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MONDAY 9.28
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 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
THURSDAY 10.1
Heights Centennial
Heights Theater
Been up to the Heights lately? Last year, longtime owner Tom Letness entered a much-earned retirement, selling the local treasure to Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. The new folks have shown themselves to be fine stewards, launching series like Queer Cut (hosted by Racket contributor Natalie Marlin) while maintaining the theater’s commitment to silent film and making good use of the 70mm projectors. For this celebration of its 100th, the Heights will screen one film from each decade of the theater’s existence, from Harold Lloyd’s 1923 Safety Last! (the one where he hangs from a clock) to Damien Chazelle’s 2022 epic Babylon (the one with the elephant shit). It’ll be a treat to catch old faves like The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), modern classics like Parasite (2019), and the still eye-popping Pinocchio (1940) on the big screen. And if you haven’t been to the Heights in a while (or—gasp—never), you’ll find an excuse to experience the theater’s Mighty Wurlitzer and refurbished splendor among a lineup of familiar if always rewatchable films like It Happened One Night (1934), Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), The Shining (1980), and The Matrix (1999). The series begins Thursday night with Sunset Boulevard (1950), which doubles as the finale of the theater’s Billy Wilder series, and there’s also Chicago (2002), he concluded if-you-don’t-have-anything-nice-to-say-ly. $85 pass for all eight films. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; find showtimes, prices, and more info here. Through October 8—Keith Harris
DJ Shadow
Palace Theatre
Back again, who is he? Just your favorite DJ savior. Yes, Endtroducing… came out 30 years ago, raising the eternal question: Did you have to be there? Alas, that’s not for me to answer, ‘cause I was there, and it did not take a lot of critical acumen on my part to hear this Cali cratedigger’s debut full-length as the instant classic that so many of us did. Obsessively layering vocal snippets, breakbeats, and prog samples from records both obscure and everyday, Josh Davis created a work so multifaceted you could build a whole career by following just one of its streams, yet it was inimitable as well. (I mean, who’d want to put in all that work, for starters?) It really was, to haul out a critical cliché, “a journey,” and Shadow’s never topped it (though The Private Press is a worthy runner-up, and let me put in a good word for 2023’s Action Adventure). Rest assured, even if you know the album backward and forward, he’ll tinker with it until it somehow sounds even more like itself. With DJ D Sharp. $57.25. 8 p.m. 17 W. Seventh Place, St. Paul; find more info here. October 1—Keith Harris
Claire Atherton: Growing the Image
Walker Art Center
Film editor Claire Atherton is best known for her collaborations with the great Belgian director Chantal Akerman, a partnership that lasted for nearly 30 years, ending only with the filmmaker’s death. So this look at the editor’s work naturally begins with an Akerman film, D’Est (From the East), a remarkable 1993 journey through post-Soviet eastern Europe, and concludes with two other Akerman films: De l'autre côté (From the Other Side), a 2002 study of the border between the U.S. and Mexico, and 2003’s Demain on déménage (Tomorrow We Move), one of Akerman’s not infrequent forays into comedy. The Walker will also screen three newish films that Atherton worked on with other directors: Éric Baudelaire’s 2022 meditation on avant-garde musician Alvin Curran, When There Is No More Music to Write, and Other Roman Stories; Iranian artist Bani Khoshnoudi’s 2025 investigation into her cousin’s disappearance, The Vanishing Point, and Luc Decaster’s Le chant des oubliés (The Song of the Forgotten), about the struggle of French workers to keep a factory open. And Atherton will be present for a Q&A for several of these screenings. P.S. For you true Akermaniacs out there, the Trylon is screening the director’s 1974 Je Tu Il Elle (I You He She) Monday and Tuesday. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find showtimes, ticket prices, and more info here. Through October 10—Keith Harris
FRIDAY 10.2
“Gods & Monsters”
Otherworldly Arts Collective
If you’re anything like me, the month before Halloween isn’t just for putting your costume together—it’s for buying up all the spooky decor you can get your hands on during the brief window in which it hits store shelves. And if dark art is your vibe, well, you can’t do much better than this annual group show, which features works by more than 100 artists inspired by horror novels, scary movies, ancient mythology, and other creepy creative works. They’ll also have tarot readings, spooky bingo, fire performances, face painting, and food and drink from Norseman Distillery and FoxCakes Bakery. Free. 6–11 p.m. Fri.–Sat. 451 NE Taft St., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Saturday—Em Cassel
