literal taste of the State Fair at the beginning of the season. Dozens of food vendors, merchants, performers and attractions like the Giant Slide on four different dates; tickets are available first-come-first-served this year, rather than via lottery. Plus, the Milk Run 5K Race has been moved up to coincide with the kickoff; if vigorous exercise and the State Fair go together for you, I salute you and cannot relate. Watch for tickets to go on sale this month; mnstatefair.org.
May 27–28, Minnesota Songkran Festival — MN State Capitol: The Thai Cultural Council of Minnesota is hosting a new year festival with plenty of food, dancing, music, and a papaya salad-eating contest. Free; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 27, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 28 at the Capitol building.
June
June 2–3, Flint Hills Family Festival — Ordway Center for the Performing Arts & Rice Park: The annual all-ages arts and culture fest returns. In the evening of Friday, June 2 — “Strings and Salsa Night” — dance and listen to music courtesy of The String Queens, René Thompson and Salsa del Soul. And all day Saturday, June 3, more dancers, face-painters, music and food. Lightwire Theater, The REMINDers and KOO KOO KANGA ROO perform. The festival is co-presented by the Ordway and oil refinery operator Flint Hills Resources. The Ordway’s address is 345 Washington St.; ordway.org/festival.
Plus: ARTwalk is accepting entries to display at the festival. Students pre-K through 12th grade can submit art online until April 14, and six winners will be chosen to have their work displayed in the Ordway’s front windows from May 30 through June 3.
June 3, Waterfest — Phelan Regional Park: A day of splashy fun with sailboat rides, paddleboats and kayaks to check out, fishing lessons, water games, arts and crafts, food trucks, and — wait for it — a water bar, where you can taste a flight of tap waters from various communities in the Ramsey-Washington Metro Watershed District. Plus, more hands-on learning about the importance of clean water. Runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; 1600 Phalen Dr.
June 3, Art in the Hollow — Swede Hollow Park: From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., local artists and food vendors take over Swede Hollow Park on the east side. Drop off your car at Saint Paul Brewing (688 E. Minnehaha Ave.) and walk through the old Hamm’s Brewery grounds to find the park between Payne Avenue and E. 7th Street. Info at artinthehollow.org.
June 3, St. Anthony Park Arts Festival — centered at Como and Carter avenues: Pop over to St. Anthony Park between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. for more local art and food. A full list of participating artists is coming soon, and more details are at sapfest.org.
June 4, Grand Old Day — along Grand Avenue: It’s back! The massive Grand Avenue summer festival hasn’t taken place since 2019, and even that year’s celebration almost didn’t happen. The Grand Avenue Business Association has faced plenty of organizational and financial challenges recently but is optimistic about this year’s festival, despite a six-figure police bill. Applications to participate in the parade, sell food, join the artists’ corridor, and more all close April 28 and are available at grandave.com.
June 10, St. Paul Pride — Rice Park: From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., a family-oriented celebration of St. Paul’s LGBTQ entertainers, food scene, and artists. It’s a party, organizer Kyle Rucker told the Pioneer Press, but one that has been intentionally created to build meaningful economic opportunities for queer youth of color and those experiencing homelessness. A headlining act will be announced May 1, and more details are at stppride.org.
June 10-11, Deutsche Tage (German Days) — Germanic-American Institute: Marking its 65th year, the cultural festival brings the best of German food, drink, music, dancing and more to St. Paul. This year, look for a specific focus on German innovation in education and sustainability. It’s free and open to all ages; 301 Summit Ave.
June 23–25, Kaposia Days — South St. Paul: Details are still being worked out for this year’s annual celebration of the South St. Paul community. Last year’s Kaposia Days included a parade, block party, pancake breakfast, and plenty of kid-friendly and family events.
June 23–25, Twin Cities Pride — Loring Park, Minneapolis: Three days of entertainment, food and vendors with a specific focus on the LGBTQ community. The annual parade will begin at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 25. Free and open to all ages. 1382 Willow St.,
Minneapolis; tcpride.org.
July
July 7–8, WSP Pride — West St. Paul Sports Complex: This community LGBTQ pride celebration is now in its fourth year. Details are still being worked out, but it’ll start at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 7, at the West St. Paul Sports Complex; 388 E. Wentworth Ave. Stay tuned for more info at wsppride.com.
July 15, Dragon Festival — Phalen Park: Dragon Boats will be back in action this summer for the annual Asian-Pacific cultural festival that hasn’t happened in several years. Besides the boat racing, plenty of foods and activities will be on offer from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Phalen Regional Park, 1600 Phalen Dr.
Mid-July, Ramsey County Fair — Maplewood: After being canceled for several years running, the Ramsey County Fair looks to be laying the groundwork for a return this year. A specific schedule does not yet appear to be finalized. The fair’s website is ramseycountyfair.com.
August
August 11–13, Irish Fair of Minnesota — Harriet Island Regional Park: A celebration of all things Irish: Dance and music, including popular band Gaelic Storm; a Celtic marketplace; cultural programs; comedy; and more. Single-day tickets run $20 for adults, $12 for seniors and teens and free for kids; weekend passes are $40 for adults, $30 for seniors and teens and free for kids. Visit irishfair.com.
Aug. 24–Sept. 4, The Minnesota State Fair: I’ll see you there. Grandstand shows are still being announced; tickets for The Chicks, the Happy Together Tour 2023, Yung Gravy, Duran Duran and Brandi Carlile are available as of this writing.
