Downtown Longfellow Walking Tour
May 8, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
2800 E. Lake St., Mpls.
Join us for a walking tour of Downtown Longfellow with Bobbie Erichsen. Bobbie has been compiling stories of this area for an archival project and will share some of the history of the area. We will also discuss recent and upcoming changes as well. As part of the walk, we’d love to hear more of your stories of the past and ideas for the future!
2025 Friends School Plant Sale
May 9, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.,
May 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and
May 11, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Minnesota State Fair Grandstand
1755 Dan Patch Ave., St. Paul
Each year on Mother’s Day weekend in May, Friends School of Minnesota puts on the biggest fundraising plant sale in Minnesota, perhaps even in the Midwest! This year, over 2,000 varieties of plants are offered for sale.
We stock perennials, climbing plants, native wildflowers, vegetables, roses, and trees and shrubs. A catalog of our offerings is available for reference, with PDF versions available, in the catalog section of our website. Free parking is available in the Transit Hub parking lot.
Springtime & Sunshine Festival
May 9 through 11
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Anoka County Fairgrounds, Anoka
Looking for the perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day weekend? The Springtime & Sunshine Festival offers a fun, family-friendly experience, with free admission and something for everyone.
Shoppers can explore more than 100 craft and boutique vendors featuring handmade goods, home decor, fashion, and gifts that are perfect for moms. Live music and the beer garden make a great hangout for dads, while the kids enjoy the carnival rides, inflatable bounce houses, pony rides, and the interactive Compass Ag Education Building.
AniMinneapolis 2025
May 9 through 11
1300 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.
Welcome back to AniMinneapolis! Including special guest performances, some great vendors and artists, and amazing cosplays.
Expect a jam-packed 3-day convention filled with cosplay, exhibits, vendors, artists, anime screenings, panels, dealers, tutorials, lessons, workshops, voice acting, guests, autographs, video gaming, tabletop gaming, karaoke, and so much more.
Get your tickets on the website at animinneapolis.com/register
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Art Fair
May 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
May 11, 10 a.m.to 5 p.m.
725 Vineland Place, Mpls.
After an amazing inaugural year in 2024, we’re back for the second year of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Art Fair! Join us Mother’s Day weekend for a festive, floral experience, celebrating the mothers and mother-figures in our lives. The event will feature approximately 160 artist booths, along with a botanical market, fresh flowers, music, crafts, food, and more.
Kinetic Playground — Art Exhibit Opening, Ephraim Cruz Eusebio
May 10, 7 to 10 p.m.
Modus Locus Expansion
3338 University Ave. SE, Mpls.
30+ Years of Play as Process by Ephraim Cruz Eusebio! Immersed within the enchanting world of Modus Locus Expansion, Kinetic Playground is a journey through three decades of artistic evolution — an excavation of color, rhythm, and emotion drawn from both the streets and the studio. This retrospective showcases works made across time, alongside a new body of work that threads past and present through a common language: fluidity, immediacy, rhythm, and composition.
Mother’s Day Bloom Bar Event:
A build your own bouquet
experience!
May 11, 2 to 3 p.m.
Richfield Community Center
7000 Nicollet Ave S., Mpls.
We will learn how to make a beautiful bouquet with flower farmers from Vang Heritage Farm. You will go home with your own bouquet to keep or gift to someone special! Vang Heritage Farm is located in Lino Lakes and participates in the Richfield Farmers Market. In-season local flowers may include tulips, peonies, baptisia, ranunculus, anemones, lupin, clematis, etc. Local flowers will be supplemented with imported blooms if needed. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Registration is required for this event. $22 per person. Register online, or call the Richfield Community Center at 612-861-9385.
anc.apm.activecommunities.com
Longfellow Seward Healthy Seniors: Acrylic Painting with Megan Moore
May 14, 21, and 28, 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
2730 East 31st St., Mpls.
Explore acrylic painting and get tips and support throughout each class. You will complete a still life painting that will be a unique expression of your own artistic instincts. This class is appropriate for beginner and intermediate
painters. Megan Moore is a local artist. You can see some of her work, including local murals, at meganmoore.com.
