Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
MONDAY 6.24
Rosefest
Roseville
If we ever reach peak bottom-feeding content, we’ll rank the Twin Cities suburbs. And ya know what? I have a suspicion that Roseville would appear pretty high on that clickable list. It’s a good ‘burb! Somebody should Better Know it! In the meantime, enjoyers of this first-ring, 35,000-resident community can celebrate their town with this weeklong tip o’ the cap to Roseville. (Side note: My Roseville-raised friends tell me that the town was derisively called “Hoesville” by rival schools in the ‘00s.) Civic-pride-boosting activities include: parades, garage sales, medallion hunts, superhero carnivals, Taste of Rosefest, community theater performances, golf (disc and round) and pickleball tournaments, roller skating, live music, 5K runs, and the Midwest’s largest Porsche festival—whew! Rosefest fully blooms on Saturday with a party that features food trucks, live music, and, ultimately, fireworks. Find a complete list of events, times, and locations here. Through Sunday—Jay Boller
TUESDAY 6.25
NE Farmers Market After Dark
Bauhaus Brew Labs
If you’re a night owl like me, it can sometimes be difficult to rally at the butt crack of dawn for a farmers market. So this monthly event at Bauhaus is for us, folks! The Northeast Farmers Market gang is hosting this summer series, so there should be a good mix of locally grown greens and other garden goods, artisan pantry eats, tasty treats (including vegan oatmeal cream sammies), and creative makers. Best of all, you can do it with a beer in hand and there’s usually live music at this thing. Upcoming dates: July 23, August 27, September 24, October 22. Free. 6-9 p.m. 1315 Tyler St. NE, Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
WEDNESDAY 6.26
The Uptown Cat Fair: A Wedge LIVE Cat Tour
Mueller Park
Guys, we really, really love cats. I mean, look at that pic above: That’s a lotta people hoping to peep some felines. Now in its seventh season, Wedge LIVE has been helping people find cats via its #CatsOfTheWedge tour, be they on rooftops, leashed up on a patio, or peering back at us from an apartment window. Wedge Live is a one-man, hyperlocal news source doing really great work, so it makes sense that the events are hyperlocal as well. This summer’s theme is “fear and loathing on Hennepin Avenue,” meaning crowds should expect construction delays as “nationally heralded cat tour guide” Chet Wedgely takes you on an odd tour of… cats. No really, this is a goofy fun time. If you live in the ‘hood and want folks to gaze upon your cat, you can sign up at wedgelive.com/registermycat. Otherwise, consider supporting this alt news media at patreon.com/wedgelive. Free. 6-7:30 p.m. 2500 S. Bryant Ave., Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
THURSDAY 6.27
Meet at Mia: Pride Party
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Last week was Juneteenth; this week it’s Pride. So celebrate all things under the rainbow before the big happening in Loring Park starts up on Saturday. Tonight’s entertainment includes drag performances, tunes from KC Rae, and a screening of film shorts. There will also be pride jewelry making, letterpress activities from Minnesota Center for Book Arts, beer and wine available for purchase, and eats from Tot Boss and MNice Cream. Sounds like a good time! Free. 5 to 9 p.m. 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
FRIDAY 6.28
Pride Beer Dabbler
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Miss drinking in the Sculpture Garden for Rock the Garden? Well, the Pride Beer Dabbler is still going strong. Before Loring Park goes super gay this weekend, cross the Lyndale/Hennepin clusterfuck and head to the garden where you’ll be able to sample from over 70 breweries and cideries. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy gorgeous views of downtown, the museum, and some rich-people apartments, as well as plenty of photo opps, whether you’re a Sproonbridge and Cherry gal or a blue cock fan (and don’t forget the Love sculpture!). Remember to eat and stay hydrated (there will be food trucks and NA drinks to help you do this); this is just the start of the weekend, after all. Find tickets and a list of vendors here. $55; $75 VIP; $20 designated driver. 6-9:30 p.m. (5 p.m. early access). 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
Northeast Minneapolis Dog Parade
SE Main Street
