Renaissance Festival in Shakopee
Highlights this week include:
Sept. 22-25, Winona
Boats and Bluegrass Festival
Sept. 22-24, Shakopee
Junk Bonanza Vintage Market Fall Show
Sept. 22-24, Crosslake
Crosslake Days
Sept. 24-25, Park Rapids
Art Leap 2016
Sept. 23 - Oct. 2, Two Harbors/Lutsen/Grand Portage
Crossing Borders Studio Tour
[Southern] [Minneapolis-St. Paul Area] [Central] [Northwest] [Northeast]
Southern Minnesota
Sept. 10 - Oct. 1 (Saturdays & Sundays), Cannon Falls
Cannon River Winery Fall Grape Festival
Join the harvest crew in the annual grape stomping! Other highlights include a catered meal, free estate wine tastings, specials and coupons, and shuttled transportation to and from the winery and vineyard. Cannon River Winery. 651-485-4261
Sept. 22-25, Winona
Boats and Bluegrass Festival
Boats and Bluegrass is a family friendly festival featuring roughly ten popular bluegrass music acts including Pert Near Sandstone and Charlie Parr. Numerous canoe trips will also be offered, with Winona State University Outdoor Education and Recreation Center staff leading the trips through the backwaters of the Mississippi River around Prairie Island. And camping is just 50 yards from the festival grounds! Prairie Island Campground. 507-452-0735
Sept. 24, Owatonna
Culturfest
CulturFest unites music and dance talents, ethnic cuisine from around the world, authentic merchandise, and adult and children's activities to enrich its visitors with a multi-cultural experience. Wilson Elementary School. 507-451-7970
Sept. 24, Redwood Falls
Fall Harvest Festival
The annual Fall Harvest Festival features a wide array of craft, retail and food vendors from throughout the region. Other highlights include live entertainment on the festival stage, a Show & Shine car show, farmers market, instore specials, children's games, face painting, balloon twisting, kids' pedal race, and the all new Princess Camp! Downtown Redwood Falls. 507-637-2828
Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, Appleton
2016 Meander-The Upper Minnesota River Arts Crawl
This award-winning art crawl is a free self-guided tour of 33 artist studios featuring 45 local artists from the Upper Minnesota River Valley in and near Ortonville, Appleton, Madison, Milan, Dawson, Montevideo and Granite Falls. On Sept. 30, also enjoy Granite Falls Musical Chairs, a progressive dinner with live music at multiple Granite Falls locations. And on Oct. 1, don't miss The New Standards Trio in concert at Memorial Auditorium in Dawson. 866-866-5432
Oct. 1-2, Albert Lea
Big Island Rendezvous and Festival
Watch history come alive during the 30th Annual Big Island Rendezvous and Festival. Experience the fur trade period in the Voyageur encampment, and enjoy Native American Tipi tours, authentic period goods and cuisine, and demonstrations of many Early American crafts such as woodworking, blacksmithing, and candle-making to name a few. Bancroft Bay Park. 800-658-2526, 507-402-6371
Oct. 7-15 (Saturdays & Sundays), New Ulm
Oktoberfest
The 35th Annual Oktoberfest celebration is modeled after Munich, Germany's Oktoberfest with festivities throughout historic downtown New Ulm, at the Schell's Brewery, and at Best Western Plus. Enjoy parades, live music, games, horse-drawn trolley rides, stein-holding contests, and lots of great German beer, food and lederhosen! 507-233-4300
Minneapolis-St. Paul Area
Aug. 20 - Oct. 2 (Saturdays & Sundays plus Labor Day & Sept. 30), Shakopee
Minnesota Renaissance Festival
The Minnesota Renaissance Festival features 16 stages of live entertainment, 7 themed weekends, live armored jousting, amazing food and drink, and 250 artisan booths. Minnesota Renaissance Festival grounds. 952-445-7361
Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, Stillwater
Aamodts' Apple Farm Fall Fun
Depending on the weekend, just some of the fall family activities include hay wagon rides, Honeycrisp Express kids' train rides, hay bale maze, apple picking, apple treats in the apple barn, and John Deere tractor trikes. Aamodts' Apple Farm. 651-439-3127
