Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
Stay in touch
Sign up for the Event Horizon newsletter
MONDAY 10.26
Your Vote, Your Voice: Protest Type Workshop
Blackbird Revolt
You might know Blackbird Revolt’s Creative Director Terresa Hardaway as the Minneapolis designer who “branded a movement” when she created the Stop Killing Black People typeface. The chunky font with multisized letters was inspired by decades of Black activist design but is distinctly of this moment, and it has adorned shirts and screenprinted protest posters with messages like “Black Lives Matter” and “Abolish the Police.” At this workshop, timed for next week’s midterm elections, Hardaway will help you design your own protest type, sharing the process that went into Stop Killing Black People as inspiration. Pay what you can. 6–8 p.m. 1128 Harmon Place #202, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel
TUESDAY 10.27
Greg Freeman
Amsterdam
Greg Freeman’s panicked yowl often makes it sound like he’s having that actor’s nightmare where you wake up on stage and you’ve forgotten your lines. His anxious 2026 album, All Set the Bone, is the Vermont indie-rocker’s first since making his way to Chicago, and he’s in fine aphoristic form: “These are the days of one thing after another,” “Once you’re finished treading water/You’ll still feel the waves,” “When I’m alone, I can be anyone, but when I’m with you, I’m me.” (Aw!) Jason Molina is a frequent but limited point of comparison: “Decade” could be a lost Big Star recording, and there’s often something Built to Spillish about these songs. Without the virtuosic flights, that is—Freeman’s songs can get a little woolly as they approach or exceed the six-minute mark. But he consistently backs up his articulate despair with a refusal (or maybe inability) to give up, which is a pretty good way to go about things in 2026. With Walker Rider. 18+. $26.31. 8 p.m. 6 W. Sixth St., St. Paul; find more info here.—Keith Harris
THURSDAY 10.29
“The Smell of Earth: Seitu K. Jones Working in the Elements”
Minnesota Museum of American Art
Jones is best known for his large-scale public works (as well as his sizable urban farm), which maybe explains why the celebrated St. Paul artist just now, at 75, has his first major solo studio art exhibit. Then again, there are other possible explanations; as Jones put it to Sahan Journal’s Myah Goff: “Why did it take so long for a bald-headed Black man to get a solo show?” Hmm… Making up for lost time, “The Smell of Earth: Seitu K. Jones Working in the Elements” is a miscellany of the artist’s productive past four decades, with artwork in various media (drawings, paintings, sculptures, design) set alongside archival documentation of Jones’s career. The show, which opened last week, will have its “opening” reception tonight from 6–8 p.m. Free. 350 Robert St. N., St Paul; find more info here. Through July 25, 2027—Keith Harris
Own It! A Co-op Fest
Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative
Co-ops are businesses owned, run, and supported by the people who use the business. Amazon.com? Not a co-op. The Wedge, Eastside Food, and Broken Clock Brewing? Co-ops. At this pre-weekend party, 20-plus Minnesota co-ops—including grocery stores, credit unions, and housing orgs—will be stopping by so folks can learn a little bit more about their business model. Expect free snacks, free schwag, and, if you're one of the first 150 people to register, a free drink. A collaborative art project, prizes, and food-truck eats round out the event. Free. 4–7 p.m. 1712 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis; register here.—Jessica Armbruster
BareBones 33rd Annual Halloween Extravaganza
Powderhorn Park
“Hum, Honk, Howl: As Above, So Below.” That’s the theme of this year’s BareBones production in Powderhorn Park, which… do we need to tell you about BareBones? After more than three decades, the outdoor puppet show that comes to the bank of Lake Powderhorn each October is more classically Minneapolis than that darn Spoonbridge and Cherry. This is the puppet show in a city that’s known for puppetry, and you’ll probably see fire artists, people on stilts, and towering puppets created just for the occasion. A BareBones production is always a little bit about life and death; this year’s show takes place after a particularly challenging year for the city, and the myths and symbols include the weeping willow (a symbol of grief) and her friend the moon. You can read the full artist statement from co-directors Marisa B. Tejeda and Maren Ward here. Pay what you can ($20 suggested). 6 p.m. gates; 7 p.m. show Thu.–Sun. Powderhorn Park, near the 10th Avenue side of Powderhorn Lake, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Sunday—Em Cassel
FRIDAY 10.30
Charlie Parr Feat. Dave King
State Theatre
For a supposed “Americana” guy, Charlie Parr is pretty stylistically adventurous. On his latest album, Rooming House, the local troubadour teamed up with ever-versatile and every-busy drummer Dave King to create “a conceptual folk opera.” Musically, it’s a sparse affair, with just Parr’s shimmering guitar and weathered voice hovering about King’s sympathetic percussion, but it enlivens an endearing cast of occupants who are short on resources but long on character. Among them, the protagonist of “(What’s So Funny About) Universal Healthcare?,” who sets out to rob a bank so he can get medical attention in prison. $38–$72. 8 p.m. 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
