Welcome to Event Horizon, your weekly roundup of the best events in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and beyond.
TUESDAY 12.3
Winter Warm-Up
U.S. Bank Stadium
Look, U.S. Bank Stadium needs money. According to a 2023 report, it’s gonna eat up around $280 million over the next 10 years. Dystopian fences, new entrance doors, and fancier box seats don’t build themselves, after all (still no word on plans to stop the Bank’s thirst for bird blood). Meanwhile, you might have a fitness-related New Year’s resolution, or be a Vikings superfan... or maybe you can’t afford to splurge on a full-blown gym membership this season. That’s where U.S. Bank’s side hustle comes in: Winter Warm-Up. Most Tuesdays and Thursdays, the stadium turns into a track where you can walk, jog, or inline skate. In ancient Rome or inside the Metrodome, this kinda thing would be free, but we’re in present-day America, so this chance to explore the stadium without gameday crowds will cost ya. (Hey, it's still cheaper than a Westopolis movie ticket.) Plus, there are plenty of workout photo ops, and the view from the makeshift “track” does make for a fun workout. $11.50. 5 to 9 p.m. Tue. & Thu. 401 Chicago Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through January 23—Jessica Armbruster
Gingerbread Wonderland
Norway House
Guys, I slept on the Gingerbread Wonderland opening. But it’s OK; this week is actually the start of a few bonus events, and it’s always better to get more bang for your buck. This year, Minneapolis’s sweetest neighborhood turns 10, with well over 200 cozy shacks, sugarplum scenes, and mega-mansions set up at the Norway House. Check out smile-inducing works from kids, cool efforts from hobbyists, and marvel at architectural masterpieces from the pros. Oh, and about those bonus events: This Tuesday, December 3, there’s a Nordic Julemarket from noon to 6 p.m., and most Thursdays throughout the season there’s the Hygge Happy Hour, with drink specials, live music, mini-markets, and a promised “cozy vibe” from 5 to 9 p.m. $15; $10 kids. Noon to 5 p.m. Tue. & Sun.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wed., Fri.-Sat.; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thu. 913 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis; find tickets and more info online. Through January 4—Jessica Armbruster
WEDNESDAY 12.4
Cyndi Lauper
Target Center
For a proper distillation of the Cyndi Lauper aura, I urge you to consult the 1984 Letterman clip below. In it, we see peak Lauper—an unusual, irrepressible punk-rock girl from Queens who, yes, just wants to have fun. And write hits. She has had so many hits, from the oft-covered “Time After Time,” to her own cover of Roy Orbison’s “I Drove All Night,” to penning the music and lyrics for the Broadway hit Kinky Boots. Now 71, Lauper just embarked on what’s being billed as her farewell tour, and the early reviews are mostly positive; Variety praised the setlist selection, including a revisit of her 1983 cover of Prince’s “When You Were Mine,” as well as Lauper’s feminism-forward monologues that lend a VH1 Storytellers quality to the show. Gayle, a 20-year-old pop-rocker from Texas, opens the Minneapolis tour stop. $17-$174+. 7 p.m. 600 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
THURSDAY 12.5
Heid E. Erdrich Tenure Culmination
Minneapolis American Indian Center
This year, for the very first time, Minneapolis had a poet laureate. (The state of Minnesota has had a poet laureate since 2008, but St. Paul bests everyone here—its first poet laureate was appointed in 2006.) Heid E. Erdrich, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe and two-time Minnesota Book Award winner, was selected from 24 nominees, and unlike those other laureates, hers was a one-year position; she’ll celebrate the culmination of that term this evening with the first reading of her completed “Poem for the City of Minneapolis.” Free, but space is limited; register here. 4-6 p.m. 1911 S. 15th Ave., Minneapolis; more info here.—Em Cassel
FRIDAY 12.6
2024 British Arrows Awards
Walker Art Center
Ad reps, marketing experts, brand fiends, and Anglophiles: I think this event is for you? I’m never going to be the gal who pays attention to or even enjoys ads, but I get it. It’s fun for folks to see how things are sold on the other side of the pond. Promising “all bangers, no mash!,” this super-popular screening serves up 73 minutes of award-winning commercials for companies both familiar and Euro-based. Expect celeb sightings, works from notable directors, and fun animations. Also important: Get there early; tickets score you gallery admissions, and a Brit-themed cocktail bar opens up an hour before screenings on Thursdays and Saturdays. $18; $25 streaming per household. Find more info at walkerart.org. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis. Through January 4—Jessica Armbruster
SATURDAY 12.7
Extreme Noise Records 30th Anniversary Show
First Avenue
Extreme Noise is like the beating heart of punk culture in the Twin Cities, a rare tactile place to feel a sense of community between house shows and message boards. The all-volunteer crew behind it started celebrating the 30th anniversary this past summer with a string of very loud showcases, and now we’re getting what appears to be the main event: an all-ages Mainroom bash with hometown punk greats Dillinger Four, their only local gig of the year. "With these shows, the emphasis is on all ages and bringing all the different generations of the punk scene together as much as possible,” longtime Extreme Noise volunteer Phil Schwarz explained to Racket in July. Schwarz will be spinning with other DJs at First Ave, where there’ll be a fun sampler platter of opening bands: Home Front, Canal Irreal, Condominium, and Buio Omega. All ages. $30-$35. 5 p.m. 701 N. First Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Pissfest