Registration is required. Plan on attending all three classes. A $15 supply and instructor fee is due at the first class. We ask that participants register in advance for events by calling 612-729-5799, or by emailing [email protected].
Friday, May 16 Noon to 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 17 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday. May 18 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Midtown Global Market
920 E Lake S., Mpls.
Mark your calendars! Midtown Global Market is thrilled to host our first-ever Music & Arts Festival on May 16-18!
Enjoy live music, vibrant art, and non-stop fun throughout the market, with multiple stages and activities for everyone.
The Lake Street Lift Project is an innovative initiative designed to support and celebrate the vibrant, diverse community along Lake Street. By connecting local businesses, nonprofits, entrepreneurs, and creatives, the project provides resources and fosters partnerships to enhance the area’s cultural and economic vitality.
Join us daily during market hours and celebrate creativity, culture, and community with us! Don’t miss out!!
Whoa, Nellie! the Outlaw King of the Wild Middle West
May 17 to June 8
History Theatre
30 E. 10th St., St. Paul
This rip-roaring musical tale of Nellie King, the “wily and scandalous female cowboy detective” whose countless criminal exploits and penchant for male attire made her an 1800s Minnesota media icon. For tickets call 651-292-4323 or visit historytheatre.com.
Talk Garden: Beautiful Boulevards
May 17, 10 to 11 a.m.
4055 25th Ave. S., Mpls.
Learn about strategies and plant selection to make the most of tough spaces with GreenSpace owner and landscape designer Roxanne Stuhr. A monthly series of morning circle discussions and activities centered on garden education and connection with nature and each other. Talks are FREE but limited to 15 guests per session. Pre-registration is required. All discussions take place outdoors in Minneapolis. If it rains, the event will be cancelled. Full event schedule online: GreenSpaceMN.com/talk-garden.
Taylor Swift Drag Brunch
May 17, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Union Rooftop
14 S. 8th St., Mpls.
SWIFTIES! Don’t miss Taylor Swift Drag Brunch. You’ll hear all of your favorite Taylor songs. Sing-Along! Dress up! Get ready for a BLAST of a brunch. Hosted by Sasha Cassadine. No refunds. All guests must purchase an entrée. Parties of three or less will be sat at community tables
2015: A Play by Danez Smith
May 19, 7 p.m.
Pillsbury House + Theatre
3501 Chicago Ave., Mpls.
In a bold exploration of true self, family, and the messy act of storytelling, poet and performer Danez Smith presents 2015, a riveting auto-fictional play that blurs the boundaries between truth and fiction, self and shadow.
Set in the aftermath of an unexpected $50,000 grant and an HIV diagnosis, 2015 follows ‘Real Danez’ as they return to Minnesota from California. Confronting the weight of survival, homecoming, and the complicated relationship between being seen and hiding in plain sight, ‘Real Danez’ is accompanied by ‘Fake Danez’ — an alter ego who challenges, narrates, and often over embellishes the truth. Together, they deconstruct memory, performance, and the stories we craft to make sense of who we are.
Longfellow Seward Healthy Seniors: Nourishing your Sense of Humor
May 20, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
2730 East 31st St., Mpls.
Learn how a positive sense of humor can relieve stress and act as a healthy coping response to challenges. Retired Hospital Social Worker, Kevin Corrado, will lead us through creative and playful ways to create more humor in our daily lives We ask that participants register in advance for events by calling 612-729-5799, or by emailing
[email protected].
Guest Chef to Kick Off New Series
May 20, 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Soup For You Café
2730 East 31st St., Mpls.
Soup For You Café (SFY) will be welcoming its first-ever guest chef: Chef Lindsey Johnston, who will prepare a special vegan soup for the community. Johnston is a partner and co-owner of Francis, a popular plant-based burger joint with locations in the Northeast and Longfellow neighborhoods of Minneapolis. This event kicks off a new initiative to feature neighborhood chefs and celebrate the cultural and culinary diversity of the Longfellow community.