Folks, we don’t just love cats. We also love dogs. So I gotta give a shout out to this humble fido fest that is impossibly cute. Bring your gentle buddy to the park right by St. Anthony Main to make new furry friends. The event kicks off with a parade around the neighborhood, where pets and their people will bless bar-hoppers and patio diners with a barrage of cuteness. Once back at the park, there will be a casual hang with contests and prizes for best trick, best lookalike, and best costume. Free. 5:30-7:30 p.m. SE Main Street at 96 Hennepin Avenue (across the street from FRGMNT Coffee), Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
SATURDAY 6.29
52th Annual Twin Cities Pride
Loring Park
Twin Cities Pride isn’t just a festival anymore; it’s evolved into a month-long string of events that includes film screenings, family picnics, fairs in the suburbs and outstate Minnesota, gallery exhibitions, sports nights, gender-affirming clothing swaps, and queer markets. The LGBTQ+ community isn’t a monolith, after all, so over the decades Pride has expanded and adapted. But the big event that brings everyone together is the two-day fest in Loring Park. This year’s event will feature a mind-boggling 650 or so vendors, organizations, political groups, and charities. There will be four stages of entertainment, from kiddie fare to drag shows. The beer garden is a good hang spot (or head to the Sculpture Garden for Friday’s Beer Dabbler event) and, as always, the after parties at nearby clubs and bars will be epic. One place that’s sadly not in the mix this year is the 19 Bar; after a fire, the space has closed indefinitely. You can follow them on Facebook for new news and any upcoming fundraisers. Find the complete schedule of Pride events this June (and beyond!) at tcpride.org/events. Free. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat.; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. 1382 Willow St., Minneapolis. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster
Adrienne Lenker
State Theatre
The folk-rock songwriting powers of Lenker, who is low-key one of us, need to be studied in some sort of laboratory. As her killer band Big Thief churns out albums at a prolific pace, the frontwoman maintains a blistering solo career—four Lenker albums since 2018, including last year’s Bright Future, in addition to three BT LPs during that span. Incredible stuff. I won’t razzle/dazzle you with hifalutin rock critic verbiage on her staggeringly emotional, impressionistic lyricism, which draws heavily on the natural world, channeling through her almost mythical-sounding voice, though I certainly could. (You have to believe me!) Instead, just watch this intimate performance from inside a castle and attend the damn State Theatre shows. Staci Foster opens. $35-$60. 8 p.m. 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. Also Sunday—Jay Boller
42nd Hmong International Freedom Festival
McMurray Field
Because the U.S. bankrolled horrific Southeast Asian wars for decades, our country, and specifically Minnesota, became a Hmong refugee destination beginning in the ‘70s; you can read all about that history here. Additionally, you can celebrate decades of Minnesota Hmong culture at this annual two-day festival that draws almost 60,000 attendees for food, sports, shopping, live music, and street dancing. What kinda sports are we talking about? Soccer, volleyball, flag football, and cornhole, certainly, but also sepak takraw, which Visit Saint Paul describes thusly: “One of the most popular games played is sepak takraw, or Kato, a game that looks a lot like volleyball, but prohibits the use of one’s hands and arms.” Sounds difficult! But having fun at the 42th Hmong International Freedom Festival? Well, that’s easy. $12 (kids and old people get in free). 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 1151 Jessamine Ave. W., St. Paul; find more info here. Through Sunday—Jay Boller
Kristin Key
Parkway Theater
It’s no mistake that Key is headlining back-to-back Parkway shows on this, the gayest of all weekends. That’s because the 43-year-old entertainer is perhaps the nation’s leading queer/musical comic, one who began earning a loyal LGBTQ+ fanbase (aka her “Lesbian Army”) after appearing on Last Comic Standing a decade ago. A minister’s daughter who was raised in Texas, Key boasts a backstory that informs her clever acoustic guitar-aided riffing. There are overtly political songs, like the Greg Abbott takedown “Texas Politics,” though unlike Key’s father, things rarely get preachy, with other ditties like “Gayest of Cars” bringing some levity. $26-$35. 7 & 9:30 p.m. (early show sold out). 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
3rd Annual Hi Cotton Ball: Bush Babe
Fine Line
