Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
TUESDAY 7.29
MSPAINT
Zhora Darling
With supporting guests from like-minded outfits Militarie Gun to Soul Glo, MSPAINT’s new EP, No Separation, is louder, angrier, and more industrial than ever, as well it should be. Not much to mellow out about these days! Titles like “Wildfire” and “Surveillance” seem to say it all until vocalist DeeDee adds his thoughts. “If this world is falling apart, why don’t we just fall together?” he asks. I don’t know exactly what that means, but I’ve heard worse suggestions, and overall this band’s earnestness is bracing. With Lip Critic and Pat & the Pissers. 18+. $19.06. 7 p.m. 509 First Ave. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
WEDNESDAY 7.30
The Big Picnic
Silverwood Park
After biking to Hidden Beach for a picnic this past weekend, I had a thought that bubbles into my townie brain with great frequency: Minneapolis is the greatest city in the history of this planet. Post 2020, this rallying cry takes on a posture of defensiveness, since this planet’s reactionary fear mongerers—Alpha News, Crime Watch, Fox News, etc.—potray the city as still in flames. That’s a very roundabout way of pitching The Big Picnic, which takes place in a different city altogether (albeit a border-hugging one). “Let’s turn Silverwood into a giant, joyful picnic party—see you on the lawn!” organizers write of a downright wholesome gathering that seeks to gather as many picnic-goers as possible at the St. Anthony amphitheater lawn. Among the draws: needle-felted can koozie art making, "Best Picnic Awards" hosted by the Eastside Co-op (hm?!), food trucks for those who somehow forgot to pack a picnic, an invitation to drink beer and wine publicly, and, to cap it all off, a concert by reliable locals 26 BATS! Free. 6-8 p.m. 2500 County Road E. W., St. Anthony; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Dinosaur Jr. and Snail Mail
Fillmore
Do you like loud music? Do you also like soft music? Well have I got the bill for you. Unlikely as this might have seemed back in the ’90s, once-ejected bassist Lou Barlow has now been thumping along with his formerly estranged mates J. Mascis and Murph in a reunited Dino Jr. for a full two decades. That’s a lot of yowling, squalling, and bashing! Incidentally, a bunch of youngsters are trying to retrofit the band as shoegaze pioneers, what with that subgenre back in style, but that’s really pushing things. Dinosaur Jr.’s last album, Sweep It Into Space, was released in 2021, and it’s been just as long since Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan has put out a full album. Maybe she’ll be previewing some new material here? (She’s also been acting—maybe you saw her in I Saw the TV Glow last year.) With Easy Action. 15+. $56.50-$100.30. 6 p.m. 525 N. Fifth St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
THURSDAY 7.31
Fringe Festival
Various Locations
Theater fanatics: Your marathon awaits you. Every August, the Fringe Fest brings us a metric crapton of theater meant to be consumed buffet-style. Nearly 100 theater orgs, troupes, and houses are coming to town, so it’s not really cliche to say there’s a little bit of everything here. There will be comedies, there will be musicals, there will be biting social satires and silly puff pieces. There will be gems and there will be bombs. These are quickie productions, mostly under one hour each, so if you find yourself in the latter situation, it will be blessedly short. But oh, when you find a gem it’s truly magic. Ask people in line or in the theater what they’ve seen and liked to help you find the good stuff, and plan your Fringe by checking out the schedule at minnesotafringe.org. Through August 10—Jessica Armbruster
Pixies and Kurt Vile
Palace Theatre
This two-night run of legacy indie rock comes with important rules, so please pay attention. On Thursday, alt-rock greats Pixies will perform 1990's Bossanova and 1991's Trompe le Monde in their entirety. (I’m a Doolittle guy, personally, but frontman Frank Black didn’t ask me for tour input.) The following night, Black & Co. (minus eternally cool bassist Kim Deal, who quit in 2013) will play what’s being billed as a “classic” set. Longtime local fans of the band surely remember that, in 2004, the Pixies reunited at the Fine Line following an 11-year hiatus; “This is so weird,” Deal reported mid-set. These days, they’re touring in support of last fall’s The Night the Zombies Came which, apologies, I’m just learning exists (reviews were generally warm). Opening both nights is super-chill rocker Kurt Vile, who just this past weekend released an EP and chilled, porch-style, with punk god Ian MacKaye. $82-$152. 7 p.m. Thu.-Fri. 17 W. Seventh Place, St. Paul; find more info here. Through Friday—Jay Boller
