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MONDAY 8.10
Minnesota Fringe Festival
Various Locations
Theater fanatics: Your marathon awaits you. Every August, the Minnesota Fringe Festival 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 cliché 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 there will be joyfully silly 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 (I sure did a few times last weekend), it will be blessedly short. But oh, when you find a gem it’s truly magic (ditto). While you’re in line, ask people what they’ve seen and liked to help you find the good stuff, and stay tuned to Racket, as we’ll be posting a ton of reviews over the next few days. Folks, I saw around 20 shows last weekend. I fringed. And you can still fringe, too. Plan your Fringe by checking out the schedule at minnesotafringe.org. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster
TUESDAY 8.11
Tiny Tuesdays
Eagles #34
Ever wished that a band’s set was shorter? Well, there's no shame in that—you’re a busy person, and we live in a fast-paced modern society! The Eagles' monthly Tiny Tuesdays series is for you. Every second Tuesday of the month, five performers are allotted 12 minutes each, which adds up to a solid hour of music, leaning on the experimental side, and that's plenty for a Tuesday. This time ‘round, performers include True Green, who have a great album out this year in Hail Disaster, as well Living Bloom, Third Date, Change Of, and Boy in the Rose Garden. $5–$10. 8 p.m. 2507 E. 25th St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
WEDNESDAY 8.12
Twin Cities Black Pride Festival 2026
Various Locations
June may be Pride month, but Pride celebrations exist year-round. This week, a ton of events focus on Black joy, queerness, and family, with a mix of things to see, do, and connect with. Happenings include a sip and/or smoke painting session at the QT Castle, a boat cruise in Stillwater, and a brunch at Butcher and the Boar. On Thursday there’ll be a free youth fair at the Sabathani Center, where teens can check out local resources, find support, enjoy snacks, play games, learn about career and job opportunities, and score free haircuts and backpacks for back to school. The party closes out on Sunday with a free family day in Powderhorn Park featuring entertainment, food trucks, a local business market, and Twin Cities nonprofits. Check online for tickets and the complete event schedule. Through Sunday—Jessica Armbruster
THURSDAY 8.13
Pro Wrestling Talk/F1rst Wrestling Live
Oakdale Library
A couple of weeks ago, an astounding number of wrestling matches took over the Twin Cities, from mega WWE fights at U.S. Bank Stadium to local happenings at the Uptown VFW. This week, however, we’ve got something really special: free pro wrestling at Oakdale Library. This is a two-tiered event. On Thursday, author, ring announcer, and pro wrestling historian George Schire will host a talk on the history of the sport (registration is required; do it here). Then, on Saturday, the folks at F1rst Wrestling are putting on a show outside on the library’s lawn. There’ll be a kid-friendly art activity before athletes take to the ring, and this week the Minnesota Historical Society will display photos that revisit the fashion and freaks of the sport. Public libraries, what can’t you do? I also love that the library has these events tagged as “lifelong learning”—hell yeah they are. Free. 6 p.m. Thu. lecture; 1–3 p.m. Sat. performance. 1010 Heron Ave. N., Oakdale; find more info here. Also Saturday—Jessica Armbruster
FRIDAY 8.14
Loring Alley Live
The Alley Behind Gai Noi
Built abutting Minneapolis’s Loring Park in 1911, the Fawkes Building is probably better known to you, the non-architectural historian, as the place that currently houses Gai Noi and once housed Nick and Eddie, Bar Lucat, the Loring Café, and, sure, whatever, The Bird. Through all those restaurant incarnations, the building boasted one of our town’s best throwback alleyways, and for the past five years Loring Alley Live has thrown a free mini music fest in that very spot. This year we’ll get Mediterranean-tinged pop-rockers Vittorio and the Bridges, local singer-songwriter star/former tiny house owner Jeremy Messersmith, soft-rockers Beemer, and violin ace Jillian Rae, plus there will be salsa dancing, a food truck, and alcohol, organizers promise. Sounds like a helluva deal. Free. 4 p.m. 1621 Harmon Place, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Lakeside Guitar Festival
Como Lakeside Pavilion
