What a fun event!! Had a blast on a Friday night, free event to walk around and shop and eat! I really liked the warm beer tent, Holidazzle sausage, and the Lonely Blond beer! I would love to see the event get even larger next year!! read more

Holidazzle - Pop-up Shops Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I so appreciate the Holidazzle moving to Loring Park. Perfect space to host this type of event. Lots of vendors with things to see, experience, and do for the whole family. I would recommend coming hungry to take advantage of some of the delicious food offered. It is free to enter which is nice, so there's not a lot of pressure! Tons of holiday lights, it looks so pretty at night! Kid activities include a climbing wall, a carousel (although for the young at heart too), a tube slide, and of course the Yeti. Although I didn't get to experience it, there appeared to be a space for adults to have a cold one and enjoy themselves as well. Stay for the fireworks, you won't be disappointed. Also, several photo ops, live music, and Santa! read more

I love the idea of this and so does the rest of the city! Many people gather for all of the lights, vendors, food and free rides in the carousel and slide. My issue is there are so many people that each line at the food trucks was 20-30 people long, which is a long wait. Fireworks were great and lines for the rides went fast but they clearly need more food vendors. read more

See all

Great family fun! The giant interactive Yeti puppet is epic!! Nice Christmas lights and fun photo opportunities. Some cute booths, food trucks and a beer tent. Loved the light up seesaws for the little ones. Lovely carousel. Santa is there, too! Seemed to be an area set up for entertainment, but nothing going on while we were there. Only minuses are that they need to find a way to keep the grounds less icy and have a couple more warming areas. Also, bring back the Holidazzle Parade!! Why'd they stop holding it? It was a very attended and unique event that attracted people downtown each weekend. read more

See all

Short review- don't miss this Holidazzel experience it will put you in a Christmas mood. And now the full review. Ice-skating while dancing with the abominable snowman Christmas music in the background surrounded by colorful tree lights-are we Gucci? No? It's free okay-no complaints here - it's Christmas. Wait there's more, walk deeper into these woods and you'll find swings that move pendulums, giant tubes your toddlers can walk inside uphill and more like Santa. The food selection is almost all good. The standouts are - cheese curds, seafood paella, chicken dumplings, holidazzle sausage with cranberries. The pretzels paired with Gouda cheese was full of body, where way beyond nacho cheese here people there's no going back. This holidazzle experience is a winter wonderland. It's like being in a Frank Capra film without the down bits. So come and enjoy this Christmas before it's gone. You and your kids won't be young forever. read more

See all

Overview: Holidazzle Village is free to enter and there is a good amount of things to do, eat, and drink, all in a festive fashion. I'm not sure if Holidazzle Village will ever fill the shoes of Holidazzle Parade (rip), but it seems like it improves a bit every year. Things I did this year: Made a giant lit-up yeti puppet wave n wiggle, took tons of photos of random doggos that entered a costume contest, swooned over live alpacas, watched a bit of the Polar Express movie (the one that stars Tom Hanks as 17 different characters), shopped with my eyes in the Maker's Market, listened to talented young carolers, watched ice skaters (free skates are provided), and enjoyed the holiday lights and photo opps. Things I ate and drank this year: The potato and cheese pierogies from iPeriogi were so pillowy and comforting. And the hot dog from Kramarczuk's was the highest quality dog I've ever had, but the bun was dry. We also got hot apple cider and a Holidazzle stout in the Fulton tent. I think that Holidazzle could elevate the food/bev experience with more fun themed offerings. Imagine a hot coco bar (that you can spike) or holiday-themed baked goods! read more

Holidazzle - Alpacas! - Pop-up Shops Near Me - Minneapolis, Minnesota

See all

Stopped by Holidazzle this past weekend to get my Christmas spirit on. And eat some good food. The latter wasn't bad. What was unfortunate was the Holidazzle market, which must have been a fire hazard with all those people stuffed inside the canvas tent. It was impossible to move around in there let alone do any browsing of the merchandise. Great place to let children run off their energy, and adults have a couple alcohol options as well. Firework shows and movies seem to be main entertainment. I didn't spend too long here after I filled up on mulled cider, cheese curds, and pierogis. read more