Varsity Theater
If the old punk guard’ll be at First Ave this Saturday, the younger, queerer cohort will be at the second annual Pissfest. That’s where buzzy local pop-punk trio Vial—whose thoughts on TikTok and touring are available via Racket—will lead a showcase featuring NYC-based Hopeless Records signees Sorry Mom, Virginia punks Destructo Disk, Picked to Click finisher Anita Velveeta, and the wonderfully named MC/drag performer Kenty Poussée Fatale. Why is it called Pissfest? Well, Vial timed the inaugural one to the 2023 release of their Nirvana cover, “Territorial Pissings,” and it seems they figured: Why interrupt a good thing mid-stream? $28-$69. 6 p.m. 1308 SE Fourth St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Holiday Tree Lighting
Union Depot
If you’re planning on stopping by Union Depot’s holiday megamarket, this Saturday is a good day to do it. Not only is the market raging all day, but the evening will be filled with freebies and extra things to see and do. For the button and pin freaks out there (I know you’re reading), the St. Paul Winter Carnival will kick off the party by unveiling its collectible 2025 button, followed by holiday tunes from the Mistletones, free hot cocoa, craft activities, and fun for kids. At 7 p.m., folks will move outside to the North Plaza for the big ol’ tree lighting ceremony, which will boast a fireworks show and a sing-along. At 7:30 p.m., Union Depot will fire up an indoor movie screen for your millionth chance to see Elf (blankets and lawn chairs are welcome). Best of all, it’s all free. 5 to 9 p.m. 214 Fourth St. E., St. Paul; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
Meshell Ndegeocello
Walker Art Center
At 56, Ndegeocello is far from the brashly androgynous neosoul precursor who broke on MTV in the ’90s. On her recent albums, the nimble bassist mixes jazz, funk, and poetry in equal measures; her latest, No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin, is a conversation of sorts with Audre Lorde as well as Baldwin, keyed to a belief that Black liberation will require art as well as power. I’m curious to see how the record, which includes appearances from multiple spoken-word poets, takes shape in a performance that’s being called “a theatrical live rendition.” $25+. 6:30 & 9 p.m. 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Santa Cycle Rampage
The Loop Minneapolis
You had us at “festive and beer-fueled”! This Saturday is the 11th year of Twin Cities Santa Cycle Rampage, the bike ride that dares to ask: What if 100 or so cyclists dressed up in their finest North Pole-inspired outfits, covered their bikes in lights and tinsel, and rode around to a half-dozen breweries, spreading merriment (and having a few drinks) along the way? The ride starts at 10 a.m., but you can meet up at any stop—Utepils, La Doña, Broken Clock—and engage in the festivities as long as ya like. Prepare to be met with honks/cheers from the delighted/confused folks you pass throughout the day. Free. 10 a.m. 606 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis; more info here.—Em Cassel
SUNDAY 12.8
Yasujirō Ozu in Color
Trylon
For more than three decades, both before and after the war, director Yasujirō Ozu charted the shifting relationships between the generations in Japan with quiet, evenhanded sympathy. This month, Trylon showcases the final stage of his career, with four of the six films he shot in color. Good Morning (1959), is a lighthearted tale about two boys who take a vow of silence until their parents buy a new TV. Equinox Flower (1958), the first film Ozu shot in colour, concerns an older couple whose daughter decides to marry a man they’ve never met. Late Autumn (1960) is Ozu’s final film with the great Setsuko Hara, who plays a mother trying to get her daughter married. And in his final film, An Autumn Afternoon (1962), Chishû Ryû, who appeared in 52 of Ozu’s 54 films, tries to arrange a marriage for his youngest daughter. But plot synopses barely hint at the subtleties of an Ozu film; they often glide along with such little outward drama that only at the conclusion does their emotional impact hit. And if you’re the kind of person who takes note of such things (or even if you aren’t), each film will be shown in 35mm. $8. 2820 E. 33rd St., Minneapolis; find complete showtimes and more info here. Through December 29—Keith Harris
ONGOING
Art & Artifact: Murals From the Minneapolis Uprising
Katherine E. Nash Gallery
When George Floyd was murdered by police on May 25, 2020, Minnesotans took to the streets in protests, building owners boarded up their doors and windows, and artists created art. “I just felt so hopeful seeing the boards, seeing the plywood murals coming up, seeing the art around 38th and Chicago,” Leesa Kelly of Memorialize the Movement told Em Cassel at the time. As businesses reopened, she and her org have worked on collecting these pieces made from humble plywood and spray paint, which otherwise would have ended up in the trash, destroyed from outdoor exposure, or crassly sold online. The collection is now at over 1,000 boards; this fall you can view a selection of artworks in their archives, curated by former MM intern Amira McLendon, at the U of M. 405 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis. Through December 7—Jessica Armbruster