John Waters
Parkway Theater
Are we promoting a sold-out event as a sorry excuse to get you, the content-craved media consumer, to revisit our 2025 podcast conversation with the so-called Parkway Perv? Guilty as charged! But let us consider for a moment how cool it is that legendary director/author/personality John Waters has willed an annual Halloween residency in south Minneapolis into existence because, fuck it, he’s an 80-year-old rapscallion who does as he pleases. This year’s show is titled “Let’s Take Over the World,” and if we’re to believe promo material, it’s a means of “positively [polluting] politics” through John’s trademark “anal antidisestablishmentarianism.” A lot to, um, chew on there. This much is certain: Jake Rudh will open the evening with a DJ set. Sold out. 7 p.m. 4814 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
SATURDAY 10.31
First Avenue’s Annual Halloween Party and Costume Contest
First Avenue
There are cheaper Halloween celebrations, sure, but the potential for spooktacular costume observing doesn’t get better than inside the (quite haunted!) First Ave Mainroom. As DJs Sophia Eris, Michael Grey, Izzie P, McShellen, and Smitty spin tunes, 89.3 the Current host Diane will ringlead a costume contest featuring $1,000 in prizes. Local photography ace Tony Nelson will be prowling, werewolf-like, snapping pics, meaning your Agamemnon from The Odyssey, Lily Lovebraids from Poppy Playtime, or somber/respectful Oliver Tree costume, to pick three random examples, could be famous via First Ave socials come All Saints’ Day. 18+. $33.52. 8 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Ella Langley
Grand Casino Arena
They grow up so fast. Why, just this past February I saw Langley open for Eric Church in this very same arena, and now little over a half a year—and the biggest song of 2026—later, she’s headlining the joint. Maybe “Choosin’ Texas” feels less epochal than the longest-running No. 1 in Hot 100 history should, or maybe we’re all just too eager to expect pop to be amenable to reductive cultural takes. As the great country critic Natalie Weiner has said, it’s not just a durable and catchy song, but it’s “perfect fodder for everyone who wants to post a TikTok wearing a cowboy hat which… not to oversimplify things, but lots of people like doing that because it's fun.” Most of Langley’s latest, Dandelion, is twangy soft-rock in the vein of the follow-up single “Be Like Her,” though she includes a cover of "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" for cred. Like most successful female country stars, Langley is better than the boys, because she has to be. With Cameron Marlow. $252 and up. 7 p.m. 199 W. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; find more info here.—Keith Harris
SUNDAY 11.1
Rhiannon Giddens
Walker Art Center
The Walker’s Mack Lecture series pulls in some heavy hitters—in recent years, lecturers have included Kara Walker and M. Gessen—and Giddens is no exception. Exemplifying the musician as educator, Giddens has been at the forefront of a generation of historically attuned performers highlighting the Black roots of American folk styles that have been whitewashed. She’s covered Blu Cantrell’s “Hit 'Em up Style (Oops!)” with her string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, formed a supergroup with likeminded neotrads (Our Native Daughters, with Leyla McCalla, Amethyst Kiah, and Allison Russell), and you might have heard her fiddle and banjo on a lil album called Cowboy Carter. A real cartographer of where disparate musical folkways cross paths, Giddens took over as artistic director of the Silk Road Project from founder Yo Yo Ma in 2020—maybe you’ve seen this recent video of her jamming with Chinese pipa virtuoso Wu Man? So yeah, she has got a lot to say. $12–$18. 7 p.m. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
MN Beer Day
Various Locations
As you may have heard, the craft beer industry’s a-hurtin’. So now more than ever, in times like these, pick your favorite hack Covid-era marketing cliche: We gotta keep drinking that garbage, to paraphrase the teetoling president. And there’s no better day to guzzle locally sourced suds than MN Beer Day, the annual celebration of the “history, tradition, culture, and community” formed by 200+ craft brewers around our state. What’s in it for me, the beer-curious reader, you might be asking yourself? Depends on your taproom. Consult this interactive map to scope out participating breweries and the specials they’re offering; you can also score a limited-edition pint glass design by artist Corinne McNielly which, we gotta say, kicks ass. Long live beer! All day Sunday; find more info here.—Jay Boller
ONGOING
Twin Cities Horror Festival XV
The Crane Theater
