Winter Open Streets at Holidazzle set for Saturday, Dec. 16
The event will run 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nicollet from Fifth Street to Grant Street and then along Grant Street to Holidazzle in Loring Park. Metro Transit buses will not operate on Nicollet Mall during the event and be detoured to Hennepin. All cross streets on Nicollet from Sixth to Grant Street will remain open. Alice Rainville Place will be open to traffic headed to the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
Highlights include the “Don’t You Feel It Too” dance event in Peavey Plaza at 11th & Nicollet planned for 11 a.m. Those interested should bring their own music and headphones. There will also be a “Winter Slow Roll” bike ride starting 3 p.m. in Loring Park. Bicyclists will head to Washington Avenue and then back to Holidazzle for the close out of Winter Open Streets festivities.
The Mpls Downtown Improvement District is hosting a #OnNicollet Story Zone at Seventh and Nicollet where people can share stories with the Storymobile, get creative with the SparkIt! Trailer and check out the Hennepin County Library Pop-Up Library.
In conjunction with this event, a new interactive map of the public art along Nicollet is being launched. Participants can tour Nicollet art on their phone or computer at http://arcg.is/14DjCL, and learn about the 12 blocks of artistic manhole covers, seating and pavement art, lanterns and sculptural works. This map is one of seven Minneapolis public art tours at arcg.is/mplsart.
Start or end your Winter Open Streets outing at Holidazzle in Loring Park. Holidazzle is a free holiday experience in downtown Minneapolis that runs Thursdays through Sundays through Dec. 23. At Holidazzle, enjoy free activities like outdoor ice skating with complimentary skates available, Santa visits, a kids zone, live musical performances, interactive art exhibits, festive lighting and more. On Saturday, there will be fireworks at 7 p.m. Plus, enjoy local foods, beverages and gift vendors and makers on site.
About Open Streets
Open Streets Minneapolis is hosted by the City of Minneapolis and is organized by Our Streets Minneapolis, formerly the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition. Since 2011 when the Minneapolis Bicycle Coalition hosted the first Open Streets event on a 2-mile stretch of Lyndale Avenue South, the initiative has grown significantly, drawing nearly 100,000 people to seven Open Streets events in 2017. Visit the Open Streets Minneapolis website at www.openstreetsmpls.org.
About Holidazzle
The 2017 Holidazzle is managed and produced by the mpls downtown council in partnership with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. Holidazzle is an annual holiday tradition in downtown Minneapolis that offers free programming and activities for all ages and ability while also highlighting local people, places and products that make our community unique. Visit www.holidazzle.com or follow #holidazzle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to learn more and plan your visit.