Jeremiah Program Legacy Award
and Conversation Fireside Chat
May 21, 3 to 4:30 p.m.
The Graduate by Hilton
615 Washington Ave. SE, Mpls.
The Jeremiah Program (JP) recently launched its inaugural Legacy Award, and will recognize and celebrate three finalists — children (ages 13-25) of JP alumni — who are actively building their own legacies and creating ripple effects of positive change in their communities. In addition, JP will mark this milestone by introducing the Executive Directors of our Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses — visionary leaders who will shape the next chapter of impact in the Twin Cities.
This hybrid event will be livestreamed across Jeremiah Program’s nine geographic regions — including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Fargo-Moorhead, and Rochester, Minnesota, with another 100-plus in-person attendees at the Graduate by Hilton.
The Dolly Show with Kelly O’Brien
LIVE — From London’s West End
May 23, 7 to 9 p.m.
Roxy’s Cabaret
1333 Nicollet Mall, Mpls.
She looks like Dolly, she sounds like Dolly and she’s as funny and witty as Dolly. Unrivalled by her competitors, she is the ‘Fortnum and Mason’ of Tributes! Endorsed by The Parton family.
Australian born Kelly is a world-class entertainer with stunning vocal and flawless comic timing. She brilliantly captures the voice, verve and voluptuousness of the little lady from Tennessee. From the 22-inch waist to the 32G bust, she captivates audiences around the world with Dolly’s famous mountain soprano. It’s like Dolly is right there in the room with you.
Regarded as the BEST Dolly impersonator in the world. You don’t want to miss this show!
Remember & Reimagine: Review and Comment on Redevelopment Ideas
May 24, 5 to 9 p.m.
2800 E. Lake St., Mpls.
Join Redesign, Inc. to review multiple concepts for the redevelopment of 2800 East Lake Street!
5th Annual Reggae Summer Splash
May 24, 7 p.m.
Hook & Ladder
3010 Minnehaha Ave., Mpls.
It’s our annual Reggae Summer Splash — Get your summer started and your spirits high with the premier Caribbean bands in the Midwest — International Reggae All-Stars and Innocent. Plus, special guests. Love, positive vibrations, chill people and chill vibes! Innocent and International Reggae All-Stars kick off the festivities Under The Canopy, our outdoor music venue. They’ll be followed by an after-party on our indoor main theater stage.
Hundreds of Beavers (2022)
May 24, 7:30 p.m.
The Parkway Theater
4814 Chicago Ave., Mpls.
Hundreds of Beavers? Yeah, it’s gonna be gnawesome.
Don’t miss the madcap, slapstick, gotta-see-it, you-ain’t-seen-nothing-like-it comedy, Hundreds of Beavers! One night only! Catch this cult classic as it was meant to be seen — on the big screen with other Beaver Believers!
In this 19th century, supernatural winter epic, a drunken applejack salesman must go from zero to hero and become the greatest fur trapper by defeating hundreds of beavers.
Full disclaimer: All animals are played by puppets or mascot costumes, resulting in a bizarre concoction that’s part Funniest Home Videos, part Buster Keaton, part Looney Tunes. It has to be seen to be believed! This contemporary cult classic has played to sold-out crowds across the country.
WITNESS עֵד — a group art show by Jewish Artists for Palestinian Liberation
May 28 through June 1,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Modus Locus
3500 Bloomington Ave. S., Mpls.
This art exhibition calls Jews and our communities to bear witness to the on-going devastation in Gaza and the West Bank by Israel. Art features sculpture, video, ceramics, painting, prints, Stitched in Solidarity group quilt, and participatory art.
Artists come from Olam Haba, the World To Come community. Funding possible through Jewish Voice for Peace.
