Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
MONDAY 11.17
Billy Woods
7th St Entry
If there’s any justice (or any future), this hip-hop era will one day be remembered for the dominance of Billy Woods. I’ve lost track of how many times the underground NYC rapper has been to the Twin Cities in recent years, and I’m not complaining. On his latest album, Golliwog, Woods’s topics range from the surreal to the mundane; he recalls how “Moms showed us where she kept the passports hid” one moment, brags the next about “three beautiful kids and they wake up and make their own beds.” Or maybe his latest is Mercy, billed to Armand Hammer, his project with kindred spirits Elucid and the Alchemist, where Woods explores his more abstract side. Anyway, you get the idea: The dude records as much as he tours. If you’re looking for the half-truth that inspiration comes quicker to the young, he’s your man. 18+. 7 p.m. N. Seventh St., Minneapolis.—Keith Harris
TUESDAY 11.18
Danny Brown
Uptown Theater
Good news: Danny Brown is still alive. The nasal Detroit rapper’s latest album, Stardust, is the first he’s made fully sober, and like most former addicts in the first flush of their new lives, he’s brimming with gratitude, positive vibes, and earnestness. No, that doesn’t always make for the sharpest rap lyrics, though “What You See” vividly voices regrets for Brown’s days as a horny, manipulative dirtbag. And the beats he rides are more multidimensional than ever: Brown worked with a series of hyperpop producers this time out—folks with names like Quadeca and Femtanyl—and their abrasive neon glitchiness suits his acerbic cadence. Stardust feels like a transitional pink cloud of an album, understandably preoccupied with what it’s like not to die. Next time let’s hope Brown is ready to remember what it’s like to live. After all, how many rappers get to start over again at 44? $49-$112. 6 p.m. 2900 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
THURSDAY 11.20
"Gingerbread Wonderland"
Norway House
What do y’all know about Pepperkakebyen? The world-famous gingerbread house in Bergen, Norway, got its start in 1991, and here in the Twin Cities it inspired the Gingerbread Wonderland at Norway House, which brings together a community of bakers and artists to create impressive gingerbread structures. Hundreds of cookie creations now fill the Franklin Avenue cultural nonprofit, and they’ll be up until January 3. But why wait? Swing by this week for the yuletide season opener, which includes a Nordic Julemarket. $5-$10. 913 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info and reserve a time here. Through January 3—Em Cassel
Rhett Miller
Turf Club
For more than two decades, the breathlessly quavery Old 97’s frontman has maintained a solid if unflashy solo career on the side, and that means a lot of time on the road. Miller’s latest, A Lifetime of Riding by Night, both documents and transmutes into fiction the strain such a career can inflict on family life. We can assume “All For You” is autobiographical and “Ellie on the Wharf” pure imagination, but only Miller and his wife can tell you how much truth there is in a terrific line like “Tonight I will be lonely in the arms of someone else.” The album was recorded last year just before Miller underwent career-endangering surgery to remove a cyst from his vocal cords, which may explain the emotional directness here. He’s fine now (whew) but that’s one more reminder of how tenuous the career of an aging musician can be. I’m Miller’s age, don’t have to travel for work, and I sympathize with the grind. It’s a situation rendered more acute by the recent death of a guy who couldn’t afford to quit touring, the brilliant singer-songwriter Todd Snider, just a few years our senior and celebrated posthumously by Miller with the heartfelt “Song for Todd Snider.” The loneliness of life on the road was once a boring rock star cliche; now it’s a labor issue. With Mary Strand and the Garage. $39.50. 8 p.m. 1601 University Ave., St. Paul; find more info here.—Keith Harris
FRIDAY 11.21
Minneapolis Christkindl Market
North Loop Green
Have you traveled through time, fortuitously arriving at a 16th-century German Christkindl market? Or are you in the North Loop? OK, unless you are having some kind of mental break or decided to hit a nearby dispensary way, way too hard, you’re not going to confuse the two. (That’s probably for the best; Europe used to be pretty gross.) Still, it’s fun to stroll through “time” at these holiday events in a Ren Fest kind of way. During festivities, guests will be able to partake in food and warm drinks including spiced glühwein, gooey raclette cheese, heart-shaped Nordic waffles, French galettes, and Polish pastries. There will be shoppin’ too, with over 30 vendors selling things like traditional ornaments, wooden toys, nutcrackers, steins, beeswax candles, socks, and more. The weekly lineup of entertainment onstage features traditional old world holiday music and dance, and Santa and Krampus will be stopping by too. Free. 4-9 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sat.; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sun. 350 N. Fifth St., Minneapolis; find more here. Through December 21—Jessica Armbruster
SATURDAY 11.22
The Beths
Palace Theatre