Now in its 15th year, this horror festival continues to freak audiences out. The 2026 lineup features 14 different productions at the Crane Theater over 16 days. We’ve got location-based horror, including an ice shanty nail biter (Bicentennial Auger), a mysterious bloodbath (SHED), and a work set in Disney’s Haunted Mansion (There’s Room for One Thousand). There’s body and philosophical horror (Augmentation), sapphic vampire horror (Carmilla), and puppetry (Tales of Terror… from the Tomb). All shows come with a handy age rating system, as well as ratings for language and blood. 2303 NE Kennedy St., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through October 31—Jessica Armbruster
SpoOOoOOooky Bar Pop-Ups
Multiple Locations
Good news for people who love to drink themed cocktails while surrounded by spooky kitsch: It’s Halloween bar pop-up time! Over in south Minneapolis, Creekside Supper Club is now Creepside Supper Club (love it), with a seasonal drink menu and killer decor; Nico's Taco and Tequila Bar in Uptown has been transformed into a House of Halloween. X-mas Slay is back at Bina’s in Northeast, and the Haunted Basement Bar has returned to Travail’s Basement Bar in Robbinsdale—this year, with a horrifying harvest supper twist. (“Remember…Once you’re part of the family, you’re always part of the family.”) Meteor will transform into the Black Lagoon on Thursday, and Thursday is also the start of Tavern of Terror at Twin Cities 400 Tavern. Have fun out there, creeps and freaks!—Em Cassel
Sever’s Fall Festival
Sever’s Farm
Getting lost in a corn maze is wholesome fun—or the start of a horror movie. It’s probably going to be the latter when we’re talking ‘bout this annual Shakopee harvest fest. Since 1997, Sever’s has created a huge maze annually for you to explore (generally it takes 30–40 minutes from start to finish), but once you make your way out there’s still a ton to see and do. There’s a petting zoo, there are hay rides, there are hay sculptures, there’s a live music stage, fields of pumpkins, zip lining, and corn pits. New this year is a mega-jump BMX bike show. $19. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat.–Sun., plus Thu.–Fri. Oct. 15–16 (MEA week). 3121 150th St. W., Shakopee; find more info here. Through November 1—Jessica Armbruster
Ryūsuke Hamaguchi: Effect and Cause
Walker Art Center
If your first experience of Japanese director Hamaguchi was his three-hour Oscar-winning feature Drive My Car in 2022 (mine was), here’s an opportunity to catch up with a true modern master. On Friday the director will be in conversation with Toronto International Film Festival curator Andréa Picard; Saturday offers a rare screening of Hamaguchi’s five-hour 2015 film Happy Hour. The following week brings Wheel of Fantasy and Fortune, his collection of three stories, and Drive My Car, that strange, moving tale of a director bonding with his chauffeur as he guides a multilingual cast through a production Uncle Vanya. And on the first weekend in November, you can catch the more recent Evil Does Not Exist, followed by the short film that inspired it, Gift, which will be accompanied by a live performance of its score from composer Eiko Ishibashi. 15–18. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through November 7—Keith Harris
“Cream of the Crop: The Second Harvest”
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Last year, for the first time, the Minneapolis Institute of Art exhibited a selection of crop art from the Minnesota State Fair. “[Crop art is] an interesting crossover between folk art and fine art, it’s a kitschy Minnesota tradition, and it’s something sort of uniquely Minnesotan,” Rob Bedeaux, Mia’s head of marketing and communications, told Racket at the time. “Cream of the Crop,” as the show was perfectly titled, was a hit. It was so popular that Mia brought the show back this year, with more than 20 pieces of art, including five that won best in show ribbons from the fair. 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through November 29—Em Cassel
“Roots”
All My Relations Arts
This fall/winter exhibition from All My Relations Arts showcases Native artists from across the regions of Turtle Island, the name many Indigenous peoples use to refer to the Americas. It’s part of a new juried series that will “shed light on how the Western colonial construct of borders was designed to divide Native nations and perpetuate cultural divisions through the systematic removal of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral homelands,” according to AMRA. The first exhibit in this series focuses on the Midwest region. 1414 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through December 12—Em Cassel
“Olalekan Jeyifous: Hydricosmic Litanies”
Walker Art Center
Recently, Racket ran a story by Drew Ross about what trash and treasures might surface if we were to drain the Mississippi River gorge. By curious coincidence, a new exhibit at the Walker constructs imaginary artifacts from composite, fictional cultures that might be found in the river. In his first solo show, “Hydricosmic Litanies,” the Nigerian-born artist Olalekan Jeyifous, also known as Lek, draws upon Yorùbá, Dakota, and Ojibwe traditions to create stories about the interaction between peoples and the river. You should check out Jeyifous’s Insta for a taste of what his art is like. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through January 3, 2027—Keith Harris