Midway Music and Arts Fest
Hamline Midway Neighborhood
The timing here is perfect: As Hamline Midway is drastically overhauled (for the better, let’s hope), the neighborhood’s cultural fixtures would like to remind you that the place already has plenty to offer. Pat “Doc” Dougherty, who knows what they’re doing when it comes to DIY, is organizing the musical aspect of this festival. Venues participating include the Turf Club, Ginkgo Coffeehouse, and Sundin Hall at Hamline U, and among the artists scheduled to perform at the moment (the list is still growing) are Nur-D, Martin Devaney, Ditch Pigeon, Keep for Cheap, 26 Bats!, as well as Doc’s own Sawtooth Witch. As for the “arts,” they’ll be on display throughout the area, including a “deviant crop art” show at Can Can Wonderland, open galleries galore, and multiple literary readings. Maybe I’ll just camp out at the Midway Motel all weekend. Find a schedule and more info here. Through Sunday—Keith Harris
SATURDAY 10.3
André Cymone
Capri Theater
Another centennial! For the opening night of Capri 100, a yearlong celebration of the North Side theater’s landmark birthday, Prince’s childhood friend and early collaborator André Cymone returns to showcase The Resurrection of Funk, his first album in nearly a decade. Recorded by Cymone as a one-man band, it’s a real party, owing as much to George Clinton as his own famous pal (that snare wallop in particular is very P-Funk) and powered by popping, wide-ranging bass lines. This opportunity to catch the homecoming of an often undersung co-architect of the Minneapolis Sound should slam live. No, scratch that—it will slam live. $40-$100. 8 p.m. 2027 W. Broadway, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
365 Days of Incidents: 7th Anniversary Rager
Falling Knife Brewing Company
Your favorite Timberwolves brewery is turning seven this weekend and it’s throwing a party to celebrate. There are no local NBA or WNBA games to splash on the big screen this Saturday, but there will still be plenty to check out. If you like llamas (and why wouldn’t you, you monster?), there will be a petting zoo where the fluffy little spitters will hang out. You can shop local makers at a craft market, and Uptown Tattoo will set up a gallery of art to check out. Food trucks will stop by, two new beers will be released, and DJs will spin tunes. Bring quarters for their sweet-ass arcade in the backroom. Free. 1–10 p.m. 783 Harding St. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
Bright Eyes
First Avenue
When we last hyped a Bright Eyes show, last year’s Palace Theatre gig, the blurb expressed concern over the general health of bandleader Conor Oberst following erratic video clips and tour cancellations. If we’re to believe his recent appearance on the Popcast podcast, the 46-year-old songwriting great “came back from the brink” and is in a much better place today. Creatively, the Omaha native’s flexing new muscles, having just announced his directorial debut, Invention 13, a forthcoming short film featuring his very famous Better Community Oblivion Center bandmate, Phoebe Bridgers. (Revisit Keith’s glowing review of Bridgers’s St. Paul arena concert here.) With Oberst happy and healthy, contemporary Bright Eyes shows feature generous fan-forward setlists and a reliably shit-kicking band—we’re glad the man’s locked in again. Opening are old Nebraska running buddies Lullaby for the Working Class. 18+. $67.30. 6:30 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Saints and Sinners Pole Dance Show
Granada Theater
The ability to climb, spin, and pose on a 12-foot-tall pole is no casual feat. It’s an acrobatic art that requires timing, strength, and the mettle to resist, nay, enjoy the friction burn of skin on metal. You can see practitioners of this art this weekend in a non-strip club setting, as students and pros from Studio 33 twirl and contort at the Granada. “With a 12’ glimmering pole as our emblem, we’ll congregate together to worship those on stage, as they lead us into temptation, and deliver us to evil,” the event page teases. “If we’re blessed, we’ll be ushered back to Heaven on Earth without any sinister stowaways.” Wow, who knew the battle of good versus evil would play out in Uptown? Maybe the neighborhood is still alive (for now, at least). 18+. $25; $33 front-row seat; $99 VIP. 5 and 7:45 p.m. 3022 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
Bloody Mary Festival
Union Depot
Can we give it up for the Bloody Mary? It’s a fantastic cocktail, and a time-tested way to catch a cool a.m. buzz while bypassing most of the “problem drinking” red flags associated with other bevs. (Also the snit—aka beer back aka beer chaser—is a uniquely Midwestern phenomenon; *taps the heat map*.) The noble Bloody will be honored all day at the annual Bloody Mary Festival, which’ll feature the following establishments competing for the title of Best Bloody Mary in the Twin Cities: The Copper Hen & Kitchen, the Virginia Burrow, 620 Club, Bryant Lake Bowl & Theater, the Red Rooster Bar & Grill, Northern Taphouse, 400 Tavern, 1881 Eating House, Pizza Lucé, and Hell's Kitchen. Attendees can sip samples before casting their votes, and a panel of expert judges will also lend their expertise. Here’s hoping the garnishes—speared meats, cheeses, pickles, shrimps, and perhaps even crazier crap—are abundant enough to constitute lunch. $63.39; $82.54 VIP. 10:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 3:15–5:30 p.m. 214 E. Fourth St., St. Paul; find more info here.—Jay Boller