Sept. 17 - Oct. 30, Shakopee
ValleySCARE
Valleyfair transforms into ValleySCARE, the upper Midwest’s largest Halloween attraction, with more than 75 rides, attractions and entertainment acts, as well as nearly 400 creatures of the night, occupying 11 of the most intense and terrifying mazes and scare zones. Valleyfair. 952-445-7600
Sept. 22-24, Shakopee
Junk Bonanza Vintage Market Fall Show
Indoor shopping for fans of vintage finds, beautiful antiques, architectural salvage and artisan-repurposed and up-cycled goods, with more than 150 hand-picked vendors including 20 featured at a new, outdoor location. Attendees can help complete several oversize paint-by-number canvases of iconic Minnesota scenes too! Canterbury Park. 612-227-8161
Sept. 23 - Oct. 8 (Fridays and Saturdays), Taylors Falls
Leaf Cruise
Enjoy a delicious meal and live entertainment on an authentic paddlewheel riverboat surrounded by the beauty of the St. Croix River. Each trip includes a narrated tour of the history of the river and the geology of the rock formations. This is a great way to spend a fall evening with friends and family. 651-465-6315, 651-465-6365
Sept. 24, St. Paul
St. Paul Food Truck Festival
One of the Twin Cities most popular & delicious free events, the St. Paul Food Truck Festival features culinary specialties from 30 food trucks, as well as live music, handcrafted beers and other refreshments. Mears Park. 763-220-2380
Sept. 24, North Branch
Fall Harvest Festival
The annual Fall Harvest Festival features the Scarecrow 5K Fun Run, hand-crafted items & unique gifts at the vendor fair, delicious foods, games, a silent auction, classic car show, and treasure hunt. Central Park. 651-674-4077
Sept. 24, Minneapolis
Mill City Oktoberfest
Celebrate Minnesota brewing past and present as Mill City Museum and the Mill City Farmers Market team up for the annual Mill City Oktoberfest. Enjoy the tastes, smells, sights and sounds of Germany with activities inside the museum, outside in the Ruin Courtyard, at the Farmers Market area and Chicago Mall next to the Guthrie Theater. Activities include cooking and baking demonstrations, music, dancing, beer samples, brewing history, and food and beverage sales. Mill City Museum. 612-341-7555
Sept. 24, Hastings
Raptor Release
Carpenter Nature Center will release rehabilitated raptors from the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center at this fun-filled event. Other highlights include hay ride tours, children’s activities, raptors on display, and much more. Carpenter Nature Center. 651-437-4359
Sept. 27 - Oct. 2, Chaska
The 19th Hole Community Celebration
Enjoy a community celebration in downtown Chaska during the Ryder Cup with the Minnesota Craft Beer & Wine Festival, Hole-In-One contest, Ryder Cup highlights, horse & wagon tours, miniature golf, a golf simulator, live music, outdoor movie, inflatables, and fireworks displays! Shuttle buses will transport visitors throughout this event. 952-474-3233, 612-270-5480
Sept. 30 - Oct. 1, Excelsior
Lake Minnetonka Block Party - Celebrating the Ryder Cup
Check out all of the international shenanigans in Excelsior during the Ryder Cup! Highlights include Ryder Cup tournament action on the JumboTron, great food, a bean bag tournament, raffle, and live music by numerous popular acts including Trailer Trash, G. B. Leighton and Martin Zellar. Downtown Excelsior on Lake Minnetonka. 952-474-6461
Oct. 1, Columbus
Harvest Howl
Celebrate the annual fall harvest with live animal demonstrations, American Indian dance demonstrations, pumpkin painting contests, children's games and visits with the resident wild animals! Wildlife Science Center. 651-464-3993
Oct. 1-2, St. Paul
Antique Spectacular Show & Flea Market
Check out roughly 250 dealers offering a unique blend of antique furniture, collectables and outdoor flea market items. Minnesota State Fairgrounds grandstand. 651-771-3476.
