What’s new in Minneapolis

Exciting events dot the calendar in Minneapolis for 2024, along with openings and anniversaries to keep the city top of mind throughout the year.

Here are our top new things to know about Minneapolis in 2024:

The Great Northern festival returns with its annual celebration of the cool, creative winters that includes more than 50 arts, food, culture and climate-focused events from Jan. 25 – Feb. 4. Highlights in 2023 include: an extended Sauna Village, The Great Northern Ice Bar and extensive food programming.
COOP FIS Cross Country World Cup takes the trails at Theodore Wirth Park Feb. 17-19. The Loppet Foundation and Share Winter host the Loppet Cup – one of the only World Cups to be held in a major metropolitan area – and the first on U.S. soil in two decades. Elite athletes, including three-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins, a native Minnesotan, will compete in a series of distance and sprint races.
Minneapolis will be the final stop on the journey to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 when it hosts the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Gymnastics, and becomes “Gymnastics City USA 2024,” bringing together four of the sport’s most prestigious events over the course of nine days in June. Target Center hosts the country’s best artistic gymnasts June 27 – 30 as they vie for a spot on the Olympic Team. Reigning Olympic All-Around Gold Medalist Suni Lee, who hails from the Twin Cities, and Simone Biles are expected to compete.

Prior to that, beginning June 22, the Minneapolis Convention Center will be the site of the USA Gymnastics Championships; the USAG National Congress and Trade Show; and the USA Gymnastics for All National Championships & Gymfest.
Minneapolis celebrates the 40^th anniversary of “Purple Rain” the iconic film made by Minneapolis native Prince. Filming locations, First Avenue and Paisley Park will honor this anniversary with details announced a later date, and year-round, fans can explore Prince’s Minneapolis.
Big 10 Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament will be held at Target Center. All 14 Big Ten Conference teams, starting with the women March 6-10, and the men March 13-17, have their eyes set on winning the conference title in downtown Minneapolis.
After a $32.5 million expansion, the Minneapolis American Indian Center in south Minneapolis will reopen in spring 2024. It is a centerpiece of Indian food, art, health programs, youth activities and commerce, including Gatherings Cafe. Founded in 1975, it is one of the oldest Indian centers in the country.
Art Shanty Projects celebrates 20 years of immersive art on a frozen on Bdé Umáŋ/Lake Harriet, weekends Jan. 20 – Feb. 11. Artists create a temporary colorful public art community that welcomes visitors to experience interactive and engaging art and performances around ‘DIY” shanties (temporary structures).
Tony Award-winning Guthrie Theater will present an epic three-part theatrical event, “A Brittle Glory, William Shakespeare’s History Cycle,” (Richard II, Henry IV [Parts I and II as one play] and Henry V) in rotating repertory, a rare undertaking produced at this scale. Performed by a company of 25 actors, this ambitious three-play series will run March 23 – May 25 in the iconic blue building on the Mississippi Riverfront.
Sound Unseen music and film festival celebrates 25 years. It is one of the premiere niche festivals in the country, dedicated to the role of film and music. The festival will be held in Minneapolis in November.
A new passenger train will launch in 2024. The Twin Cities-Milwaukee-Chicago Intercity Passenger Rail Project will add a second daily round trip passenger train on the 411-mile rail corridor (used by Amtrak’s long-distance Empire Builder) between Chicago and the Twin Cities.
Plan a trip with Meet Minneapolis and  learn more about Minneapolis’ Cultural Districts.

An annual calendar of events provide seasonal opportunities to explore these areas further.