Minneapolis Christkindl Market
North Loop Green
No, you’re not at the Union Depot in St. Paul or Holidazzle in downtown Minneapolis. You’re in the North Loop, silly, and they have their own mega-Christmas market thing this year. Here 30 or so vendors will sell traditional holiday ornaments, wooden toys, nutcrackers, steins, felt dolls, hand-knit hats, beeswax candles, moss art, and more, with a weekly lineup of entertainment onstage, and Santa and Krampus stopping by most weekends. Food and hot drinks will be plentiful, including German brats and glühwein, Polish and French pastries, raclette, Turkish treats, and Nordic waffles on a stick. 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. Through December 22—Jessica Armbruster
European Christmas Market
Union Depot
It’s the big one, folks. Every year, Union Depot hosts a huge holiday market featuring local makers and crafters selling traditional gifts, including thick wool sweaters, giant beer steins, cured meats, wood toys, and tin ornaments. Each weekend there’ll be live music and traditional dance, as well as appearances from Krampus, sled dogs, Santa, and reindeer. Food options include savory brats, subs, and pretzels, as well as sweet treats like hot donuts and pies. Also important to know: There will be beer and gluhwein. Find more info at stpaulchristmasmarket.org. Free. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sun. 214 Fourth St. E., St. Paul. Through December 22—Jessica Armbruster
Kara Walker: Harper's Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated)
Weisman Art Museum
First published in 1862, Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War collects numerous contemporary maps, portraits, and other illustrations from Winslow Homer that appeared in the magazine during the conflict. As you might expect, there’s a genteel coffee-table stateliness to the proceedings, ideal for Kara Walker to disturb with her trademark cut-paper silhouettes. Walker’s style, which draws upon exaggerated Black stereotypes and other crude graphics, has become so familiar over the years that it may no longer be as immediately startling as it once was, but this 2023 exhibit, organized by the New Britain Museum of American Art and The Museum Box, showcases her continued vitality. Free. 333 E. River Pkwy., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through December 29—Keith Harris
Winter SKOLstice
Viking Lakes
Winter—make it sports, but also festive. That’s the vibe at this annual Vikings-hosted winter wonderland. Should you make your way out to their Eagan facility, you’ll find holiday light installations great for photo ops, live rock acts most weekends, and a warming house offering a stacked lineup of brews, eats, and cocktails. The ice rink is free and open to all, so bring your skates or rent a pair for $5. Magic of Lights, a winding holiday light installation, is available to drive through at $25 to $30 a car. In January, they’ll add an ice maze and more skating rinks. Free. 2685 Vikings Circle, Eagan; find more info here. Through January 5—Jessica Armbruster
Winter Lights
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum
It’s not just the holiday season right now—it’s also sparkling lights season. For winter, the Arboretum has festooned its many trees with the twinklers, creating a special one-mile stroll with plenty to see and do along the way. That includes a winter woods camp scene, a giant lit-up honeycrisp apple you can walk through, and live music most nights from chorale and orchestral groups. The warming house will have s’mores and other treats for sale, including a bar with warm drinks. At $30 a ticket it’s a bit spendy, but kids under 15 get in free on regular non-event nights. Check online for times, but the lights mostly run from 5 to 10 p.m. on weekends and 5 to 9 p.m. weekdays. 3675 Arboretum Dr., Chaska; find more info here. Through January 5—Jessica Armbruster
Night Trains
Twin City Model Railroad Museum
Halloween is over, and you know what that means: It’s Night Trains season at the Model Railroad Museum! If you’ve never been to the Model Railroad Museum, this is the way to experience it. They’ll turn down the house lights and let the miniature train models show off their cozy glow while they weave through towns that are buried in blizzards or lit up with holiday decorations. It’s quaint as hell; you’re gonna love it. There are some special nights on the books—we hear Santa shows up on December 14 and 21—and did we mention that the museum turns 90 friggin’ years old this year? No better time to visit this St. Paul gem. $15; free for children four and under. 3-7 p.m. Saturdays (check online for bonus nights). 668 Transfer Rd., Suite 8, St. Paul; tickets and more info here. Through February 22—Em Cassel
Unveiling 1,000 Nesting Dolls
The Museum of Russian Art
Did you know that the largest collection of Russian nesting dolls in the U.S. is located right off the Diamond Lake entrance to I-35W? Now that you know, how do you feel about that? The Museum of Russian Art will begin presenting its Matryoshka dolls (to use the proper Russian term) to the public; they’ll be on display until March 9. And since it’s likely been a while since you popped in at TMORA (I myself am always overdue for a visit), while you’re there, be sure to take in Alexander Viazmensky’s watercolors of Russian mushrooms, a recently opened exhibit. 5500 Stevens Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through March 9, 2025—Keith Harris