Upcoming Twin Cities concerts and performances:
Leon Bridges at the Historic Orpheum Theatre in Minneapolis, Sept. 28
Cirque du Soleil TORUK at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Sept. 28 - Oct. 2
Celtic Thunder Legacy at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, Sept. 30
Gavin DeGraw & Andy Grammer at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Sept. 30
Brian Wilson presents Pet Sounds at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, Oct. 2
Megadeth at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at St. Paul RiverCentre, Oct. 4
Def Leppard with REO Speedwagon at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Oct. 5
Alessia Cara: Know-It-All Tour at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, Oct. 8
Bill Maher at the Historic State Theatre in Minneapolis, Oct. 8
Flo Rida at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Oct. 8
Kanye West: The Saint Pablo Tour at the Xcel Energy Center, Oct. 10
Herb Albert at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Oct. 12
Daughtry at Treasure Island Resort & Casino in Welch, Oct. 15
Gordon Lightfoot at the Historic State Theatre, Oct. 16
Cabaret (Touring) at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, Oct. 18-23
Brand New at the Roy Wilkins Auditorium at St. Paul RiverCentre, Oct. 23
Ben Rector at the Historic State Theatre, Oct. 23
Steve Vai: Passion & Warfare 25th Anniversary Tour at the Ames Center in Burnsville, Oct. 23
Dylan Moran at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Oct. 24
Widespread Panic at the Historic Orpheum Theatre, Oct. 25
Tickets available through Eventful or Ticketmaster.
Central Minnesota
Sept. 22-24, Crosslake
Crosslake Days
Crosslake Days offers activities and events for all ages including a classic and custom car, motorcycle and tractor show, arts & crafts fair, chili cook-off, fun for the kids, live music and more, all amidst glorious fall color. 218-692-4027
Sept. 24, Zimmerman
Fall Wildlife Festival
This annual wildlife festival celebrates National Wildlife Week through a variety of family-oriented activities. Featured are live birds, reptiles and other animals, guest presenters, silent auction, displays, nature crafts, bird education, and wildlife discovery. Oak Savanna Learning Center at Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge. 763-389-3323
Sept. 25, St. Joseph
Millstream Arts Festival
This popular outdoor juried art festival featuring roughly 60 artists also includes literary art performances, live music, dance, enticing foods, and hands-on art activities for children. 320-493-2816
Oct. 1, Hutchinson
Artoberfest
Enjoy an afternoon of interactive art activities, collaboration and creative play including a live performance by The Bazillions, Giant Paint by Number activity, Community Build, Lawn Poetry, Big Wheel Action Painting, giant checkers, and Make and Take art activities. A potluck performance featuring Ben Lubeck will take place after the event. Hutchinson Center for the Arts. 320-587-7278
Oct. 1, Little Falls
Zoo Fest
The 3rd Annual Zoo Fest includes face painting, rock climbing, the Great Pumpkin racing contests, human hamster balls, animal exhibits, and entertainment by Frozen movie characters Elsa, Anna and Olaf! Build your own pumpkin racer and bring it to the event. Pine Grove Zoo. 320-616-5595
Oct. 8, Nisswa
Gull Lake Oktoberfest & Golftoberfest
Enjoy free shuttle service to restaurants and pubs located around Gull Lake including Ernie's on Gull, Zorbaz, Cowboys, Grand View Lodge, Jake's Gull Lake, Bar Harbor Supper Club, and Gull Dam Brewing. This event runs in conjunction with the 6th Annual Golftoberfest at Grand View Lodge featuring live music and dancing under a heated tent, as well as access to fire pits, a bar and great food. 218-963-2620, 218-963-2234
Northwest Minnesota
Sept. 24, Park Rapids
Autumn Harvest Festival and Lantern Lit Hike: Making Itasca Memories
Itasca's 9th Annual Autumn Harvest Festival and Lantern Lit Hike is suitable for all ages. Guides with lanterns will lead you down a kerosene lantern-lit trail to meet characters that will share stories from Itasca's past. Hikes last about 30 minutes. Also enjoy live music, children's activities, and wonderful autumn colors. Meet at the Jacob V. Brower Visitor Center at Itasca State Park. 218-699-7251