"E" for effort. I give the council praise for trying something new and maybe as time goes on it will get better, but I most likely will not return to recoup my $6 entrance fee. Yes, it's a "season pass", but there really is no reason for me to return unless I'm in the mood to feel like sardine. The place is poorly laid out in my opinion, packed and nearly impossible to move around. It would be nice if people left their strollers in the designated stroller area. We contemplated bringing ours and glad we didn't. What a cluster..... Vendors selling food, drinks and little ornaments. The concept is nice. Trying to emulate the mart in Chicago perhaps? Daley Plaza vs, Peavey... Peavey is way too crammed. For the entrance fee, it wasn't worth it for my party at least, but like one person in our party said, " you won't know until you go." Not our cup of tea, but an " E" for effort. read more

I have been driving past this Village every day headed home from work and was excited to go. I have to say that I tried to have an open mind, but even the local news didn't have anything positive to say about it after week 1. I decided that buying a Groupon to save money was the best option. There were many mini wooden-like houses filled with unique gifts and crafts. Many of the vendors had things I hadn't seen before, but I really couldn't think of anyone I could gift it to. Another factor was the high prices. I am not sure the novelty of it all was enough for me to pay $45 for a glazed mug. We decided to give some of the food vendors a try. The set up of the Village is pretty adorable with all the lights at night. We made our way to the gazebo, where a young women was playing holiday music with her acoustic guitar and NO coat! (After a few songs she ran into the heated tent to get it!) Most offered a taste of their products. The roasted and cinnamon nuts were amazing! I bought the beer cheese soup in a pretzel bowl for $8. The soup was watery, but the pretzel bowl was not bad. Ask for a side of soup or cheese to dip the remaining pretzel in after the soup is gone. Also, the baked cheese was by far my favorite. There were many flavors, like jalapeno, pizza, garlic and bacon. The more you buy, the price drops-5 blocks for $25. If you get cold or want to drink a beer, head to the very back. The big white tent is heated with tables and benches! Once you pay, the tickets are reusable as season passes. I would say, once was enough for me to say I gave it a try. Save your money... read more

See all

We walked here from dinner and the group enjoyed the lights and sights! It's totally free to walk in, and there are activities for kids. There is also shopping and food vendors to look at and enjoy. I will admit it was a lot smaller than I imagined but it was a snowy night and just perfect for the scene of it all. The only thing I got was a hot chocolate and it was delicious! I can't say I would rush back anytime soon but if I have guests from out of town I would bring them for the views! read more

First time visit to this venue yesterday... enjoyed the fun Christmas displays, the lights, the carolers singing and it was so awesome that there were mini-bonfires setup within the village to warm up...as it got freezing in the snow! LOVED that there was a really cute jolly Santa there to greet us...and we got our picture taken with him. My one complaint is of the food and drink... I am diabetic and there wasn't anything I can eat or drink...even the hot apple cider... which had 30 grams of sugar when I asked! So my advise to diabetics...eat before you go...which I I did and so glad that I did...! Parking: There isn't any...only street parking available...which we couldn't find...so we parked at the ramp of the Hyatt Hotel..so that was kind of costly. My friend and I did have a nice time... but not so sure if it's worth it to go back...! read more

This was our 1st time going to this. I really enjoyed the Christmas lights and displays. I would have wanted to try out the ice skating rink, but my boyfriend that I went with doesn't like doing that. I liked the music and it definitely is a kid friendly place. Parking was a little tricky we drove a round awhile but we finally going parking by the Walker for free which was nice it wasn't too far of a walk. We plan on going back for one of their movies and Bingo nights. I am a little sad they no longer have the parade though. read more

Tired of Minnesota winter? Get out & enjoy our winter! We parked our car far from Loring Park & has downloaded the FREE public transportation passes to get downtown! We enjoyed the vendor foods and bevies (especially the K-Town Bulgogi Taco paired with the Fulton Holidazzle Porter). I enjoyed listening to the live music while sitting next to the bonfire! The fireworks at 7pm were fun! Next time, we will try the ice skating! Be sure to wear boots (can get a little wet in areas) and bring money so you can enjoy the Fulton & Social Cider offerings! read more

See all

This was yet another let-down, second year in a row. Odd vendors in plastic tents, lining few paved paths. Mushy dirt everywhere else. Not much Christmas feel, except for Santa. But a long line to see Santa was blocking one of the few paved paths, with people walking around the line in puddles. You could not hear Holiday choir unless you stood in front of it, in yet more dirt. The fireworks and lighted trees were nice, enjoy them from afar. read more

