Summer vibes in Minneapolis

In Minneapolis its virtually an endless summer.

There are over 1,800 summer events, newly renovated attractions and cool new dining spots to discover.

Here’s what to expect this summer in the City by Nature.

Attractions and Arts

More than 1,800 summer events and activities will be held this summer in downtown Minneapolis, including first time events:

Taste of Minnesota – July 2 and 3, there will be live music, f1rst wrestling, an art market, food vendors and more in downtown Minneapolis on Nicollet Mall.  Headliners Third Eye Blind play the music stage July 2 and Big Boi headlines July 3. Tickets are free.

TC Summerfest – Target Field—home of the Minnesota Twins MLB baseball club—will host a live music event on July 14 and 15 featuring Imagine Dragons, The Killers, The Flaming Lips and more.

Warehouse District Live – New events happening Fridays and Saturdays in downtown Minneapolis featuring an “enhanced pedestrian zone” with food trucks, and activities.

Minneapolis Park Markets – Minneapolis has one of the top park systems in the nation. These new events featuring fresh foods, handmade goods and more on various dates at Lake Harriet, Water Works Park, Minnehaha Regional Park and the Commons Park downtown.

The Guthrie Theater world premiere of “For the People” by Ty Defoe (Oneida and Ojibwe Nations) and Larissa FastHorse (Sicangu Lakota), from Oct. 7 – Nov. 12, 2023. Commissioned by the Guthrie with funding from The Joyce Foundation, the new play is grounded in Minneapolis’ Native community and draws on its rich Dakota and Ojibwe heritage.

Minneapolis Trolley tours began in May, offering hop on/hop off loop tours, ghost tours and old Minneapolis tours in a restored, historic trolley car. The “never-ending” cocktail loop tours on Friday and Saturday nights offer 10 stops at popular night spots.

Uptown Theater opened in June in the former movie theater with the iconic “Uptown” sign as a concert and event venue. Featuring 19,000 square feet of flexible space, it is a multi-level music hall with six bars and lounges that accommodates over 1,600 guests.

Norway House recently completed a $19.6 million addition, turning the block into “a home for all things Norwegian.” In addition to the Norwegian Honorary Consulate General, the nonprofit arts, business and cultural center is home to Concordia Language Villages, as well as a business accelerator for Norwegian-based companies. It also houses a cafe, an Ingebretsen’s Nordic Marketplace and an art gallery.

Father Hennepin Bluff Park reopened June 15 after a major renovation including a new performance stage, completely redone paths and park entry plazas, and upgraded lighting and landscaping.

Minnesota passed a bill to rename a stretch of Highway 5 in Chanhassen adjacent to Paisley Park after native son, Prince. “Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway” will boast purple highway signs, mandated in the bill.

Getting around couldn’t be easier: Minneapolis has three scooter companies, Lime, Spin and Veo, providing rentals for 2023 and bike share, including class 2 e-bikes, available to use on the 200+ miles of paved paths and protected roadways.

Dining

Minneapolis’ Abdirahan Kahin, the owner of four local locations of his Afro Deli and Grill, was named the 2023 National Small Business Person of the Year. Kahin, who came to the U.S. from East Africa in 1996, opened his first of four Afro Deli locations in Cedar-Riverside in 2010. Minneapolis boasts the largest population of Somali residents outside of Somalia.

Gai Noi opened in May in Loring Park. Chef Ann Ahmed named it for khao gai noi, is a type of short grain glutinous rice emblematic of the northern Xieng Khouang regions of Laos, where she and her family are from.

Hi Flora  This plant-based restaurant and temperance bar, serves non-alcoholic and “euphoric” elixirs, including THC-infused drinks. The cocktail program highlights plants, including cannabis, blue lotus, kava, sassafras and sarsaparilla. It also features a house-made switchel and a root beer made with 33 roots, barks and berries. The chef-driven menu features seasonal and regenerative foods, such as wild morels, ramps, smoked juniper and hazelnuts.

Maison Margaux is a new classic French restaurant in the historic former Ribnick Furs building. Featuring a half-dozen dining rooms and event space and a basement bar, it opened in May and the owners call it, “Paris in the North Loop.”

Hotels

Hotel Indigo Minneapolis Downtown opened this spring and its new Star Bar & Bistro began serving American fare with a French influence.