A Guide to Summer Art Fairs and Festivals in Minneapolis
Here's your chance to see and discover the artistic side of Minneapolis and its neighborhoods.
Updated: 3/5/2024
May
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Art Fair
May 11 & 12, 2024
For the first time ever, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden will be home to an art fair, Mother's Day weekend in 2024. The event will feature approximately 150 artist booths, along with music, crafts, food, and more.
Art-A-Whirl
May 17-19, 2024
Celebrate the thriving art scene in the Northeast neighborhood of Minneapolis with this 3-day festival. Featuring over 1,000 artists at more than 60 locations, this is your chance to mingle and meet local artists. This event is the largest of its kind in the country and includes opportunities to see and buy art from all types of different artists including painters, jewelers, photographers, and woodcarvers. Local Northeast Neighborhood business also like to get in on the act too by hosting unique events and art installations. See our recommendations for things to do at Art-A-Whirl.
Check out what else there is to do in Northeast Minneapolis!
June
Edina Art Fair
May 31 - June 2, 2024
Launched in 1966, the Edina Art Fair is one of the most popular summer art fairs in the Twin Cities. Located in the intersection of the 50th & France Business District in Edina and Minneapolis, The Edina Art Fair draws hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Not only can you shop from a diverse collection of local and international juried artists, the three-day fair also features entertainment, a kids’ zone, two craft beer gardens, and tasty food options. And new to the fair this year is a vintage clothing market!
Stone Arch Bridge Festival
June 15 & 16, 2024
Located at one of Minneapolis’ of the most scenic and iconic spots, the Stone Arch Bridge Festival is a weekend all about art and music. Here you’ll find three different stages with live music, over 200 local artists demonstrating and selling their creations, the Art of the Car show, Stone Arch Beer Sampler, and plenty of local food trucks to keep you going! They also have a family activities stage with performers and interactive theater so your kids will have a blast. The festival grounds will span the riverfront area on W. River Parkway from 11th Ave S. to N. 4th Avenue.
Check out what other fun things to do in the area during the Stone Arch Bridge Festival.
July
Loring Park Art Festival
July 27 & 28, 2024
“An urban oasis of art and culture,” the Loring Park Art Festival integrates creativity, artwork, visual expression and community for a brilliant event that more than meets our summer standards. The weekend offers participating artists from around the country a chance to exhibit their work while attendees have the opportunity to connect, chat and purchase their favorite pieces. Held in Loring Park, a charming residential area and greenspace just south of downtown, you’ll find yourself reveling in live music, mouth-watering food, and games and activities for all ages. Oh, and a lot of art! Plus there’s a beer garden – because we just can’t seem to say no to the words “craft beer” here. You’re one of the few who actually can say no to craft beer? Try a local soda or kombucha for your fizzy drink fix.
August
Minnesota Fringe Festival
August 1-11, 2024
Minnesota Fringe connects adventurous artists with adventurous audiences by creating open, supportive forums for free and diverse artistic expression. Through their summer festivals and dynamic year-round programming, Minnesota Fringe is an artistic disruptor for local and national artists — to take bold risks, develop new ideas, and hoist themselves to the next rung of their artistic ladder.
As the producer of the largest performing arts festival in the Midwest for 25 years, Minnesota's annual Fringe Festival event fills nearly 50,000 seats with audiences viewing dozens of works at hundreds of performances by more than 1,000 artists on a variety of stages in late summer. Fringe also produces the Minnesota Family Fringe with multi-generational productions for kids and families interested in new and adventurous work.
Powderhorn Art Fair
August 3 & 4, 2024
Over 200 artists from 26 states and 216 cities, more than 20 food vendors and nearly 20,000 attendees: welcome to the Powderhorn Art Fair! Shop the works of hundreds of local and regional artists while filling up on the finest our food trucks have to offer. New and returning art demos, both a community and youth showcase and activities for all ages round out this summer experience - and did we mention food? We’re pretty into food here. Sweet or savory, take your pick. Located in Powderhorn Park, a pleasant city retreat in the heart of South Minneapolis, we’ve got to say…it’s a pretty fantastic way to spend all or part of your summer day.
Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival
August 10 & 11, 2024
This signature downtown art experience put on by the Mpls Downtown Improvement District will celebrate street art in all its forms. The Festival is free and brings together artists from the worlds of visual, performing, craft and food arts and unleashes them together for the first time onto the streets of downtown for all to enjoy. Festival-goers will relish in several arts-centered experiences, including chalk art installations, a short film showcase, several live performances, and an outdoor craft market. Additionally, there will be food and beverage vendors on-site to fuel the fun.
Jackalope Art Fair
August 10 & 11, 2024
Enjoy a weekend of shopping and craft beer as Jackalope partners with the Downtown Minneapolis Street Art Festival. Featuring over 100 local, hand-selected artisans, shoppers can expect to find trendsetting indie goods including original fashion and jewelry design, paper goods, innovative home décor and housewares, art, photography, food, plus much more. Shop along Nicollet from 5th to 11th Avenue.
Check back soon for more festival dates to be announced!