Sept. 24-25, Park Rapids
Art Leap 2016
Art Leap is a driving tour of artists’ studios and galleries. Meet the artists, enjoy live music and hors d’ oeuvres, and marvel at the beautiful fall colors while driving from studio to studio. 218-652-4081
Sept. 24 - Oct. 29 (Saturdays), Park Rapids
Pumpkin Party at Carter's Red Wagon Farm
Each Saturday of the fall features Robin Hood-themed wagon rides, a 6.5-acre corn maze, pumpkin picking in the pumpkin patch, miniature golf, pumpkin propeller, giant pumpkin boat rides, giant slide, cow "milking," straw bale maze, games, duck races, face painting, and Nerf Wars! Carter's Red Wagon Farm. 218-732-4979
Oct. 1, Walker
Harvest Moon Festival
Harvest Moon festivities include live music and camping surrounded by beautiful colors! Also enjoy wine and beer tastings, great food, arts & crafts, and dog show. Moondance Fairgrounds. 866-666-6586
Oct. 1, Rochert
Tamarac Fall Festival
Spend a beautiful day on the refuge and celebrate trumpeter swans and other waterfowl. Learn about conservation efforts and how you can make a difference. Also enjoy a children’s Activity Trail, annual photo contest exhibit, and guided tours. Food concessions through the Friends of Tamarac. Tamarac National Wildlife Refuge. 218-847-2641
Oct. 8, Crookston
Cornstalk Jamboree
Cornstalk Jamboree highlights include live entertainment, games for the kids, pony rides, craft and antique sales, scarecrows throughout town, and great produce at the last farmers market of the season. 218-281-4320
Northeast Minnesota
Sept. 16 - Oct. 16 (Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays), Duluth
Fall Color Trains
Enjoy the changing colors as you travel to the historic town of Two Harbors. The Fall Color Trains fall colors trips on the North Shore Scenic Railroad were listed by CNN as one of the "Top 5 Fall Color Tours in America." 218-722-1273
Sept. 17- Nov. 13, Grand Marais
Plein Air Grand Marais
Plein Air artists have turned blank canvasses into exquisite works of art depicting the unique beauty of the North Shore landscape. View these beautiful creations Sept. 17 - Nov. 13 at the Johnson Heritage Post and Grand Marais Art Colony. 218-387-2737
Sept. 23 - Oct. 2, Two Harbors/Lutsen/Grand Portage
Crossing Borders Studio Tour
Learn more about the creative process during this self-guided tour of artist studios along Highway 61. Featured this year are stone sculpture, Ojibwe art work, pottery, weaving, glass, print making, wood turning, metal works, jewelry, bead work, fiber art and leather. While traveling between the studios, visitors will enjoy the amazing fall colors and panoramic views of Lake Superior. 218-663-7008
Sept. 24, Sandstone
Autumn at the Audubon
Enjoy the beautiful fall colors during autumn at the Audubon. Start the day the annual Renewable Trail Run/Walk, then spend the day enjoying wildlife programs, apple cider pressing, archery, face painting, kids' activities, hay rides, scaling the climbing wall, and flying along the zip line! Audubon Center of the North Woods. 320-245-2648
Sept. 30 - Oct. 31, Duluth
Haunted Ship Tour
Each year, the William A. Irvin transforms itself into a haunted ship where the ghosts come alive. The haunting of the Irvin is not just a rumor, mysterious sightings have been recorded. Tour the haunted ship, if you dare. Canal Park, adjacent to the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center. 218-722-5573
Oct. 1, Chisholm
Zombie Gauntlet
The Gauntlet: Zombie Edition will test you mentally and physically with races along a tough, natural terrain of dirt, rocks and hills. Be creative and dress in Zombie attire! After, check out the many exhibits showcasing the history of the Iron Range. Minnesota Discovery Center. 218-254-7959
Oct. 7-9, Pine City
Highway 61 Film Festival
The 6th Annual Highway 61 Film Festival features an eclectic mix of local, regional and statewide film-making talent. Categories include drama, comedy, action/horror, documentary, animation, Made in Minnesota, and Student Shorts by students in grades K-12. Pine Technical & Community College. 320-322-4040
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