Guitars are back. Charli XCX’s irony-soaked “Rock Music” more or less declares the noble six-stringer is back in business, and we think the culture is better off for it. Since 2013 the Lakeside Guitar Fest has been less interested in pop music trends and more interested in delivering free, outdoor, genre-spanning live music in a gorgeous setting. (Watch LGF co-director Molly Maher tease this year's fest via KSTP.) Friday'll feature Zacc Harris, Chastity Brown with Terrell X, Jeronimo Gonzalez and Jorge Servin playing on a damn floating swan stage, and Virginia-launched fingerstyle phenom Yasmin Williams. Come Saturday you'll get Erik Koskinen with Nieves del Norte, Jeff Ray Trio, Obi Original and the Black Atlantics, and A Prairie Home Companion vet Pat Donohue with Richard Kriehn; true ax-heads can shut the night down with a ticket performance from Minnesota's Last Waltz. Shred on! Free. 6–9:15 p.m. Fri.; 11 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., followed by a ticketed show 6–9 p.m. Sat. 1360 Lexington Parkway N., St. Paul; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Cameron Esposito
Sisyphus Brewing
A dozen or so years ago, Chicagoland native Cameron Esposito blew up in the alt-comedy world, appearing on Maron, Comedy Bang! Bang!, and her own sitcom, Take My Wife, with ex-wife River Butcher. Is the 44-year-old new mother showing signs of slowing down? She is not. The New York Times praised her 2025 special, Four Pills, as the Best Auteurist Special of the year. And it’s neat that Esposito, whose loyal LGBTQ+ fans would surely pack a small theater, is instead playing Sisyphus Brewing’s killer room. $25. 7 & 9 p.m. Fri.–Sat. 712 Ontario Ave. W. #100, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Josh Johnson's Comedy Band Camp
Orpheum Theatre
A Daily Show fixture, Johnson has become one of comedy’s brightest and most incisive stars. His debut HBO special, Symphony, dropped earlier this year, and his Comedy Band Camp tour in support of it is loaded with musical interludes. “This is the camp experience Josh never had so he made it for you,” states the promo material. For a complete rundown of all things John Johnson circa 2026, consult his recent appearance on Deadline’s Comedy Means Business podcast. $72–$127. 7 p.m. Fri.; 5 & 8:30 p.m. Sat.–Sun. 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
SATURDAY 8.15
Augtoberfest
Insight Brewing
Real Oktoberfest-heads know that the German beer festival actually starts in mid-September, but at Insight, they won’t even make you wait that long. Augtoberfest is back, and to celebrate, the brewery is: releasing four beers in collaboration with St. Paul’s Waldmann Brewing, bringing back its Schickemode festbier, inviting the New Ulm Concord Singers and Edelweiss German dance troupe to perform, and serving up German fare. There’ll also be custom steins and a stein-hoisting competition, as well as other drinking games and “general merriment.” Prost! Free. 1–8 p.m. 2821 E. Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Em Cassel
Uptown Porchfest
Various Locations
Live music isn’t dead, but scalpers and Ticketmaster’s monopoly are doing their best to kill it. Entry-level tickets to see Noah Kahan at Target Field last week were going for $400–$500 on resale, so unless you’re willing to skimp on groceries for a bit, stadium tickets might be off the table. But music doesn’t really sound any better when it’s played on a massive stage, and the hottest low-cost venue this week is your neighbor’s porch. Uptown Porchfest brings local bands to local porches for a day of little free concerts. It’s a grassroots-organized tradition that’s just getting bigger every year. This week, a whopping 85 bands will perform from porches throughout the Wedge, covering a wide span of genres—everything from rock to classical to whatever “cute gaze mew-mew metal ethereal indie” is. (Check out Ditch Pigeon if you’re interested in that last one.) Food trucks and bathrooms will be available at Mueller Park, but attendees are encouraged to eat at local businesses as well. Free. 1–6 p.m. Find locations and more info here.—Clare O’Connor
India Fest
Minnesota State Capitol
India Fest is your chance to celebrate Indian Independence Day in St. Paul. Or, just appreciate Indian culture at this ever-growing festival that gets bigger each year. Over 100 booths will feature local organizations, traditional dishes, cultural groups, vendors, and more. Onstage, you’ll find a variety of music and dance acts, including Bollywood-themed shows. It’s a good way to spend a day on the Capitol lawn. Free. 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul; find more info online here. August 15—Jessica Armbruster
Big Thief
Surly Brewing Festival Field
The sound of Big Thief’s 2025 album, Double Infinity, put me off at first because this band’s substance has been so bound up in its style. Bassist Max Oleartchik is gone, and with him, coincidentally or not, that sprung a sense of communal creation that was Big Thief’s hallmark. Then I got over myself, and I could hear that all-encompassing wash of reverb not as an airbrushing of idiosyncrasies but just Adrienne Lenker’s latest way of getting cosmic. Unlike most rock mystics, Lenker never comes off like she’s out to start a cult, which is one reason hers is so devoted. Now 34, she acknowledges her insecurities (“I’m afraid of getting older/That’s what I’ve learned to say,” “I’m happy with you/Why do I need to explain myself”) only to let them wash over her with a radical acceptance that appears also to ensure really good sex. Hand me my robe and point me to the compound, kind sister. “Swallow poison, swallow sugar,” Lenker muses. “Sometimes they taste the same.” Like elderberry wine, as another brilliant contemporary of hers might say. $69.88. 6 p.m. 520 Malcolm Ave. SE, Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