David Lowery
Fine Line
I’m as much a Camper Van Beethoven devotee as anyone who went to college in the ’80s and a quiet champion of Cracker’s post-commercial years (try their 2014 swan song, From Berkeley to Bakersfield). Still I can’t say I dove eagerly into Lowery’s two-disc, 28-track Father, Sons, and Brothers, a sort of memoir-in-song that collects three previous autobiographical albums—I figured this was superfans-only territory. But I’m happy I did, because this helluva aphorist and imagist has become a heckuva storyteller. Mining the expected (belated apologies to women he didn’t do right by and to bandmates he’s since reunited with) and the idiosyncratic (he meets his Air Force dad for the first time as a child and defends his disabled sister from bullies), Lowery tells the story of a working-class guy who wore class-consciousness as a chip on his shoulder in the privileged indie-rock milieu and emerged on the other side of semi-fame a business prof at UGA. (What blanks in his history he leaves he fills in on his Substack.) This life’s summation isn’t Lowery’s defining testament—artistically that’s still CVB, commercially it’s Cracker. But I’ll certainly come back to it, and not just for “Vending Machine” (one of the few rock-star sobriety tales that gets 12-stepping right) or “I Wrote a Song Called ‘Take the Skinheads Bowling.’” P.S. A decade or so ago, folks were calling Lowery a crank for his anti-streaming stance. Times sure have changed. This is a sit-down affair, as I’m sure anyone old enough to be a Lowery fan will appreciate. With Dan Israel. $39.57. 8 p.m. 318 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
FRIDAY 8.1
Bike-In Movie: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure
Loring Park
Have you biked to a movie in the park this season? OK. Well, have you biked to a movie screening featuring a movie about a bike that you’ll watch from the back of a bike? This Friday, you can have the most meta night of the season. When the weather’s warm, 612bike hosts humble movie screenings off the back of their red cargo bike. Recent events have included My Neighbor Totoro and Napoleon Dynamite. This Friday’s show will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, where Pee-Wee (RIP) goes on an epic hitchhike across the country in search of his stolen souped-up ‘50s Schwinn DX. Expect bouts of amnesia, biker gangs, Godzilla, and, of course, a trip to the Alamo. Free. 8:45 p.m. 1382 Willow St. S., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
St. Anthony Village Fest
Central Park
Neighborhood festivals? We got ‘em every weekend. But this party in St. Anthony Village is a little odd, and that makes it easy to appreciate. Sure, you’ve got your typical fun, including Friday’s big parade and Saturday’s carnival games, food trucks, and big ol’ beer garden (featuring Pryes!). But the folks organizing this thing aren’t afraid to weird things up, with a dead mobile-phone throw featuring heats for kids, teens, and adults (don’t worry, they will supply the phones). Or enter to win the partner-carrying contest, which is an 18+ race open teams of any gender (and any marital status). If that’s too strange for you, consider entering the normal-seeming bean bag or wiffleball tourneys. Free. 7-10 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m. to dusk Sat. 3503 Silver Lake Rd. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Saturday—Jessica Armbruster
SATURDAY 8.2
Food Truck Fest
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Racket’s brilliant readership should have no trouble comprehending the thrust of this one: whole lotta food trucks down by the river, Matt Foley-style. We’re talkin’ 40+ heavy hitters such as: Anchor Fish & Chips (don't sleep on the burger), Pronto Pups (like you'd ever sleep on those), and Pizza Karma (don't sleep on the Indian-style pizza chain, generally speaking); click here to see the full roster of trucks. Organizers promise "a hefty variety" of craft beer and ciders, plus games (giant Connect 4, bags, hammerschlagen) and giveaways. The day's live music offerings include indie-rockers Kingsview, decades-spanning "guilty pleasures" cover band Danny Tanner & the Full House, and '90s cover band You Oughta Know. Free. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 420 SE Main St. Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Nershfest
56 Brewing