Adam H. and I went to the Holidazzle Village today since it was almost 50 degrees in December and we wanted to get out and enjoy the nice weather. As a bonus, we realized the Holidazzle Village is dog friendly, so Panda got to tag along with us. We went to the Holidazzle last year and were disappointed, but for some reason I thought it would be more fun this year, so we visited again. I was wrong... Honestly, I don't really understand what the Holidazzle Village is going for. There are a few shops, but none are as good as the shops and booths at the other holiday markets I have visited (just this weekend I went to the No Coast Craft o Rama at Midtown Global and a holiday market at Lakes and Legends that were both awesome). The food is also lacking... there are a few vendors, but mostly fried food or sweets, and nothing that left me inspired or excited to try. With how much amazing food Minneapolis has to offer, I'm just surprised the options aren't more impressive. Fulton and Socialable Ciderworks have tents, but we weren't even there long enough this year to get a drink. A sad looking Santa was sitting at his booth alone, with no line and no families visiting him. The ice rink was pretty busy, so I guess that is a reason to visit. Overall, I don't know if I'll be back anytime soon unless the Holidazzle Village gets a makeover or new concept. I miss the parade. read more

This year instead of a parade (which was FREE) they have a winter holiday market theme which is $6 to get in...?! Are you f^%#ing kidding me?!?! Oh, and all of their stalls only accepted cash today. They have two ATMs... BOTH NOT WORKING! To make matters worse it's cramped and tight. Hard to move around and they make you stand in line (in the freezing cold) to get inside the "warming tent" which can only fit about a dozen people anyway. STUPID. Finally, it's so hidden away (with next to zero advertising) that it was pretty easy to miss and walk straight past. Seriously, who was the talentless ass-clown who planned this?! Forrest Gump?! If it wasn't for the tasty almond croissant I managed to but with my remaining three bucks of cash (which doesn't exactly scream 'Christmas'!) this would have been a total waste of time. At the very least, it's a disappointing crack-itch of an event. LAME!! Pleeeeeeease get it right next year. It's a great idea just poorly planned and the less said about the execution the better. read more

See all

My friend had visited from out of town and we decided to go to Holidazzle on its opening day to force us out of the house during the snow! This event has been highly talked about at my work and was even sold to me as a reason to live in Loring park. After visiting the event I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. There wasn't a ton of things to do and weren't a ton of options for drinks or food. I would say the biggest star if the show was a giant abominable snowman that kids could control using massive puppet strings. Pretty neat work of art, but I wish there was more of that. There weren't a ton of Christmas lights up and the ice skating rink isn't big enough to comfortably skate around when busy. I thought the food options were pretty limited with maybe 10 food stands and I'd say there were a total of 10-12 beer options that I ran across. Wondering if the opening day is just not as robust as later in the festival. May or may not be back this year but it's still a decent family outing if you don't live too far away! read more

No, it didn't reduce me to a blubbering mess of tears like the Magnificent Mile Lights parade does EVERY year (darn Mickey). And no, there were no high-tech feats of electro-coordination that even came close to comparing to Mickey waving his magical wand and all of State Street lighting up in response. Let's be frank -- Holidazzle would definitely not top your A-list of holiday parades (in all honestly, it likely wouldn't even make the list). BUT -- let's be clear -- that is PRECISELY what makes it so awesome (you know, in the way that only low-budget B-movies and rough-around-the-edges homemade gifts can be awesome)! In case you're wary of my enthusiasm -- let me assure you that I am in no way being facetious (promise!). I absolutely adored Holidazzle! There is something so charming about a parade where each float is preceded by its own little mini-parade holding up a gigantic sign (nearly 1/4 of the size of the float itself) announcing the upcoming act -- almost as though they weren't confident that one would recognize each float without its 'label' (awww). Okay, okay -- in some cases (such as the Minneapolis Youth Choir float) it made sense. But in others, it was comically obvious (I'm pretty certain the kiddies would have gotten that it was the Santa float without the flashing sign). And if that isn't enough to charm your socks off -- you gotta Love that they cast children as most of the 'characters.' Judging by the uproar of applause and proud photo-snapping that was occurring on the sidelines -- I'd be willing to bet that many are local kids whose parents come to watch them perform in the parade, just as they would a school assembly or talent show (awww!). To further add to the B-movie-esque charm, Holidazzle chooses not to go the fancy route of, oh I don't know, stopping TRAFFIC! You find yourself almost cheering the floats on as they approach an intersection (you can do it, Pinocchio and Gepetto float!), and experience a minor heartbreak every time one has to yield to oncoming traffic. Awww :( Though I suppose that without all the pesky red lights -- the entire thing would only last about 15 minutes or so (no joke -- in its entirely, traffic and all -- we're only talking about 30 dazzling minutes of parade time). Oh, and just an inside scoop -- I have it on good authority (Youtube + a chat with a local) that the parade is more or less identical each time. Translation: If you've witnessed it once -- the old "been there, done that" adage could not be any more true. But if you haven't -- go and be (Holi)dazzled at least once! read more

