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MONDAY 8.31
Minnesota State Fair
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
Let’s send off summer with the most epic goodbye possible: the Great Minnesota Get-Together, where sunburns and treats on a stick abound. The new food and drink lists are up, Racket’s day-one mega-review and accompanying podcast ep went live last Friday, and, if you’re looking for even more sure things, you can revisit our hits and misses from 2025, 2024, and 2023, or just enjoy our fair coverage tag here. Grandstand shows abound (see below for some highlights), along with over 900 free shows. And there will be costumed llamas, adorable baby chicks, thrill rides in the Midway and Kidway, heavy-duty farm equipment for sale, and exhibitions dedicated to seed art, scarecrows, jarred veggies, leather wear, and pretty much anything else you can imagine. It’s all here, gang. $18–$20. Daily gate hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Labor Day. 1265 Snelling Ave. N., St. Paul; find more info at mnstatefair.org. Through September 7—Jessica Armbruster
TUESDAY 9.1
Wu-Tang Clan
Mystic Lake Amphitheater
It’s never a bad idea to read the fine print with these nostalgia tours, especially with such a sprawling crew, but this is the real Wu. Everyone except the late Ol’ Dirty (represented here by his son, named—what else?—Young Dirty Bastard) is along for the ride, even honorary member (or did he get sworn in at some point?) Cappadonna. The tour, dubbed Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber, began a full year ago, and its 30-song set typically includes solo tracks from Meth, Ghost, Rae, and GZA. Sounds like a hell of a victory lap for a hip-hop institution. If you’re looking for a way to end this summer, this show, my friends, is nothing to fuck with. $49 and up. 7:30 p.m. 700 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee; find more info here.—Keith Harris
Kassa Overall
Berlin
I first learned of hip jazz drummer Kassa Overall in, depending on your perspective, the hippest or lamest way: through his collaborations with Kool A.D. of Das Racist, which led me back to his loose take on early '10s pop and rap, Stargate Mixtape. Overall has grown up some since then but remains playful, committing to jazz without abandoning hip-hop. His latest album, Cream, is styled as Elvin Jones tackling rap standards, which here means not just jazzy rap like Tribe and Digable Planets but Biggie, OutKast, Dre, Juvenile, and, as the title suggests, Wu-Tang, along with Eddie Harris’s “Freedom Jazz Dance” for good measure. His band for this engagement consists of Matt Wong on piano and Emilio Modeste on sax, who perform on the album, and Giulio Xavier stepping in on bass. On Tuesday half-local bassist Melvin Gibbs (he splits his time between here and Brooklyn) opens; the Minneapolis trumpet/DJ duo dzWünder (DeCarlo Jackson and wndrlnd) open on Wednesday. $22/$25. 7 p.m. 204 N. First St., Minneapolis; find more info here. Also Wednesday—Keith Harris
Billy Wilder: Ready for His Close-Up
Heights Theater
Somehow, this has become the summer of Norma Desmond. The two most sexed-up movies of 2026, I Want Your Sex and Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, both explicitly reference Sunset Boulevard and Gloria Swanson’s reclusive, delusional silent-film star. So what better time to revisit the German expatriate who brought some of the least sentimental American comedies to the screen, along with a few of its more acidic dramas? The Heights is serving up eight of Wilder’s landmark films, beginning with the anti-Soviet (or maybe just pro-luxury) romp Ninotchka and closing in October with Sunset Boulevard itself. Along the way, you also get stone-classic noir Double Indemnity; the cynical satire of U.S. media Ace in the Hole; signature Marilyn Monroe feature The Seven Year Itch; the Berlin-set Cold War satires One, Two Three and A Foreign Affair; and the Audrey Hepburn vehicle Sabrina. That’s a lotta film history for one short month. 3951 Central Ave. NE, Columbia Heights; find dates, showtimes, and more info here. Through October 1—Keith Harris
Twin Cities River Rats
Mississippi River
Just like the arrival of Labor Day and the Minnesota State Fair, you know that summer is winding down when the Twin Cities River Rats finish their production run. And this Tuesday is their final show of the season, alas. In this installment, the Mighty Mississippi becomes the Never River, as the Rats tell the story of Peter Pan via waterskis. There will be stunts, formations, and death-defying jumps and lifts as Peter, Wendy, the Lost Boys, and Tinkerbell fight the dreaded Captain Hook. Bring the kids and lawn chairs for the gang’s final sendoff to summer. Free. 6:40 p.m. 1758 West River Rd. N. (the banks of the Mississippi River, between Broadway and Plymouth Avenue bridges), Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
WEDNESDAY 9.2
Vegan Night Market
Reverie Cafe
There’s something special about a foodstuffs market you don’t have to get up at daybreak to enjoy. So this monthly Vegan Night Shop at Reverie sounds pretty great. Starting at the reasonable hour of 5 p.m., guests can shop for wares from a variety of artists, artisans, and foodies outside on the patio. The best part? It’s all 100% vegan, meaning no sifting through ingredient lists. This is the final get-together of the season, so stock up on back-to-school goodies. Find more info on the Facebook event page. Free. 5–8 p.m. 1517 E. 35th St., Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