What is a Nersh and why are we festing it? Well, sounds like somebody (me) doesn’t know as much as they should about the String Cheese Incident. Bill Nershi plays guitar for the Incident, and 13 years ago some Minneapolis pals threw a backyard party that they named for him as a goof. As Nershfest grew, it expanded from backyards and expanded to breweries, and this is its first year at 56 Brewing. There will be bands: China Rider, the Orange Goodness, Saltydog, Heatbox & the Power Ups, and headliners Gully Boys, who just announced their new self-titled album is out this October. Kham Fu Dee, Brick Oven Bus, and Purple People Feeder are the food trucks on site this year, and there will also be Nersh merch (mersh?). Finally, this year’s new brew is “Nersheast Nectar” an Italian pilsner (hey, I just learned about those) that pours “at a certified ‘crushable’ status of 5% ABV.” Crush away, I guess! Free from noon to 4 p.m.; $10 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. 3055 Columbia Ave. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Rondo Block Party
Rondo Commemorative Plaza
If Uptown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul can’t make it, who can? Rondo can. In the late 1950s, various government entities built a freaking freeway through the neighborhood, devastating the bisected area for decades. Yet Rondo has persisted, and longtime residents, businesses, and new neighbors have come together to make sure it survives, and, more recently, thrived. They’ll be celebrating Rondo’s history and future this weekend with a day of community building and fun, including a food court, local market, and live music. Find more info at rondoblockparty.com. Free. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. 820 Rondo Ave., St. Paul.—Jessica Armbruster
Open Streets NE
Central Avenue
Last year marked Open Streets Minneapolis’s first run without its original organizers, Our Streets Minneapolis (now known as Our Streets MN). The results? Pretty mixed! While Lyndale Avenue’s event featured more cars than people, the Nicollet one a few blocks away was really lively. That said, 2025’s kickoff Open Streets in northeast Minneapolis looks like it will offer the kind of wander-around-until-something-grabs-ya vibes that make these things great. Things that might grab ya include lucha libre wrestlers, skateboarding demos, interactive art installations, and a resource market. Or find a spot to plant; there’ll be a beer garden, tons of food patios and trucks, and multiple music stages with sets from Obi Original and the Black Atlantics, Toussaint Morrison, the Bullfrogs, and others. Free. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Avenue NE, from 14th Street to Lowry Avenue, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
Powderhorn Art Fair
Powderhorn Park
Well, it looks like the gang is really breaking up. For years the Loring Park, Powderhorn Park, and Uptown art festivals were scheduled on the same weekend and shared crowds. These days, Loring Park has opted to set up shop a week earlier while Uptown has rebranded as SoMi (South Minneapolis) Art Fair way over in Windom. This weekend, Powderhorn definitely has the edge over SoMi, with pretty paths to walk, lake views to enjoy while shopping, plenty of food trucks, and shady trees. Meanwhile SoMi, which takes place in a scorching parking lot, still has some stuff to figure out; last year’s event was drastically smaller than when it was in Uptown, with more people shopping for plants inside Bachman’s than wandering the lot. Let’s hope they invested in more shade this year. Free. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 3400 15th Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster
Fat Splash
St. Louis Park’s Aquatic Park
A body-positive pool party? Hell yes. But not just one—this summer secondhand clothing shop Cake Plus-Size Resale has hosted a few versions of their popular events. Sunday is the grand finale, where folks can lounge poolside, play in the water, and enjoy the company of friends. Events include a cannonball contest, music to groove to, food and drink, permanent jewelry vendors, and tarot readers. 18+. $26; no tickets will be sold at the gate. 7:30-10 p.m. 3700 Monterey Dr., St. Louis Park; find tickets and more info at cakeplussize.com/fatsplash. —Jessica Armbruster
ONGOING
Shakespeare at the Pub: Much Ado About Nothing
Sociable Cider Werks