SUNDAY 8.16
Mondo Queer Beach Party
Lake Nokomis 50th Street Beach
TIGERRS (Transgender, Intersex, Gender-Expansive Revolutionary Resources & Services) is inviting everyone, “from our gender fabulous kids all the way to our amazing elders,” to a queer beach day on Lake Nokomis! BYO sunscreen, sanitizer, and masks if you’d like—this is a fun and COVID-conscious hang. They’ll have snacks and refreshing bevs to share; everything is free, but any donations will help fund TIGERRS’ youth groups and intergenerational events. All ages. Free. Noon to 5 p.m. 5000 Lake Nokomis Parkway E., Minneapolis; (“look for the pride flags hanging from the trees and poles!”); find more info here.—Em Cassel
Summer Splash Dog Pool Party
Pet Haven Headquarters
Or perhaps a canine pool party is more the vibe? Help your dogs beat the heat at Pet Haven’s Summer Splash, where they’ll have more than 50 pup pools. (Note that this isn’t a Fido free-for-all—keep your dogs leashed while they play, please!) When your pup’s paw pads start to get pruny, take a break from the H2O and check out the pet flea market or grab some food; they’ll have The Salsa Spot food truck on site, plus ice cream of the human and canine variety. The fun also includes face painting, a dunk tank, caricatures, and carnival games. Free. Noon to 3 p.m. 505 Minnehaha Ave. W., St. Paul; find more info here.—Em Cassel
ONGOING
Once Upon a Time in Manhood
Walker Art Center
This summer, our fancy modern art museum hands the keys of the Walker Cinema (I know that metaphor doesn’t quite work, just roll with it) to Dallas Goldtooth, who looks back on his youth and the movies that shaped him with a series of films from the '80s and '90s. Goldtooth is an Indigenous (Mdewakanton Dakota/Diné) comic/writer/activist who summered in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis; you probably know him best from Reservation Dogs, where he played William "Spirit" Knifeman, the somewhat unreliable warrior who appears as a vision to Bear. The series starts off with movies that feature Indigenous characters—Ron Howard’s Willow, Michael Mann’s The Last of the Mohicans—and concludes with Taika Waititi’s Boy. In between come some touchstones of cinematic masculinity: Die Hard, The Shawshank Redemption, and Fight Club. $15 ($12 for Walker members.) 725 Vineland Place, Minneapolis; find showtimes and more info here. Through August 14—Keith Harris
“Living Threads”
Rosalux Gallery
“What does it mean to carry a culture within you—its patterns, its language, its stars?” That’s the query explored in Hend Al-Mansour’s latest exhibition, opening this weekend at Rosalux. The Saudi-American artist, based in St. Paul, creates engaging installations exploring life and the meaning of it, often with a focus on the experiences of Muslim women. This show is a mix of mediums, with embroidery work, painting, and large-scale screen printing, featuring nods to Middle Eastern architecture, American Sign Language, astronomy, and geometry. 315 W. 48th St., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through August 30—Jessica Armbruster
Taking the Scenic Route
Trylon
Road trips? In this economy? Fortunately, to save you the cost and hassle of driving across our large, dumb country, the Trylon is screening 14 cinematic road trips throughout the summer. And we’re working with a very expansive definition of “road trip” here, broad enough to take in both Chantal Akerman’s Je Tu Il Elle and The Muppet Movie, at least one of which is sure to sell out quickly. You can catch the muppets on Trylon’s fancy new laser projector, as well as Paris, Texas, because Nastassja Kinski deserves to be seen in the highest definition possible. A mess of these will be on 35mm film, including Ingmar Bergman’s Wild Strawberries (a stone classic even if the dream sequence bored you in film class), It Happened One Night (simply one of the funniest movies of all time), and Two-Lane Blacktop (the definitive ’70s American road race movie). And each screening will only cost you $8, which wouldn’t get you enough gas to get out of the metro area. 2820 E. 33rd St., Minneapolis; find complete listings, showtimes, and more info here. Through September 29—Keith Harris
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 4—Jessica Armbruster
“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. At tonight’s opening, he’ll be in conversation with curator Taylor Jasper about how the Mississippi informs the installation. 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