All Minnesotans must go to Holidazzle. Skating, food, beer, cider, gifts, movies, music, fireworks, plus great people to share the experience with... read more

See all

3 star average? Come on. You guys must be tripping balls. Things I love about Holidazzle: The fact that it has to stop for traffic. That the streets aren't completely full of spectators. The Grinch that didn't look like the Grinch, The dancing light bulbs, especially the yellow bulb that was dancing his/her ass off on November 26th. That if you get to Nicollet early enough, you can watch from the comfy cozy Skyway. It goes right in front of Marshall's. Yippee! Walking distance from The Grand Hotel. Short duration, 15 minutes of Holiday Joy. The bus completely covered in lights. Things I didn't love: The fact that it has to stop for traffic. Every time a float approaches the intersection near us, I cheer for the grid to stop working to allow the parade to continue on uninterrupted. That pretty much sums it up. From what I've heard, it's not worth buying the tickets for the special seating in the Target viewing area. Let me remind you, I am a full grown adult male without children, and fully enjoy stuff like this. Standing out in the cold, it's not even for that long. Consider this, the Magnificent Lights Parade in Chicago is 30 minutes long without pause, there's nowhere to escape the frigid cold and Mickey Mouse himself is the Grandmaster, controlling the lights on Michigan Avenue with his magical wand, and the finale is a fireworks display over the Chicago River. I like the Holidazzle parade because the families that are watching are not as annoying as those watching the Magnificent Lights Parade. Noone expected me to move from my spot in order to let their kid see the goings on. Hate to be a Scrooge, but I didn't wait 30 minutes in the cold just to give it up to a parent with entitled "parental" rights. read more

Holi-what? Let me explain: The Holidazzle (try saying "Holidazzle" out loud without smiling - impossible!) is an early-evening parade where the floats and the people marching are covered in holiday lights. Yes, this parade is eating the ozone, but with pizzazz. Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz marched proudly down Nicollet Mall with light-up ruby slippers. Fantastic. Yes, this parade is mostly for the kiddies, but as long as you've dressed warmly (it's December in Minnesota, people), you should have a merry time as well. If you have children in tow, get there early to claim a spot in the Skyway so you can watch (an aerial view, in fact) while remaining indoors. Clustering inside Macy's or Barnes & Noble also works. The parade itself is short - approximately half an hour - so you have plenty of time to go to dinner afterward and make it a holi-dazzling evening. read more

I've never actually gone to see the Holidazzle as a spectator... but I have dressed up like a light bulb and been IN the parade. Imagine this: You are excited that you're going to get to be on the Wizard of Oz float with all your friends, but instead, you and your boyfriend are relegated to light bulb status. The B-squad, for sure. You are suited up and herded like cattle down Nicollet Mall by a wrangler (seriously, the light bulbs have wranglers because the costumes are like death traps). Your only window to the outside world is a tiny rectangular window in your enormous blue costume---a costume that is also loud because there is hot air being fanned at your butt to keep the light bulb inflated. There is a steady, muffled chorus of children yelling, "Spin! Spin! Spin!" as you and your boyfriend try not to violently whirl into each other and/or freeze your tails off. You wish you had brought a flask. You realize you're having tons of fun in spite of the cold, the crazy costume and the foolishness of the whole situation. It is a magical evening. It is the Holidazzle. read more