Since 2022, the Gray Mallard Theater Company has staged a summer Shakespeare production in the parking lot at Sociable Cider Werks. Previous “Shakespeare at the Pub” showings have included Richard III, Twelfth Night, and, in 2024, Romeo and Juliet, which one local publication praised for its easygoing tone—nothin’ like wearing flip flops and eating a burger while you watch a play. This year, Gray Mallard is staging Much Ado About Nothing, which should be a perfect fit for Sociable; the zany rom-com is full of lies, lust, missed connections, and second chances. Love Island who? Free, but donations are welcome. 7 p.m. Thu., Sat., and Sun. 1500 NE Fillmore St., Minneapolis; more info here. Through August 3—Em Cassel
Lowertown Sounds
Mears Park
Downtown St. Paul could use a flicker of good news, and that's what we're here to provide: Lowertown Sounds, the reliably terrific—and free!—summertime concert series at Mears Park is back for 2025. More than half of this year's genre-spanning local performers are LTS first-timers, according to organizers, and as always they’ll be joined throughout the summer by craft bev vendors (Gambit Brewing, Pryes Brewing, Utepils Brewing, Alexis Bailly Vineyard) and a rotating fleet of "almost 10 food trucks” (we’re guessing that means eight or nine). Free. 6-10 p.m. Thursdays. 221 Fifth St. E., St. Paul; find more info here. Through August 14—Jay Boller
Twin Cities River Rats
Mississippi River
Fresh off their hit 2024 show, Ratagascar, the River Rats return with another spoof, this time of The Office. The cartoon poster appears to depict Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott being pulled behind a speedboat captained by a rat, suggesting at least some high-concept hijinks will be related to the beloved NBC sitcom. Here’s what organizers tease: “With high flying jumpers, towering pyramids, and our ballet ladies there is something for everyone! It’s a show you won’t want to miss.” 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. 7 p.m. 1758 West River Rd. N., Minneapolis; find more info here. Thursdays through August—Jay Boller
Pickup Truck Opera Volume Five: The Return of King Idomeneo
Various Locations
Now in its 17th season, Mixed Precipitation’s Pickup Truck Opera is going old school this summer in more ways than one. This year’s production is a take on Idomeneo, re di Creta (Idomeneo, King of Crete), Mozart’s 1781 opera about a general who encounters a wild sea storm on his way back from the Trojan War. Mixed Precipitation first performed their take on this classic piece in 2012, mixing opera tunes with more familiar hits from the 1950s and '60s (think doo-wop and girl groups). Bring a lawn blanket and some drinks—it’s gonna be a bumpy ride. You can find a list of locations and make reservations at mixedprecipitation.org; the show is in previews July 26 through August 3. $5-$45 suggested donation. Through September 13—Jessica Armbruster
Skyline Mini Golf
Walker Art Center
Putt-putt is all about the challenge of using a stick to control a tiny ball amid quirky chaos. Sometimes you scoot right though without a problem, other times you end up hitting a hot dog too hard and bounce off course. Is that a metaphor for life? Maybe! All I know is that mini golf is back at the Walker, and playing it well requires a mix of patience, a light touch, and preparation for worst-case scenarios. This year’s course is 10 holes, all familiar hits that pay tribute to the Twin Cities and local culture with a few nods to the museum’s collection thrown in. Sometimes the obstacles are a bump in the road, sometimes it's a giant French fry, and sometimes the obstacle is you. Hey, this game really is a metaphor for life! $12. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through October 5—Jessica Armbruster
“ALEBRIJES: Keepers of the Island”
Raspberry Island
Alebrijes are a Mexico City folk-art tradition born out of a fever dream—literally. In 1936, artist Pedro Linares fell ill and found himself hallucinating a forest filled with magical creatures that were shouting “alebrijes!” at him. Once better, he knew that he had to recreate what he had experienced. Nearly 90 years later, Mexican artists continue this tradition, using papier-mâché to create beautifully surreal neon beasts—think chicken-fish-unicorns and butterfly-dog-frogs—ranging from four to 15 feet tall. This summer and fall, alebrijes will be at Raspberry Island thanks to four Mexico City-based artists who have created 16 large-scale papier-mâché sculptures for an installation organized by the Minnesota Latino Museum. You can venture through this colorful wonderland during the park’s regular hours (dawn to 11 p.m. daily). For more info, visit mnlatinomuseum.org/alebrijes. 2 Wabasha St. S., St. Paul. Through October 26—Jessica Armbruster