SUNDAY 10.4
Circuit City
Edna's Park
What if we told you that prolific Minnesota musician Alan Sparhawk (Low, Retribution Gospel Choir, Black-Eyed Snakes) had a new band? What if we told you that group includes the even more prolific Jeremy Ylvisaker (Alpha Consumer, Cloak Ox, Andrew Bird), Liz Draper (Low, Charlie Parr, Iris DeMent), and composer/drummer Tarek Abdelqader? What if we told you the press release teases this brand-new act as: “Heavy grooves through space. Findings of listening, practice and flow.” And what if we told you all of this is set to go down in the parking lot next to the Wienery, all for free? I’d tell you what I told my dad in 1997 when I wanted to buy Myst for PC: Take me to Circuit City! Jordan Malcolm Hamilton, May Klug, and Jerry’s Burger Burger Bin are also performing at this delightfully ramshackle West Bank party. Free. 3 p.m. 412 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis.—Jay Boller
ONGOING
The 10th Neighborhood Garage Tour
Various Locations
That’s right, Off-Leash Area’s summertime tradition of bringing theater to the backyards, driveways, and, yes, garages of the Twin Cities turns 10 this year. Over the past decade, they’ve traveled through 44 neighborhoods producing 120-plus kid-friendly shows. This year, they’ll present Stardust Rendezvous, a piece about three space travelers from different worlds who must learn how to communicate and work together to get off the asteroid they’re trapped on. Locations this year include homes in St. Paul, Brooklyn Park, south Minneapolis, and Turbo Tim’s northeast Minneapolis location. $5–$30 suggested donation. 7 p.m. Fri.–Sat. Find tickets and more information here. Through October 3—Jessica Armbruster
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival
Festival Site
Huzzah! Ye olde faire has returned to Shakopee for another epic meeting of the realms. These realms are not beholden to any time or place or reality, but loosely include: fairies, Arthurian knights, miscellaneous hobbits, Rococo French folks, ancient Celts and Scots, a handful of mermaids, and some old-school Oktoberfest Germans. Some years, there’s even a decent smattering of Whovians. The crowd is part of the fun, but there are plenty of things to see and do, including jousting, mini plays, concerts, free wine and beer samplings on themed weekends, and giant turkey legs. Shop handmade wares, try a few feats of strength, and return to 2026 safely via steel horse (aka the park-and-ride shuttlebus). $16.95–$29.95. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sat.–Sun., plus Festival Friday (Oct. 2). 12364 Chestnut Blvd. (Queen's Gate) and 3525 145th St. W. (King's Gate), Shakopee; find more info here. Through October 4—Jessica Armbruster
“Your Favorite Artists’ Favorite Artists”
Southside Preservation Society
Following its recent “Full House” exhibit, Southside Preservation Society, the newish Seward gallery space from BRLSQ, asked participating artists about their favorite artists. The resulting show? It’s “Your Favorite Artists’ Favorite Artists”! Alexis Politz, Maw Reh, Tshab Her, Amy Rice, Jennifer Davis, and Magdalena Mora are among those featured, and though they differ widely in media and style they have one thing in common: If you don’t already know their names, you should. 2619 28th Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through October 9—Em Cassel
Skyline Mini Golf
Walker Art Center
Warmer weather means it’s putt-putt season in Minnesota. Yeah sure, you can play mini-golf year-round in the North Loop, but it’s just not as whimsical an experience when you drop a course into a dimly lit bar with a “hot young singles only” vibe. The Twin Cities’ only putt-putt in the sky is back at the Walker, featuring 10 quirky holes made by local artists. New this year is Indhaha Dayaxa–Eyes of the Moon by Ifrah Mansour, a Minneapolis-based Somali artist who you may have seen performing at the Minnesota State Fair, featured on TPT’s Minnesota Original, or exhibiting works at the Mia. Return holes this year include the hot dog one, the one where you race via color, the one with ping-pong paddles, and the pool-hall one. Bring sunscreen and enjoy those views of Loring Park, downtown Minneapolis, and the endless Hennepin-Lyndale traffic jam. $12. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; reserve a time and find more info here. Through October 18—Jessica Armbruster
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
“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
“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