Oh, where do I begin? On the positive side, it's a really good idea. Done right, this thing could work. But the execution is nothing short of horrible. Here are the top four things that are wrong with Holidazzle Village (in no particular order): 1) Cost. They charge $6 to enter an area where you buy stuff. My wife and I had a mulled wine at $11 per cup (after taxes). So for $34, we stood outside and had a cup of warm wine. I can do that in my driveway at a fraction of the cost. 2) The space. Way too small. We went at an off time, and still couldn't get near most of the kiosks to buy stuff. We actually were interested in buying some ornaments, but the wait to get into the main shopping tent was at least an hour. 3) Layout. With more space it might have made more sense, but as it was, we just kept on getting caught up in random lines. I'm unsure how an older person or someone in a wheelchair would handle it. 4) Make it family friendly. Just having a carousel doesn't cut it. Broadly, the scene was a bunch of adults standing around drinking booze. How to improve it? Two ideas: First, don't charge an entry fee. If they make this thing work, they will get far more from me than the $34 they got yesterday. Second, move it onto Nicollet mall. Spread it out over multiple blocks, with plenty of strolling and standing room. You won't need warming tents because people could step into stores (which is kind of the point I think). Use the fall Nicollet Mall Farmers Market as the template (though actually shutting down Nicollet Mall to traffic would be better. Net, keep the idea and keep the vendors (the food and merchandise looked pretty good - if you could actually get to it). But overhaul the entire execution for next year. read more

My toes were numb but it did get me in the holiday mood. It is a small parade but i was impressed by the quality of the floats for a frequent parade in Downtown Minneapolis. The 2009 theme is Fairy Tales and they have a bunch of floats like the Princess and the Pea, Wizard of OZ and a really cute Zoo train with little kids dressed as the animals. It is a short parade, about 30 min, and it gets busy on the weekends but if you find yourself downtown i think it was worth checking out. Like the other reviews say, it's not Disney... Duh! what were they expecting. It's better that most parades and who wants it to be long when your sitting in the cold to watch it. read more

Went for the first time this year and I'm not sure if we'll make it back. If we do, it might be in 2-3 years as this doesn't warrant that much attention. We stayed in the "heated" Target tent and that was a bit of a disappointment as well. If you stay in the this tent for the parade, sit low in the bleachers or you'll be ducking down the entire time. The show itself was okay, but nothing to see again. My perspective may be skewed by the Disney parades I grew up watching, but overall Holidazzle was a bit of a let down. read more

I attended the newly transformed Holidazzle Viillage (formerly the long standing Holidazzle Parade and tradition for families for the past 20 years). The Village is featuring a Minneapolis Holiday Market through Dec. 24 that showcases a European shopping experience. You'll find handcrafted goods, treats, food, and drinks. I went the first Saturday it opened. Luckily it was a warmer MN day and the high was 35. I brought my 2 year old son since it was supposed to be family friendly. I quickly realized I didn't have cash to pay admission, luckily my friend I was meeting there saved me until I could find an ATM. It was $6 for adults and didn't charge for my son. Apprently the admission is for a season pass (you don't have a choice in the matter). It didn't seem that official since it's just a paper receipt they give you. We started walking through and found vendors selling their "specialities" in huts like roasted nuts, baked goods, candies, beer, cider (NA and hard), handicrafts, and clothing. The vendors we stopped at only accepted cash (maybe this is how the euros do it, but it's 2014, who carries cash these days??). Even though it was 35 degrees, it was all in the shade between 11:00 am until 12:45 pm. It got really cold and we found ourselves stopping in the warming tent (close to the stage) a couple times. After walking around some more, I purchased a warm hard cider (you can only purchase it in a souvenir mug) to help warm me up, it would've been an ok memorabilia other than the fact that they must've misspelled something on the mug and covered it with another sticker (it totally got ruined in the dishwasher anyway). I also got a brat and fries. They were pretty good. My son did enjoy the squeaky old carousel close to the entrance (it's $3 per ride or $10 for 5 rides). Other than the ride and a marshmallow sample, there wasn't anything else for him. We didn't last long because it was too cold for my little guy and it was tight quarters (not a good place to bring strollers or to bring kids that might not do well in crowds where you'd have to hold them the whole time). Not sure how this place will do year after year. For how cold our winters can get, I sure hope the vendors find this good for businesses since they have to stick it out outside for a month. I don't see our family doing this on an annual basis. I saw it and don't think I'll need to see it for awhile. read more