Longfellow Seward Healthy Seniors: Healthy Eating on a Budget
May 30, 10:30 a.m. to noon
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
2730 E. 31st St., Mpls.
Join Gail Johnson of Renaissance Mind and Body for a 90-minute interactive class and demonstration on budget-friendly, nutritious eating. Learn smart shopping strategies, creative ways to maximize food from the food shelf or NAPS (Nutrition
Assistance Program for Seniors), and which foods can help boost your immune system. Enjoy live cooking demonstrations and on-site food tastings as you gain practical tips for healthful, affordable meals. Free!
We ask that participants register in advance for events by calling 612-729-5799, or by emailing
[email protected].
WaterFest 2025
May 31, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Phalen Regional Park — Pavilion
1600 Phalen Drive, St. Paul
This free, family festival celebrating our clean lakes provides an opportunity for outdoor hands-on learning about clean water, wildlife, and land and water conservation. Experience activities on and around the water with Voyageur canoe and sailboat rides; paddleboats, canoes, and kayaks for checkout, fishing lessons, a fishing contest with prizes, water games, climbing walls, a jump castle, arts and crafts, face painting and lawn games, a Water Bar featuring water flights from our communities, the Passport Odyssey with wonderful prizes, performers, food trucks and lots more!
For more information, including a detailed event schedule and map, sponsor list, parking information, visit rwmwd.org/waterfest/
Longfellow Dance Party
May 31, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Tapestry Folkdance Center
3748 Minnehaha Ave., Mpls.
FREE EVENT! Tapestry Folkdance Center, Zorongo Flamenco, Mactir Academy Irish Dance, and Ballare Teatro have partnered for a day of music, food trucks, dance lessons and demonstrations, kid-friendly activities, and more in Tapestry’s two parking lots!
Book Event: Enmity and Empathy
May 31, 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Historic Fort Snelling
200 Tower Ave., St. Paul
Drawing on personal interviews and archival sources, Dr. Ka Wong explores the courageous struggles of trailblazers who relocated to the North Star State. Enmity and Empathy illustrates the multiple ways in which Japanese American people transformed both wartime Minnesota and their own lives, including narratives of college students pursuing higher education, young men and women training at the Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS), and the US Cadet Nurse Corps serving in hospitals.
Join us for this remarkable opportunity to hear about the men and women who trained at the MISLS at Fort Snelling in the very building where they were housed. $12.
Sabbath Queen
June 3, 7 to 9:15 p.m.
The Main Cinema
115 SE Main Street., Mpls.
Sabbath Queen, a feature documentary filmed over 21 years, follows Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie’s epic journey as the dynastic heir of 38 generations of Orthodox rabbis including the Chief Rabbis of Israel. He is torn between rejecting and embracing his destiny and becomes a drag-queen rebel, a queer bio-dad and the founder of Lab/Shul — an everybody-friendly, God-optional, artist-driven, pop-up experimental congregation. Sabbath Queen joins Amichai on a lifelong quest to creatively and radically reinvent religion and ritual, challenge patriarchy and supremacy, champion interfaith love, and stand up for peace, ceasefire, and an end to the Occupation in Israel/Palestine. The film interrogates what Jewish survival means in a difficult rapidly changing 21st century. Post-screening Q&A with Director Sandi DuBowski. Event Link: mspfilm.org/show/sabbath-queen/
The Gold Experience
June 4, 7:30 to 11:59 p.m.
The Woman’s Club Of Minneapolis
410 Oak Grove St., Mpls.
Get ready to experience the magic, the mystery, and the music of Prince! Join us for The Gold Experience, our fifth and final party with a purpose, as we celebrate the legacy of the one and only Purple Genius. This year, we’re turning up the energy with the glitz, the glam, and a whole lot of Gold vibes!
In the spirit of Prince’s philosophy, we’re honoring his commitment to giving back. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Purple Playground, continuing our tradition of supporting causes close to Prince’s heart.
