Fall Events

Minnesota Renaissance Festival

August 17th-September 29th, 2019 (only weekends)
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.

The Great Pumpkin Fest

September 14th - October 27th, 2019
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!

Surly Brewing Co. Trail Loppet

September 21st, 2019
9:00am-1:00pm
Theodore Wirth Park

On the course racers explore Theodore Wirth Park's hidden paths through woods, ponds, lakes, bogs, and wildflower gardens, and even catch the views of the dramatic Minneapolis skyline. After runners cross the finish line they can treat themselve to a cold one courtesy of Surly Brewing Company and enjoy live music in the shade of The Trailhead! Register now!

LOLA Art Crawl

September 21st-22nd, 2019
10:00am-5:00pm (both days)
Throughout the Longfellow neighborhood

For the eleventh year, participants are invited to visit with and take home art from any of the 119 artists displaying their works at 56 sites throughout the Longfellow neighborhood of South Minneapolis. The self-guided tour is free and allows visitors to enjoy and shop for locally created fine art and crafts at their own pace. A wide variety of styles and mediums are presented each year, including printmaking, jewelry, fiber, photography, glass, painting, clay, sculpture, woodworking, and mixed media.

Open Streets 2019, Nicollet

September 22nd, 2019
11:00am-5:00pm
Nicollet Ave from W Lake St to 46th 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.

Twin Cities Arab Film Fest

September 26th-29th, 2019
Times Vary (check website for specifics!)
St. Anthony Main Theatre

View more than 30 contemporary films from Palestine, Egypt, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, as well as those from local Arab filmmakers! Meet with local and visiting filmmakers, enjoy workshops, post-film discussions and debut screenings.

6th Annual Schwandtoberfest

September 28th, 2019
Starts at 12:00pm
Bauhaus Brew Labs

Bauhaus is at it again! Join them for their 6th Annual Schwandtoberfest. You’ll find a buffet with authentic German fare including food from Gerhard's Brats and Hoodlum BBQ, with a variety of vegetarian options, and a fantastic line-up of brews. It wouldn’t be Schwandtoberfest without a polka band, and you certainly must wear your Lederhosen!

Oktubrefest at La Doña

September 28th-29th, 2019
La Doña Cerveceria

You'll find limited edition beer steins, norteñas, food and more at the Oktubrefest Beer and Weekend Festival at La Doña Cerveceria. The Oktubrefest ber recognizes German contributions to Latinx culture by combing German hops, German malt, Mexican lager yeast and flaked rye.

Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular

October 1st - November 3rd, 2019
Sunday - Thursday: 7:00pm-10:00pm
Friday - Saturday: 7:00pm-11:00pm
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 4th-6th, 2019

Registration is underway for the 38th edition of 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.

Twin Cities Oktoberfest

Friday October 4th, 2019 from 5:00-11:00pm
Saturday October 5th, 2019 from 12:00-11:00pm
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!

Minnehaha Falls Art Fair Reboot

October 5th, 2019
10:00am-5:00pm
Minnehaha Falls

Now, for the first time ever, Minnehaha Falls will be the site of Minnesota's newest Art Fair! Celebrate dozens of local artists at the 1st annual Minnehaha Falls Art Fair. Peruse a wide variety of mediums including paintings, ceramics, textiles, screen-printing, woodworking, photography, and more.

Festival of Corn

October 5th, 2019 - 12:00-8:00pm
Centro at Popol Vuh

Centro at Popol Vuh is hosting it's second annual Festival of Corn! In celebration of all things corn, we will be serving elotes, tamales, blue corn margs, and more! There will also be games and music. The Corn Fest is totally kid friendly so bring the little ones to get their face painted and eat some corn!

Nordeast Big River Brew Fest

October 5th, 2019
1:00-4:00pm
East Side Neighborhood Services, 1700 2nd St. NE

Sample beer from a free tasting mug, munch on mouth-watering food, enjoy live music and be a part of the craft brew community! What better way to spend a beautifully crisp fall afternoon? All proceeds of the Nordeast Big River Brew Fest benefit the East Side Neighborhood Services program. Tickets on sale now!

Zombie Pub Crawl

October 12th, 2019
Downtown Minneapolis

Certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Largest Gathering of Zombies,” the ZPC gathers thousands of undead souls into the streets, bars, and taprooms of Minneapolis for a night of pub crawling, dancing, world-class live entertainment, and all sorts of other fiendish fun. Costumes encouraged—the gorier, the better! Featuring three outdoor stages, dozens of food trucks, tons of great live music, the World Brain-Eating Championships, carnival rides and games, and so much more. It all began when 150 zombies got together in Northeast Minneapolis in 2005. Get your tickets today!

Indigenous Peoples' Day Festival

October 12th-13th, 2019
American Indian Cultural Corridor

All My Relations Arts (AMRA), and Native American Community Development Institute - NACDI are hosting the Indigenous Peoples' Day Festival to raise awareness, and provide education of Native American Arts!

The festival’s focus is to provide the people of the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota, and beyond consistently high-quality exposure to Native American Arts. The festival provides the public with education about American Indian history, culture, and contemporary experiences through the arts. Workshops will encourage artists to interact with attendees to create a broader understanding of Native communities.

Cine Latino

November 1st-7th, 2019
St. Anthony Main Theatre

Cine Latino, the region’s only showcase of Ibero and Latin American cinema, features a rich tapestry of narrative and documentary films from across the globe from some of the world’s most acclaimed and up-and-coming Spanish- and Portuguese-language filmmakers. Cine Latino is enriched by the presence of visiting filmmakers and community events, featuring Ibero and Latin food and music. MSP Film Society developed Cine Latino in response to demand from the growing Spanish-speaking populations in Minnesota, and curates the annual series of films from countries with rich filmmaking histories and cutting-edge film industries in collaboration with Argentinian guest artistic director Hebe Tabachnik.