Like so many contemporary Black musicians, in Minnesota and elsewhere, Blu Bone operates at the unclassifiable nexus of hip-hop, R&B, and dance music. (If you’re unfamiliar with him, start with his remarkable single “Wicked Womb.”) And the oft-body-painted artist’s now-annual event, which started at Public Functionary two years ago, is just as beyond category. “In the Black Mississippian lexicon,” the artist explained to Carbon Sound, “high cotton means the highest quality and the highest pleasure,” and that means seeking out quality and pleasure in music, performance art, and fashion. This year Blu’s bringing in Brooklyn rapper Ms. Boogie to round out a lineup that features Jaynsane, Destiny Spike, Jada-Amina, and the hi concept behind Hi Cotton is “expressions of indigeneity.” For a hint at what that might mean, there are examples of what they were looking for here. $20-$40. 8 p.m. 318 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Sound Garden
Silverwood Park
This ain’t no “Black Hole Sun” kinda party. Billed as “a concert you can move through,” the Sound Garden first sprouted up six years ago in St. Anthony’s Silverwood Park. More than 50 speakers are installed around the island, each playing an individual part of a single piece of music by composer JG Everest. (The selection is from his four-part work Water Suite: Four Seasonal Sound Gardens.) There will also be dancers and poetry and visual art and other miscellaneous sorts of merriment, and the park itself, located on Silver Lake, is reason enough to swing by on a nice day. Free. Noon to 4:30 p.m. 2500 County Rd. E., St. Anthony; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Pride Celebration
The Irreverent Bookworm
Sure, there are going to be parties all around town this week. But there’s also low(er)-key stuff scheduled too for folks looking to be quietly queer. Take this book celebration, for example. Irreverent Bookwork is a queer-, neurodivergent-, and woman-owned shop in south Minneapolis that serves up lots of good gay stuff: LGBTQ+ lit and non-fiction, plus rooms dedicated for kids’ stuff and witchery/magic. This weekend folks can shop from new and used books, many priced at $1 a pop and shoppers will also score free pride flags while supplies last. Free. Noon to 5 p.m. Sat.; noon to 4 p.m. Sun. 5163 Bloomington Ave., Minneapolis. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster
ONGOING
Tetsuya Yamada: Listening
Walker Art Center
As performers from around the world will be heading to the Walker for its annual Out There Series, the galleries will be staying local, showcasing the work of ceramicist Tetsuya Yamada. For this survey, the Japanese-born, Minnesota-residing U of M prof will share over 65 pieces, including drawings, notes, and many, many everyday examples of ceramics–plates, vases, coffee mugs, and more. The title of the exhibition, “Listening,” refers to the instinctual choices an artist makes along the way to creating something. “The process might take me to places I didn’t imagine initially,” he explains. “This is the fundamental of studio practice for me.” 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through July 7—Jessica Armbruster
Twelfth Night or What You Will
Various Locations
At one time, theater was entertainment for the masses. And this may be most apparent in one of Shakespeare’s most soapy works, Twelfth Night. The hallmarks of great trash TV are all here: mistaken identities, twins, forged love letters, romantic overtures. When twins Sebastian and Viola are separated via a shipwreck, Viola opts to disguise herself as a gent and the women (and men) come calling. Throw in the antics of a drunk uncle and you have yourself a 400-something-years-old romcom. This summer you can see it in the parks of the Twin Cities and surrounding ‘burbs thanks to Classical Actors Ensemble’s free summer series. Find times and locations at classicalactorsensemble.org. Through July 14—Jessica Armbruster
The Long Take
Trylon
This series brings you just what it says: movies featuring long, uninterrupted takes. And fittingly, it’s a long series, running throughout the summer. But though they all include at least one bravura sequence, these films offer much more than just flashy technique. Orson Welles’s Touch of Evil (showing again tonight and tomorrow) got things rolling over the weekend, and in the weeks to come you’ll get a chance to check out international arthouse champs like Tarkovsky and Antonioni, modern Asian greats like Hong Kong action master Johnnie To and Park Chan-wook, and movies you can never see too often, like Children of Men and Goodfellas. Let me put in a special word for the elegant The Earrings of Madame de…, directed by the incomparable Max Ophuls, a man so in love with long takes that James Mason once wrote a poem about him that began *extremely James Mason voice* “A shot that does not call for tracks/Is agony for poor old Max.” 2820 E. 33rd St., Minneapolis; find complete showtimes and more info here. Through August 27—Keith Harris
