Fall Events
In Minneapolis, there’s always something going on! Check out our picks for the week, month and fall season.
Minnesota Renaissance Festival
August 21st-October 3rd, 2021 (only weekends)
Plus Labor Day, September 6th & Fest Friday, October 1st, 2021
9:00am-7:00pm, rain or shine
King Henry and his royal court invite one and all to his 16th Century European village featuring over a dozen stages of live entertainment. Over 250 artisans fill the Festival marketplace to display and sell their handcrafted wares for a truly unique shopping experience. Patrons can interact with hundreds of memorable characters roaming the village streets as well as view live armored jousting throughout the day.
Minneapolis Monarch Festival
September 11th, 2021
10:00am-4:00 pm
Lake Nokomis Community Center
The Festival celebrates the monarch butterfly amazing 2,300 mile migration from Minnesota to Mexico with music, food, dance, hands-on art, native plant sales and plenty of opportunities to get up close with monarch butterflies, learn about their habitats, and what you can do to make a difference.
Open Streets - West Broadway
September 11th, 2021
11:00am-5:00pm
West Broadway Ave from Penn Ave N to Lyndale Ave N
More than a street festival, Open Streets Minneapolis brings together communities to temporarily close part of West Broadway to car traffic. The street will be completely open for people to explore their communities in a whole new way.
Open Streets West Broadway is hosted locally by the West Broadway Business & Area Coalition in partnership with the City of Minneapolis & Our Streets Minneapolis.
PROTEST: A Revolutionary Rock Opus
September 13th, 2021
6:30pm–8:30pm
Bauhaus Brew Labs
Join this special live musical event featuring a range of musical artists known both locally and nationally. PROTEST pays tribute to the female activists that have made a substantial impact on their communities, politics, and the world. Bauhaus will donate $1 per every drink sold during from the event with proceeds going to Hopewell Music Cooperative of North Minneapolis
Oktoberfest At Utepils
September 17th-18th & 24th-25th, 2021
Utepils Brewing
Oktoberfest season is back and we are ready to party! Join Utepils for 4 days of family fun, music, food and of course, beer. Admission is free on Fridays and $5 (12 & Under Free) on Saturday's.
Harvest Festival
September 18, 2021
12pm-10pm
Boom Island Brewing Company
Join Boom Island Brewing for their Harvest Festival. The event will have special beer releases (Pumpkin Spice Autumn Ale), live music, food trucks, games & more!
LOLA Artist's Weekend
September 18th-19th, 2021
10:00am-5:00pm (both days)
Throughout the Longfellow neighborhood
In 2021, LoLa is hosting a LoLa Artist’s weekend! Visit over 60 local artists throughout the greater Longfellow neighborhood in Minneapolis. There is a wide variety of art available for purchase at both area businesses and at artists homes. Spend a few hours or the whole weekend visiting the various sites!
Twin Cities Ukrainian Heritage Festival
September 19th, 2021
12:00pm-5:00pm
Ukrainian American Community Center
Bring family and friends to this FREE, OUTDOOR ONLY event!
Explore, discover, and celebrate Ukrainian culture and its unique traditions in the Twin Cities at the Ukrainian Heritage festival. Get entertained, enjoy delicious homemade Ukrainian food like varenyky, holubtsi, and borsch, and simply have fun! Come waltz and polka with Ukrainian Village Band, a Ukrainian roots band, playing folk & modern music.
7th Annual Schwandtoberfest
September 25th, 2021
Starts at 12:00pm
Bauhaus Brew Labs
Bauhaus is at it again! Join them for their Annual Schwandtoberfest. This free event will have music by Viva Knievel and friends and food from Animales Burger Co. and Gerhard’s Brats. Keeper steins will beavailable for purchase!
Borough Block Party
September 25th, 2021
2:00pm-10:00pm
Borough
Borough Block Party is back! This free event will have live music, food & drinks from Borough and Parlour. All ages are welcome!
ARTCRANK 2021
September 25th, 2021
1:00pm-7:00pm
Fulton Production Brewery (Northeast)
ARTCRANK returns to Minneapolis with a new show featuring handmade, bike-inspired prints by more than 40 artists from around the Twin Cities!
The roster for the 2021 show is a mixture of returning artists and new ones. For the first time, artists will include from beyond the Twin Cities and Minnesota, representing 13 states and four countries.
Twin Cities Arab Film Fest
September 29th-October 3rd, 20121
Times Vary (check website for specifics!)
Trylon Cinema & Virtual
The fifteenth edition of Mizna’s Twin Cities Arab Film Fest returns to Minneapolis–St. Paul September 29–October 3, 2021. This year’s fest will be held in a hybrid format, combining in-person and online film screenings and events. The in-person components of the festival will take place at Trylon Cinema in Minneapolis and virtual screenings will be accessible across the US.