46th National Narrow Gauge Convention in the Twin Cities
DoubleTree—Bloomington Hotel
What is the National Narrow Gauge Convention, you ask, and who are the Twin Cities Narrow Gaugers? Folks: We’re talking about trains. “A narrow-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than 1,435 mm standard gauge,” the Wikipedia entry I scanned this morning reports. And train enthusiasts (do they like being called “foamers”?) will descend on Bloomington this week to check out exhibitors and vendors, attend clinics, and enjoy breathtaking model layouts made by other train enjoyers. Is the Twin Cities “home to many fine and world-class layouts as well, including many narrow-gauge layouts that will be open during our traditional, afternoon self-guided home layout tours?” Yep, you bet. $159 (includes free admission for family members). 6:30–9 p.m. Wed.; 8 a.m. to noon and 6–10 p.m. Thu.–Fri.; 8 a.m. to noon Sat. 7800 Normandale Blvd., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through Saturday—Em Cassel
THURSDAY 9.3
Dads for All - Twin Cities Kickoff
Lake Monster Brewing
Me? I’m not a dad. I’m also not a mom. But I have a dad, and a mom, and I think they’d tell you—raising kids ain’t always easy. (I mean, I was a perfect child, but still.) It can also be tough to find your people when you’re busy rearing youngins, which is where the new local chapter of Dads for All comes in. This is a place for dads to “connect, unwind, and see what we can build together,” according to organizers, who are keeping things lowkey for this first event: There’ll be drinks, free food, pickleball, and a Nintendo Switch you can play on a giant screen. Otherwise, it’s a chance to meet and mingle with other dads; stop by for a bit or stay for the whole evening. Free. 6–8 p.m. 550 Vandalia St., St. Paul; find more info here.—Em Cassel
FRIDAY 9.4
Isaiah Rashad
Fillmore
As the great rap critic Paul Thompson has put it, “It seems as if Isaiah Rashad only makes comeback albums.” For sure, this Top Dawg Entertainment signee doesn’t work fast: His latest, It’s Been Awful, is just his third album in a decade, and his first since The House Is Burning five years ago. It’s not quite the bummer that the title suggests, but dealing with a leaked sex tape, substance abuse, and a world where “Elon diggin’ through the cell phone records/Everything for sale, even hell” will wear on a guy. After TDE’s top dawg himself, Kendrick Lamar, called Rashad’s rhymes too “puzzle-y,” the Chattanooga-bred rapper simplified his style (“I’m just trying not to write in hieroglyphics,” he told Billboard) but he’s still denser than your regular diaristic rapper. “I promise you the new sublime,” he declares on the lead track, and if being your boyfriend doesn’t work, he offers to be your girlfriend. $43 and up. 6:30 p.m. 525 N. Fifth St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Keith Harris
A Night for Dolly
Aki's BreadHaus & WunderBar
To be fair, this is less of a night for Dolly and more of a happy hour. But if you’re looking for a way to toast to a truly beloved icon, here’s a party. There will be tunes, and folks are encouraged to dress in their favorite Dolly Parton-inspired getups. Tonight’s drink specials include a Flight of Many Colors wine flight and Jolene's Sangria (order tickets online to get them at a discounted rate). Bring a new or gently used children’s book to donate to Literacy Minnesota and you'll score $1 off the drink of your choosing. Free. 6–7:30 p.m. 1712 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis.—Jessica Armbruster
Break the Bubble
Padraigs Brewing
Meeting people in these parts if you didn’t attend kindergarten with them? Famously and/or infamously difficult! We published a damn feature story about the icy exteriors one must breach to kinda, sorta get to know native Minnesotans. Break the Bubble is here to help. The group “exists to help you meet new people and make friends in a purely social setting,” organizers write, and that means low-key hangs like this one at Padraigs Brewing, where interested parties can mingle while enjoying brewdawgs or other beverages. Maybe you’ll meet a fellow D&D friend. Perhaps you’ll encounter new bird-watching buddies. Maybe you’ll find the love of your life, though it is stipulated that BtB is not a matchmaking service—it’s just a way to be social without it being weird. Free. 5–9 p.m. 905 NE Broadway St., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
Paranormal Ghost Hunt
Pillsbury Club
When we had a member of the Twin Cities Paranormal Society on our podcast, she didn’t mention the Pillsbury Club as one of the metro’s most-haunted locations. But to hear organizer Minneapolis Trolley Tours tell it, the Gilded Age Minneapolis mansion that once belonged to Charles S. Pillsbury is teeming with ghosts, ghoulies, and (possibly) gremlins. You can see for yourself during this two-hour ghost hunt that’s explicitly billed as NOT a scripted tour—participants will assist honest-to-god paranormal investigators Greg Bakun and Charvinty in their pursuit of spirits. That means access to areas of the mansion that aren’t open to the public, plus access to “real ghost hunting equipment.” The experience ain’t cheap (boo, as it were), but ghost-curious Twin Citians don’t have many options this supernaturally appealing. $59. 9–11 p.m. 100 E. 22nd St., Minneapolis; find more info here. Through October—Jay Boller