We went both 2014 and 2015, two different experiences. 2014- downtown location charming just like a little village wood huts with great vendors, lots of food and shopping. Yep it was packed but so much fun. 2015- moved to loring park, it was a big let down compared to pervious year. Only about a third of the vendors signed up for this years, instead of wood store huts they are all in plastic tents. We were done in about 10 mins vs enjoying it for hours. Hoping 2016 sees a significant increase in vendors and bring back the village feel with the wood store huts. I like it at loring park has a fun small village feel! UPDATE- 2016 unfortunately not much better then 2015 a few more shops and that's it, in and out in 30 mins. What happened to the wood hut store fronts from 2014? What happen to all the vendors? The cheese? The syrup(which we loved)? The pastries? Shops? Why not bring back all the vendors and wood huts to create a village not white tents, spread them around the pounds and created a cool village? With these white tents and barly any vendors it cheapens what 2014 downtown local created. Doubt we will be back in 2017 unless someone tells us there has been changes. It has so much potential! read more

We really enjoyed what Minneapolis offered as it's replacement for the legendary Hollidazzle Parade. Luckily for us we had no problems parking, and unlike previous times there was no admission fee. We found the displays and activities for children appropriate and Charming. The vendors were ample and the selections are reasonably priced. The music and entertainment was very fun and the camaraderie among all of the people involved was obvious. It was truly wonderful to see our Melting Pot City come together for such a grand holiday experience. My daughter be like today in her first ice skating experience and the free skate rental was very handy! The porta potties were clean and numerous. The fireworks were spectacular and overall it was a memorable experience for our family. We will certainly come back next year if it was anything like what they offered this year. read more

See all

I have mixed feelings on the village. It is very muddy and the first weekend always seems to be very quiet. There are not a lot of vendors and/or a good mix of vendors. I remember the first year in Loring park, it seemed to be a lot bigger and wide variety of vendors. I miss the parade and wish it would return!! I think this year seems to be the smallest village set up. read more

Call me scrooge, and take this with a grain of salt, but the Holidazzle is something I'm glad I saw once maybe every ten years. Lots of crowds, usually lots of cold, and not a whole lot of entertainment. Take this with a grain of salt, not their target audience for sure. I do give kudos to the Twin Cities, and Target, for putting a little cheer into what can be a long cold season! read more

Quit playing games with my heart, Holidazzle Illuminati. When I heard that last year's parade was the final one, I was very much distressed. The Holidazzle Parade has been a longstanding and fantastic tradition for me (and every other Minnesotan in the world). So when I heard they were turning it into a village and Christmas market, I was thrilled! I imagined the parade floats lining Nicollet Mall, mulled wine and hot cider flowing freely, delicious food, and Santa Claus schmoozing with the crowd. In essence, I imagined the State Fair's smaller winter counterpart. Alas, my hopes and dreams were crushed when I ventured into the village last Thursday evening. For starters, they only take cash. Luckily I had $30, but there wasn't an ATM outside the market, so if you don't have cash, you can't get inside. In addition, the wine costs $10.15 and is a miniscule portion. Yeah, you get a souvenir mug, but I can go to the dollar store and buy 4 Christmas mugs and then get a whole bottle of wine for the same price. Much of the food is similarly overpriced, as are the gifts and candies for sale. Yes, it was festive and Christmas-y, but it didn't measure up to the parade in the least. If you bring your own beverages from home, it might be nicer. Luckily the "season pass" is just a receipt, so you can pass it around to other people who are going on different nights. After getting over my initial disappointment, I came to terms with it. It was very truly a "meh" event. Not awful, but not great. I might try to give it another chance because I don't want to believe it's so sub par. If you go with the right (low) expectations and a stack of cash, it might be fun. Just be warned, it bears no resemblance to the Holidazzle Parade. read more

Dear Holidazzle: I love ya, man, but you must figure out a way to stop traffic during this parade. Without the traffic blocked off on the cross streets along Nicollet, the parade was less of a...well, parade... and more of a sporadic infusion of lighted floats. Well, put that way I guess it sounds cool--but it could have *so* much more impact if they stopped traffic during the parade. For one, you wouldn't be waiting 5 minutes (sometimes) in between parade elements. For two, if you get a nice intersection position you wouldn't get floats rushing through in order to try to make the lights. For three, you wouldn't have huge buses pulling right up almost into the intersection and blocking half the crowd's view of the parade during red lights. All that being said: Lights! Parade! Floats! Fairytale characters! Santa! And let me tell you, I once wore the Cowardly Lion costume to "represent" the Holidazzle parade during the Aquatennial in August--those things are hot and heavy. Much props to the volunteers who suit up and skip along Nicollet on some--often--very cold nights. read more

