Join us tomorrow, Saturday 28 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a two-mile celebration of our main street! We have a great day ahead of us with pop-up activities, live music, and fresh food and drinks! Event highlights are summarized below; peruse the interactive map to plan your route!
Event Highlights
Activities
- Get up close with the horses of the MPD Mounted Patrol at the 5th Precinct (11:30 a.m. until they’re ready for a break from the heat)
- Blaisdell YMCA is bringing the moves all day with dance lessons galore—try your hand at Zumba, Oula, and more! Test your skills with pickleball lessons, race through an obstacle course, or jump into the action at the gaga ball pit.
- Enjoy a vintage fashion show at B-Squad at 12:30-1 p.m.
- Run for Beer, register at the LNA Office at 3537 Nicollet Ave. Note: you don’t have to RUN the 5k route! You will receive a scavenger hunt card and can walk the route while visiting local business checkpoints. Just return your completed scavenger hunt card to LNA before the end of the event and receive a free beer coupon at any of the Nicollet Open Street beer gardens! Your financial contribution will be used by our nonprofit to support our community-based programs. Kids can register for $12 to run for a root beer float, courtesy of Sebastian Joe’s Kingfield Social, at 2 p.m. sharp at this location!
- Catch the 3rd Lair/Cal-Surf skateboard competition on 36th Street!
- Try your hand at painting on an easel with Art Shelf at 37th Street.
- Check out the European car show put on by Quality Coaches, an auto repair shop along the route.
- Nicollet Ace Hardware has a day of hands-on demos planned utilizing hardware supplies so you too can glaze your windows and preserve your harvest. Plus the kids can go crazy in the inflatable Ninja Anywhere course while you educate yourself.
- Don’t miss big bubble-making fun from our Street Ambassador at 41st, Rick the Funster.
- Try your hand at the inflatable archery course, hosted by Scout Troop 187. Special call out to these youth, who also helped hang door hangers along the entire route this past week to remind neighbors to move their cars from Nicollet Avenue before the event!
- Kick back and unwind at Superior Sauna & Steam with the TC Ukulele Club serenading you from 2-3:30 p.m. The sauna yard opens at noon for all the steamy relaxation you could ask for—so don’t forget your swimsuit! Plus, you’ll have a chance to win 50% off your next sauna session!
At Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park:
- Tennis skills games
- MN Bicycle Alliance helmet and bike checks
- The Heart of the Beast puppet making and story hour
- Screen printing with MCAD
- Live pottery throwing at MLK Park with Zabrina, the park’s talented pottery instructor
- And a stage with rotating musicians including the Crosstown Community Band and the Queer Contra Dancers!
- 1 p.m. – the first pitch will be thrown in a baseball game between the Locals and the Firefighters on field 3 behind the MLK Recreation Center, next to the Innercity Tennis building.
Music
- Valerie’s Taqueria stage featuring Mexico Lindo, a Mexican cultural dance group, at 2 p.m., and they will be followed by Chico Chavez the King of Cumbia. (32nd & Nicollet)
- Neighborhood accordion players will be volunteering as Street Ambassadors at 33rd Street. You can hear Thor “Squeezebox” Anderson in the morning and Fred Campbell in the afternoon!
- Don’t forget to stop and dance at ALL the north-end stages who have full music lines–including Hola Arepa (can you say Malamanya?!), Ramen Kazama (Peelander is back in town and is bringing his full band of Z’s!), Butter Bakery Cafe (featuring one of our favorite Kingfield PorchFest locals, Edie Rae!), and the Stage at 38th (featuring another Kingfield favorite, Spaghetti Monetti and the Sauce!).
- South of MLK Park the stages will also be rocking with Oktoberfest food and drink offerings at Kruse Markit with a great folksy line-up including McKain Lakey, John Magnuson, and more local singer songwriters. The Driftwood Char Bar always brings down the house and is featuring the music of Muzzle of Bees playing a Wilco tribute, and Roadrunner Records will crank the tunes all day starting with Finick and ending with the classic sounds of the Mighty Mofos!
Community
Get your Get Out the Vote advocacy on with Fresh Eye Gallery and Let People Vote Twin Cities–write reminders to your three closest pals to vote in the upcoming November 5th election….postcards created by Fresh Eye artists and stamps provided!
Don’t forget to stop and shop with the 3 dozen local artisans along the way, or visit with the plethora of local nonprofits, advocacy groups, and city departments. Support local artists, find your next cause to champion, and find out about the next City project happening in your backyard!
Food
Nicollet Open Streets also features a world of delicious food from our many local businesses. Thank you to Cocina Latina, Kyatchi, TokiDoki Burger, Ichigo Tokyo Crepe, Valerie’s Taqueria, Thai Curry, Nighthawks, Finer Meats, Bucheron, Kruse Markit, and The Lowbrow (to name a few!), plus a hot wing challenge at Revival! Additionally, don’t miss a dozen visiting food trucks allowing you to sample foods from Jamaica, Japan, Vietnam, and other exciting locations.
Volunteer Headquarters
Stop by Volunteer Headquarters at the Lyndale Neighborhood Association table outside our office at 3537 Nicollet. Meet your organizers, learn about our adult English and Computer Basics classes, spring the wheel of LNA swag, and register for the Run for Beer!
What Is Nicollet Open Streets?
Nicollet Open Streets is a free, family-friendly event covering two miles of Nicollet Avenue. This event is not just a street festival, but it is a celebration of community that allows neighbors to experience city streets as public spaces where community thrives! So pump up your bike tires or lace up your walking shoes to explore what’s great about Lyndale and Kingfield’s main street!
This event is grounded in community. It is organized by the Lyndale Neighborhood Association in partnership with the City of Minneapolis.