Mid-Autumn Mini Film Festival
October 1st, 2021
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Northrup King Building
Starting with stories of diasporic hope from the 70's, and ending in current Asian America, "Mid-Autumn Mini Film Festival" is a screening of local works from community filmmakers curated into an experience where the audience journeys through time exploring futurism, and happiness. Gather with community to witness, and reimagine smiles reflecting the depths inside our hearts and to remember that we are the ones shaping our future.
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
October 1st - November 7th, 2021
The Minnesota Zoo
Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular is back for a second year at the Minnesota Zoo! An enchanted forest, nestled in the heart of the Zoo, plays host to this strolling exhibit. The trail features over 5,000 illuminated pumpkins of all different sizes, shapes and faces creatively carved and displayed from ground to tree-top. A variety of musical vignettes and fog make the perfect back drop for a special date night or family-friendly, fall outing!
Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend
October 1st-3rd, 2021
Registration is underway for the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, running from downtown Minneapolis to the State Capitol grounds in St. Paul! Accomplish a bold feat, savor the scenic beauty and stride as two Cities cheer you on. Run for charity. Run for fitness. Run to write your personal success story. Run the most revered event in Minnesota running...run the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon.
Nordeast Big River Brew Fest
October 2nd, 2021
1:00pm-4:00pm
East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 2nd St. NE
This year, we're bringin' in the fizz! Not only will you be able to sample beer, you'll be able to sample a wide variety of hard seltzers, kombucha, teas, and more! Come sample beverages, snack on great food, listen to live music by The Arcanes, drink from a free tasting mug, and be part of the craft brew community at this East Side event.
The Great Pumpkin Fest
October 2nd - October 31st, 2021
Saturdays & Sundays only
Valleyfair
During the day, tiny terrors can join Snoopy and the rest of the PEANUTS gang for some not-so-scary Halloween activities for kids at The Great Pumpkin Fest! Enjoy your favorite rides, live entertainment and great fall activities at The Great Pumpkin Fest including Trick or Treat Street, Peppermint Patty's Haybale Maze, Sally's Craft Corner, the Great Pumpkin Parade and more!
Twin Cities Oktoberfest
October 8th-9th, 2021
Minnesota State Fairgrounds, Historic Progress Center building
Twin Cities Oktoberfest brings together food, fun and beer at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Progress Center. This two-day event features a wide selection of beers, wines, hard ciders, authentic German food, live music, traditional German entertainment, great people watching, festival games, shopping and more. Tickets are needed to attend!
Open Streets - Lyndale
October 10th, 2021
11:00am-5:00pm
Lyndale Ave S from 22nd St W to 54th St W
Open Streets Minneapolis is a free event bringing together community groups and local businesses to temporarily close major thoroughfares to car traffic, opening them up for people walking, biking, rolling, and playing.
Residents and visitors explore their neighborhood in a safe, fun, family-friendly environment. Each event encourages people to use active modes of transportation, engage in healthy living, and rethink our streets as public space. Open Streets Minneapolis is a unique opportunity to promote healthy living, local businesses, sustainable transportation, and civic pride in Minneapolis.
2021 Twin Cities Book Festival
October 16th, 2021
Minnesota State Fair Grounds
The revamped live 2021 Twin Cities Book Festival experience, taking place on Saturday, October 16th, will still offer bibliophiles all the joys of in-person browsing, meeting writers and publishers, and activities for readers age 1 to 101. They’ll do all this safely and with health guidelines shaping occupancies, crowd flow, and more—and will detail all of this clearly so our guests can make the choices best for them.
Timberwolves Home Opener
October 20th, 2021
7:00pm
Target Center
Get your tickets for the Timberwolves home opener, where the wolves will take on the Houston Rockets!
Open Streets - Minnehaha
October 24th, 2021
11:00am-5:00pm
Minnehaha Ave from East Lake St to 46th St E
Open Streets Minneapolis is a free event bringing together community groups and local businesses to temporarily close major thoroughfares to car traffic, opening them up for people walking, biking, rolling, and playing.
Residents and visitors explore their neighborhood in a safe, fun, family-friendly environment. Each event encourages people to use active modes of transportation, engage in healthy living, and rethink our streets as public space. Open Streets Minneapolis is a unique opportunity to promote healthy living, local businesses, sustainable transportation, and civic pride in Minneapolis.
Art Attack
November 5th-7th, 2021
Northrup King Building
Enjoy a weekend packed with the visual artworks of over 300 visual artists and the sounds of a variety of singer/songwriters and composers. Put on your walking shoes and allow plenty of time to explore the 4 floors of the Northrup King Building, talk with the artists, listen to the music and try your hand at an interactive art activity.