Usually freezing, but that's MN! Great parade full of lights. So fun to see all the creativity and unique floats on a lovely December evening. read more

While it wasn't Disneyland, the lines were at least that long, and while it wasn't the State fair, the beer was more expensive. A real spendy mob scene on the first Saturday when we went. The warming tent and the toilets were free due to an oversight on someone's part. read more

First, let me say this -- I am NOT the target audience for this thing. Target audience = families with children. The IDEA of this sounds kind of romantic -- see a pretty parade of Christmas lights on the Nicollet Mall. But the the reality is different -- it's always freezing cold, too many crowds, tons of families with kids (yes, the intended audience), and frankly, it is boring. Whoope-de-do, there's a little caboose outlined in LED lights. Oooh, look, there's a nutcracker also outlined in blinky LED lights. And that's about it. Yet, from the way the local media hypes this thing up, it's like it's this major event. Trust me, it's not. If you want to see lights, drive around some neighborhoods, you'll stay warm and you'll see a better display of lights. That said, kids will like this but if you are an adult, skip it. It's a snore. read more

Two words: Go. Yes, its silly - what with the light up costumes and all. But its a fun reason to go out with the family ( pick a warm night!) A short parade that will put you in the holiday mood. read more

Wow, I am really surprised a the negativity of the reviews on the Holidazzle Parade. Yes, it is short, yes it is designed for kids, yes it is cold....but what is wrong with any of this? The lighbulbs marching, the floats decorated with Christmas lights and of course Santa Claus...all are par of a child's Christmas . Now as an adult with grown children the parade is still a way for me to have some "child-like" fun and awe. No, it's not a Disney parade, no it's not the Christmas lights on the Plaza in Kansas City, but it's not trying to be any of those...it's a unique experience and one that I encourage everyone to see..perhaps not every year, but definably see the parade, have some dinner, do a little shopping and remember that downtown was once the ONLY place to shop for the holidays. I gave the Holidazzle Parade only four of five stars because is is COLD outside in December! read more

It wasn't worth the money. The entrance fee annoyed me, because I am paying to get into an event to buy stuff. Can you imagine if malls charged you to go shopping? It definitely wasn't worth the $24 entrance fee for our family. We had to wait in a pretty long line to get in, although in fairness the line moved quickly and it was a busier Saturday night. Once inside it was uncomfortably cramped. Moving around was difficult, the lines would snake around making it very difficult for other traffic to get by. The lines also deterred me from buying the overpriced food. It was more a glorified food stall experience, the shopping was limited. It could have been much more family friendly. The one carousel (at $3 a ride no less) was not enough. I kept an open mind going into this, I wanted to like it. But the expense was not justified, especially coming off a much more family friendly and free event like the parade. read more

Great place to come and hangout w the family and friends. Ice skating, food, and drinks.

Holidazzle fizzle What a mess. Full disclaimer...we did not actually get to visit the market because of the long lines. Thought that this would be a fun pre-dinner adventure in downtown Minneapolis and had high hopes that it might approximate the European Christmas Markets. It sure didn't appear to be anything close. We arrived at about 6 PM on a Saturday and found the line waiting to pay to get in the small area more than a block long and then it doubled back on the sidewalk. Tried to get a look at what was inside but was only able to get a glimpse of the Nutcracker booth at the North end. We knew that there was admission and would have paid it just to experience this first attempt at a revamped winter event in the city but there was no way that we were going to wait that long in line to pay to get into a place to shop and pay more. People were trying to embrace this and enjoy themselves but we watched as people abandoned the line and left the area in disgust. The concept should work but the execution is way off. In my opinion, it should be modeled after the highly successful art fairs in Uptown and Edina. Spread out more of the little shops and kiosks over a larger area on the mall. There should be no admission, there should be nightly free events to attract people. How about a skating rink like the one near Rice park in St. Paul? So many marketing opportunities that were lost. I hope that someone from the Downtown Council gets a clue and takes a vastly different approach in the future. read more