SATURDAY 9.5
F1rst Wrestling Live
Oakdale Library
No, you’re not experiencing a glitch in the matrix; this event was originally scheduled for mid-August, but was postponed due to weather. Last month, 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. The folks at F1rst Wrestling are putting on a show outside on the library’s lawn, and there’ll be a kid-friendly art activity before athletes take to the ring. Want more? The Minnesota Historical Society has a display of photos in the library that revisits the fashion and freaks of the sport. Public libraries, what can’t you do? I also love that the library has this event tagged as “lifelong learning”—hell yeah it is. Free. 1–3 p.m. 1010 Heron Ave. N., Oakdale; find more info here.—Jessica Armbruster
SUNDAY 9.6
Keith Ellison’s Labor Day Picnic
Wabun Pavilion at Minnehaha Regional Park
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is busy politicking these days, considering he’s locked in a dead heat with Republican rival Ron Schutz, who, it must be stated, looks like the love child of John Waters and Mr. Burns. As always, Ellison is making time to chop it up with the pro-labor base at his annual picnic. In addition to barbeque, attendees can expect an afternoon of “community and solidarity”—nothing wrong with any of that. Elsewhere in the wide world of pro-labor Labor Day picnics: Monday’s get-together hosted by the Minnesota AFL-CIO, which'll go down at St. Paul's Riverside Regional Park. (The East Side Freedom Library and the Minnesota DFL have picnics scheduled for later in the month.) Free. Noon to 3 p.m. 4655 46th Ave. S., Minneapolis; find more info here.—Jay Boller
ONGOING
State Fair Grandstand Shows
State Fair Grandstand
With casinos statewide beefing up their concert offerings, the State Fair has faced a challenge drawing top talent to the ol’ Grandstand. But while this year’s lineup isn’t particularly timely—HARDY is the only contemporary star, unless AJR counts—it does offer the proverbial something for the proverbial everyone. The always brilliant Bonnie Raitt kicked things off, followed by eternal yukster “Weird Al” Yankovic. Maybe the Grandstand’s most anticipated show came from hometown boys Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis with a tribute to the Minneapolis Sound, while Americana newcomer Sierra Ferrell held it down for the Current’s “Music-on-a -Stick” show. Which brings us to the oldies acts—and I regret to tell you that TLC, Salt-N-Pepa, and En Vogue very much do count as such. For the oldies oldies, there’s Tommy James & the Shondells (with Herman's Hermits), though sadly, an ailing Rod Stewart had to bow out, to be replaced by local cover band Hairball. Nashville good guy Brad Paisley may not be the hitmaker he once was, but he can nail the “Purple Rain” solo if he so chooses, and Whitney pal CeCe Winans is a class act. All that and a free talent show. 1265 Snelling Ave., St. Paul; find more info here. Through Sunday—Keith Harris
Pickup Truck Opera: Tales of Hoffmann
Various Locations
Each summer, Mixed Precipitation’s Pickup Truck Opera offers a mashup of classic works, modern tunes, and current dilemmas to give us a delightful show in the park. This year the gang will be taking Jacques Offenbach’s 1881 opera, Tales of Hoffmann (Les Contes d’Hoffmann), and turning it into an accessible romp for all. The story follows a roving poet as he crosses paths with both technology and the supernatural, from robots to ghosts. Along the way there’ll be grunge tunes, R&B anthems, and yes, some opera. Bring a blanket. You can find a list of locations and make reservations at mixedprecipitation.org. $5–$45 suggested donation; teens and kids are free. This week’s preview show begins at 7:30 p.m. at Bronx Park Community Garden, 2500 Georgia Ave. S., St. Louis Park. Through September 13—Jessica Armbruster
“The Radical Act of Having Each Other’s Back”
FindFurnish
If there’s any lesson on resistance to be taken from Minnesota’s response to January’s hostile ICE takeover, it’s that we look out for and take care of our neighbors. For this group show, 26 Minnesota artists—Adam Turman, Biafra, Bump Opera, Harriet Bart, Jennifer Davis, Kao Lee Thao, Piotr Szyhalski, Wes Winship, and others—will reflect on the acts of kindness that held our communities together to the point of creating a movement. At the center of the exhibition is Iced Out Guernica, a huge 21’x7’ aerosol and acrylic painting created by Rock CYFI Martinez, EWOK, Hottea, and Shock, inspired by Picasso’s anti-war masterpiece. "Standing before Picasso's Guernica, I understood that bearing witness cannot be passive," says Martinez. "Art can preserve what official accounts overlook or attempt to erase.” Half of the proceeds from sales will benefit recovery efforts in the community. 2014 Central Ave. NE, Minneapolis; find more info here. Through September 20—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
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 Labor Day (Sep. 7) and 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
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
“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
