Jun.
11
Faribault, located along the Straight River in Rice County south of the Twin Cities, celebrates its 19th-century history as a regional hub for education, industry, and Native American trade with a community festival featuring a parade, historical exhibits, live entertainment, food vendors, and family activities rooted in the city's founding story.
Jun.
12
Held at the Lower Sioux Agency in southwest Minnesota, this traditional Dakota powwow is open to the public and features intertribal dance competitions, drum groups, traditional regalia, food, and cultural demonstrations. The wacipi, meaning "they dance" in Dakota, is one of the region's most significant gatherings celebrating the culture and traditions of the Dakota people whose homeland encompasses much of southern Minnesota.
Jun.
17
Winona sits on the Mississippi River in the bluff country of southeastern Minnesota, where steamboats were central to commerce and community life throughout the 19th century. This annual festival honoring that heritage features a Grand Parade drawing more than 20,000 spectators along a mile-long route, a carnival, a kids' fishing contest, a pedal pull, a kiddie parade, and fireworks over the river.
Jun.
20
The historic Stone Arch Bridge, built in 1883 as a railroad crossing and now a pedestrian landmark spanning the Mississippi River, serves as the backdrop for this annual arts festival along the riverfront. More than 200 juried artists display and sell original work across a range of media alongside live music, food vendors, and views of St. Anthony Falls, the only natural waterfall on the entire Mississippi River.
Jul.
03
Held over the Fourth of July weekend along the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul, this community food festival showcases Minnesota restaurants and food vendors alongside free live music across multiple stages, family activities, and fireworks.