Lowertown Sounds
Mears Park
Proper, functioning cities should rock. With the annual, free, weekly, outdoor Lowertown Sounds program St. Paul is privy to this in ways Minneapolis could really learn from. When this year’s lineup was announced, organizers noted that over half of the acts are new this summer. Non-musical offerings include great beer from Wabasha Brewing Co., Dual Citizen Brewing Co., Utepils Brewing, and MetroNOME Brewing, plus wine from Alexis Bailly Vineyard and a rotating cast of 20 food trucks. Free. 6-9:30 p.m. 221 5th St. E., St. Paul; find more info here. Weekly through August 29—Jay Boller
TC River Rats
Mississippi River
What is Ratagascar? It’s not a place (we checked); it’s not a movie about a vermin chef (we think). It’s this summer’s thematic show from the Twin Cities River Rats, the local water skiing crew that has been carving up the Mississippi River since 1979. Specifically, the Rats say, “Ratagascar is filled with adventure, including high-flying jumps, tall pyramids, powerful balancing acts, and barefoot tricks.” Hm, sounds a lot like all River Rats shows, but there ain’t a damn thing wrong with that. As always, this team of rivertop tricksters performs for free and for the whole family. Bring some chairs and blankets, buy some concessions, and enjoy a Minneapolis summertime institution. Free. 6:30 p.m. 1758 West River Rd. N., Minneapolis; find more info here. Thursdays through August—Jay Boller
Keith Haring: Art Is for Everybody
Walker Art Center
Keith Haring was a hugely influential artist in the 1980s and, whether you know it or not, he still is today. The Pennsylvania-raised, NYC-based artist first gained notoriety in the early ‘80s for his subway graffiti art, adorning unused black ad space with crawling babies, barking dogs, and UFOs. A year or two later, he would emerge with projects above ground, including a billboard in Times Square, a mural on the Lower East Side, and the covers of Vanity Fair and Newsweek. His friends and collaborators included Madonna, Grace Jones, and Jean-Michele Basquiat. Regardless of his meteoric rise, Haring wanted his art to be approachable, accessible, and affordable, so he kept most of his pieces in the public sphere. Though his work was crowd pleasing, it was also political, whether it was celebrating queer love, calling for an end to apartheid in South Africa, or promoting safe sex. Though Haring died in 1990 from complications from AIDS, his prolific collection and enduring messages live on. For “Art Is for Everybody,” over 100 works and archival pieces will be on display at the Walker, including ephemera from his 1984 residency at the museum. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through September 8—Jessica Armbruster
Skyline Mini Golf
Walker Art Center
Speaking of stuff to do on rooftops, Skyline Mini Golf is also back this week. While some putt-putt courses aim for putting green realism others go full spectacle. At the Walker, it’s all about the latter, with holes featuring giant hot dogs, mirrored surfaces, tiny odes to the cities, and wacky opportunities to become an obstacle for putters yourself. Don’t expect to work on your handicap here; this course takes mini golf almost to the point of parody as you’ll find yourself testing your skills at ping pong, pool, and Plinketto. Just roll with the chaos–that’s part of the fun. $12 ($10 Walker members and ages 7-18); free for ages 6 and under with paid adult. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through October 6—Jessica Armbruster
Warehouse District Live
Downtown MinneapolisThe fate of Open Streets may be uncertain this season, but every weekend a part of First Avenue will be closed to cars—and not just for construction reasons. Described as “an enhanced pedestrian zone,” Warehouse District Live will offer things that big cities normally have in their downtown areas: food trucks, extended seating areas, and more public bathrooms. Wow! So do some bar-hopping, sit outside and eat, walk in the middle of the street, and wonder why so many exurban Twitter users are so scared of downtown. Free. 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Fri.-Sat. First Avenue, between Fifth and Sixth Streets, Minneapolis; find more info here. June 7 through October—Jessica Armbruster
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