I’d never have pegged Elizabeth Stokes as a fellow depressive. Though she sings her share of bummers, this New Zealand quartet’s front-Beth comes across as a relatively even-keeled person—maybe it’s just the accent. In fact, Stokes wrote the songs for the band’s latest album, Straight Line Was a Lie, after filling her first SSRI scrip. It’s no insult to say there’s nothing here as brilliant as the title track from 2022’s Expert in a Dying Field—I’d say the same about most albums released in 2025, and few of them have a song that comes as close as “Metal” (“So you need the metal in your blood to keep you alive/And you read the compass in your eyes so you can stay right/So you surf the earth's magnetic core to keep you aligned”). And I’d be hard-pressed to find a more lovely sentiment to share with an old friend than “Never change, unless you do/Unless you want to.” They were wonderful when I saw them at First Ave in 2023, and I expect nothing less this time around. With Phoebe Rings. 18+. $39.75, 8 p.m. 17 W. Seventh Place, St. Paul; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Choreographers’ Evening 2025
Walker Art Center
For the past 53 (??!!) years, the Walker Art Center has hosted Choreographers’ Evening, a sampler showcasing Twin Cities dance makers. For each edition, a choreographer is assigned the task of selecting artists to participate, creating a unique temperature check of where the scene is at the moment through their lens. This year’s leader is Twin Cities-based Benny Olk. “How can the container of this program allow the distinctions between the artworks to be seen and honored?” he says of his approach to tonight’s shows. “And can we find new meaning in their relationships to one another? In the words of Merce Cunningham, ‘to allow not so much an evening of dances as the experience of dance.’” Saturday’s lineup includes Dance Rec Pickup League, Non Edwards, Judith Shui Xian, Erin Landers, Hannah McKenzie-Margulies, Melissa Clark, Joseph Tran, and others. $20. 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
PotsPop Pop-Up
Utepils Brewing
This weekend at Utepils, say hello to PotsPop, a new collective of Twin Cities-based ceramic artists that’ll be popping up—with pots!—just in time for the holidays. Who are these artists, you ask? Great question! They are: Kate Fisher (@fishclay), Wendy Eggerman (@functionalheirlooms), Colleen Riley (@eurekapots), Emma Le Konrad (@emmalekonrad), Olivia Tani (@oliviatani), Trician Schmidt (@teaspottery), Mary Green (@marygreenceramics), and Kim Burnham (@imokim_pottery). Go get a head start on your gift buying or get a lil treat for yourself, or both. Free. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 225 Thomas Ave. N., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel
SUNDAY 11.23
Found Footage Fest Vol. 11
Heights Theater
Humans are so incredibly cringe. And, thanks to VHS, we can revisit all kinds of embarrassing, weird, and puzzling examples from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Friends Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher have been unearthing these hilarious examples for over a decade, scouring markets, dumpsters, and estate sales in hopes of finding something truly special, amassing over 14,000 tapes in their office. For the 11th iteration of this series, the duo have cut out the mundane stuff to create a cursed montage of the best (and, ironically, worst) things they have recently found. According to the release, highlights include “a psychotic dollar store salesman, a video catalog of frightening porcelain dolls, two wonderfully homemade Bigfoot videos, and a new age ‘miracle’ treatment from the 80s called ‘Psychic Surgery.’” They’re warning that this 90-minute collection will contain nudity, language, and clowns, so you know it’s gonna be good. The late show is already sold out, but if you move fast you might be able to snag a ticket for the just-added early show. $20. 4 and 7:30 p.m. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; find tickets here.—Jessica Armbruster
ONGOING
Dayton’s Holiday Market
Dayton’s
Downtown is back? Well, this annual pop-up shop is, at least. Now in its fifth year, Dayton’s Holiday Market does the old department store one better, hosting over 100 local makers and brands, including Love Your Melon gear, artisan giftables, and unique sports merch from Minnesota teams. Or maybe food and booze is more your thing? The market will also be home to Oak Grill Culinary Classics, which will serve up wild rice soup and pastries from local bakeries, and the Jingle Giles Bar, which, according to the release, will offer “festive cocktails, mocktails, meatballs,” and other treats. Folks too scared to venture downtown fear not, as a satellite market will be setting up shop in Southdale Center later this month (personally, I’d take an empty downtown over an empty mall any day). 700 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis. Through December 27—Jessica Armbruster
“Dyani White Hawk: Love Language”
Walker Art Center
Wisconsin-born Minnesota resident Dyani White Hawk gets a major survey covering 15 years of work at the Walker Art Center this fall. Mostly working in abstraction, she explores her Lakota and European heritage using a variety of media. For “Love Language,” White Hawk’s work will be arranged in four sections, starting with paintings and quill- and beadwork, shifting to video installations featuring Indigenous languages and large-scale photography, and concluding with recent and new works of glass mosaics and beaded sculpture. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; walkerart.org. Through February 15—Jessica Armbruster
Night Trains
Twin City Model Railroad Museum
Night—and I cannot emphasize this enough—Trains! This seasonal show at Twin City Model Railroad Museum is a winter wonderland of miniatures. The lights are turned down low, and everything has a warm glow as the vintage engines chug around their tiny landscape. It’s incredibly cute, wholesome winter fun, and while the trains typically run on Saturdays, there are bonus nights on Black Friday (November 28), and additional dates throughout December and January. Plus, we hear a certain Santa Claus plans to make an appearance on December 13 and 20… $15, free for children ages 4 and under. 3-7 p.m. 668 Transfer Road, Ste. 8, St. Paul; find more info here. Saturdays through February—Em Cassel
