Explore Minnesota Travel Guide • 2025 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide • Events & Festivals

Minnesota festivals are bonafide cultural experiences brimming with worldly art, music, food and fun.

Summer is prime time for art fests. In June, Chalkfest Maple Grove celebrates the ephemeral art form with 3D chalk art plus live entertainment, food and fun activities for kids. This free event features artists from around the world and draws more than 25,000 spectators. In August, Minnesota Fringe presents 1,000+ artists performing theater, comedy, dance and storytelling at various venues in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The 11-day event is one of the largest performing arts festivals in North America. Also in August, the Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis showcases the work of 150 artists across 12 mediums in the hip, refreshingly unconventional Uptown community.

Other notable art events include Art-A-Whirl® in May, an open studio tour encompassing over 100 locations in Northeast Minneapolis; the Stone Arch Bridge Festival, which brings more than 200 artists to the Minneapolis riverfront in June; and the juried Fine Arts Competition at the Minnesota State Fair, typically kicking off in mid to late August.

Pelican Rapids stages an International Friendship Festival in late June with entertainers, artists and exhibitions representing a variety of Minnesota communities, from Vietnamese and Native American to Mexican and Haitian. In mid-July, Worthington International Festival displays the state’s rich ethnic diversity with dance performances, foods and artisan wares embodying African, Asian, Latino and Caribbean traditions. Similarly, Walker’s Ethnic Fest in early September presents music performances and craft and food vendors from around the globe.

Numerous Juneteenth events on or around June 19 celebrate the end of slavery in the U.S., including a block party on West Broadway in Minneapolis and family activities at various Minneapolis parks, with food trucks, music, a parade and more. In August, Little Africa Fest showcases African art, fashion, food, music and dancing in Hamline Park near an area of St. Paul with a growing number of African restaurants and small businesses. At The Black Market, a monthly market in Minneapolis-St. Paul, you can eat, shop, enjoy live entertainment and learn about the services and products available from the thriving Black community while boosting Black economics.

Ranked by Fodor’s Travel, USA Today and Travel + Leisure as one of the best in the nation, New Ulm’s Oktoberfest showcases authentic German food, music and beer during the first two full weekends in October. New Ulm is also home to Schell’s Brewery, the second oldest family-owned brewery in the country, which hosts an Octoberfest of its own at its park-like campus.

Traditional dance, music and crafts draw thousands to Hmong New Year festivities the weekend after Thanksgiving at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. In July, St. Paul hosts the Hmong International Freedom Festival, considered the Olympics of the Hmong American community, at Como Park. Athletes compete in soccer, volleyball and games such as sepak takraw (kind of a cross between volleyball and soccer).

In May, the Minnesota Songkran Festival celebrates Thai New Year, drawing thousands to experience Thai culture. The Festival is typically held on the grounds of the State Capitol in St. Paul. Held every four weeks from late June to mid-August, Thai Sunday Market in St. Louis Park evokes the vibrant markets of Thailand and Southeast Asia and features local Thai street foods, souvenirs and live music.

Twin Cities Pride is the nation’s third largest free pride festival. Taking place every June at Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis, it’s a massive, family-friendly celebration with multiple vendors, events and stages.

The 53rd annual Twin Cities Pride Festival kicks off the same way it has for more than a decade: with the Friday evening Pride Beer Dabbler, where you can sample more than 65 local craft beers and ciders.

The main festival on Saturday and Sunday features live music, food courts and local BIPOC and LGBTQ+ vendors. Expect to see drag queens and kings strutting their stuff, live bands and singers and inspiring dance numbers.

On or around March 17, Minnesotans look forward to beloved St. Patrick’s Day traditions, such as the state parade through downtown St. Paul and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Celebration hosted by Crosslake in Central Minnesota. The festivities continue in August, when the Irish Fair turns Harriet Island into a St. Paul version of the Emerald Isle with traditional Irish music, dance and food.

One of the nation’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations takes place on or around May 5 along Cesar Chavez Street in St. Paul, where many Latino-owned restaurants and businesses are located. Highlights include six blocks of Mexican food, music, dancing and cultural activities along with a dazzling parade and a not-to-be-missed jalapeno-eating contest.

Minnesota celebrates its Norwegian and Swedish ancestry with several annual festivals. Each June, the American Swedish Institute’s Midsommar Celebration in Minneapolis marks the longest day of the year with flower head wreaths, Swedish music, dancing around the maypole, foods and handicrafts. Syttende Mai (Seventeenth of May) events take place in Minnesota towns settled by Norwegians, including Spring Grove, Milan and Sunburg. Other noteworthy Nordic festivals include: NordicFest in Thief River Falls, Finn Fest in Duluth, Flekkefest in Elbow Lake and NordicMidsummer Fest in Burnsville.

The Ojibwe and Dakota nations of Minnesota hold colorful, stirring Pow Wows (or Wacipi) that celebrate their customs. See p. 43 for a calendar of major Pow Wows that are open to the public; the largest are held in the summer.

More than rides, the Fair brings a fascinating cultural mix you can’t find anywhere else.

Each summer, a million-plus people attend the Minnesota State Fair, which takes place at the State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. It’s the country’s largest state fair by average daily attendance.

Whatever you’re into – fried foods, fine art, farm equipment – you’ll find it at the Fair. The array of exhibits and activities make it one of the most eclectic places on Earth. Discover food-based art like butter sculpting and “crop art” (mosaic masterpieces made of crops like rice and beans). Or gaze at newly hatched chicks, suckling piglets and lambs just discovering their legs.

Foodies flock to the Fair for favorites like Pronto Pups (don’t call them corn dogs), but intriguing new foods debut each year. Wash it all down with beer from breweries across the state like Stillwater’s Lift Bridge, St. Paul’s Summit and New Ulm’s Schell’s.

Animal shows are a big draw. For the 4-H Llama-Alpaca Costume Contest, the animals and their owners dress up in coordinating costumes and strut their stuff.

Hundreds of performers take the stage all day long, and every night wraps with a big show at the Grandstand, featuring national touring acts like Ludacris, Chance the Rapper, Blake Shelton and Nate Bargatze.

Lively crowds, thrilling rides and tasty treats are waiting for you at the Minnesota State Fair.

Explore Minnesota Travel Guide - 2025 Explore Minnesota Travel Guide

Events & Festivals

Festival Time: Celebrate Art, Culture & Local Traditions

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