The pro's: A portion of the profits from this event goes towards the upkeep of the Basilica of St…read moreMary. 3 stages of live music and a silent disco. The view of downtown Minneapolis from the Great Clips stage was pretty. Portapotties galore. The con's: The event was only from 5-10:30p yet tickets were $70+ticketing fees-expensive! Food & drinks were pricey too, as they tend to be at festival events. The crowd vibe just wasn't there for what you would expect from a music festival. Most folks seemed interested in roaming about and conversating vs jamming out to the music. A free bus pass was offered for everyone attending the event, but I didn't see a single bus on my 15 min walk back to my hotel. That's not necessarily BBP's fault but you'd think there'd be better coordination of public transportation between event planners and the city. Overall, if you go, you'll probably have some high-priced fun on a beautiful summer day in downtown Minneapolis.

Over the weekend, well Friday and Saturday Evening, I had signed up to Volunteer for the Basilica…read moreBlock Party for the first time ever. Even when I lived around there, and was a member of the church, I avoided the area during the Block Party because of how crazy it got. Parking was crazy, the first night I had a friend drop me off and pick me up, because I didn't want to deal with all of the extra cars on top of the construction that was happening on Hennepin Ave. The second night because of other events that I was attending over the weekend, I parked in the Target Center Ramp Parking. Since no other events were happening, it was only $5 for parking on the weekend, and it was far enough away from all of the busy part of downtown that it made the exit super easy. I volunteered at the Coke Tent 1, which was by the Main Stage. It was so much fun! I could hear the music well and see the acts, along with working. It was 4 tickets for a beverage. At our tent we had Sodas, Lemonades, and Water. People loved the water, they did get a little fussy when they realized we couldn't give them the caps, but most got over it quickly. One gentleman who was there the first night, and came back the second night actually brought a cap with him the next evening. It was kind of funny, but very smart and resourceful on his part. The other volunteers were nice and friendly, and even the main staff that instructed the volunteers what the different tasks were. After this experience, I couldn't believe I waited this long to participate in this event. We got free T-shirts, and the colors were a pretty Teal. I believe they change each year, and I can't wait to see what the color is next year.

I want to support my neighborhood and last year was a five-star day, so that's why I went with four…read morestars rather than three. It has soooo much potential since it's not as enormous as the other summer block parties, but this year was more of a three-star experience. I hope they learn some things this year and really knock it out of the park next year. I don't clearly remember the first year of the Lyn Lake Fest, but last year, it was packed, it was easy-ish to get a beer, Har Mar Superstar killed it. This year (year three), it felt kind of empty and nothing grabbed my attention enough to stick around for very long. The beer "garden"/parking lot was full, but not the street, at least not when I was there around 4-5 p.m. Plenty of cute dogs though. The local lineup on the mainstage was awesome this year (Koo Koo Kangaroo, Black Blondie, Peter Wolf Crier, Haley Bonar, Heiruspecs headlining), but I think they could have done without the second stage. One band was playing on that northernmost stage with almost no people paying attention. I felt bad for them. The food options were improved this year, with the Chef Shack and Magic Bus Cafe on-site with the Lyn-Lake restaurants. Heidi's also had some burger specials specifically for the event. Summit had their beer truck out and I also saw someone with a to-go Bloody Mary. I never figured out where it came from though. Damn. Lots of other Lyn-Lake and local businesses had booths, like Nice Ride, Hair Police, The Loft Salon, some crafters selling cute jewelry and other odds and ends. Both salons were doing feather extensions. Maybe that should have been discussed among the salons before go-time, because they were just a couple of tents away from each other. And what was up with the poodles (with NEON-dyed fur, the poor things) being groomed right there in the middle of it all? There were little balls of pink dog fur blowing in the wind blocks away. Gross. Absurdly gross.

Any art fair without a cover automatically gets five stars. Plus this particular one is massive,…read more second biggest to Minnesota state fair. It's also by lake of the Isles / up town area, which one can argue is the nicest part of town. Modern art is often a minimalist canvas that I'm supposed to draw meaning- 99% of the time, I don't get it. The Art here is easier to consume. Nothing to interpret for the most part. It's less snooty. Also food truck are present here and there. The fair also has food and drink give aways - it's a great way to spend your August - folks soon enough Winter is coming!

I love art. Stopped…read moreby to check out some art & get some inspiration!!! In the past I feel like the uptown art fair was much bigger & crowded. I went on the first day (Friday) and there was a lot of empty space on Hennepin. The fair did extend down a street going closer down to the lake. Friday was gloomy & had rain in the forecast, might be the reason people didn't come out. Back to the art. Seen a lot of dope pieces by a lot of dope artist from all over the US. It was amazing to see the things people come up with. Hopefully someday I'll be able to afford a nice 2k-3k piece. This year they had a really cool vendor, Studio Ink (Hallmark) where you could pick out greeting cards, fill them out, address them & they send them out! I love writing to people. Not as popular these days. Glad they are attempting to make a comeback. Indeed brewery was the drink vendor for this years event. They had 3 or 4 options to offer. I'm not wild about wheat juice (beer) but it's uptown, bars & restaurants everywhere which is nice. They also had a few familiar food trucks like Fro Yo Soul- Yum.

Pierohi was stellar! Russian tea cake was ok. Bbq beef sandwich meat was awesome!! However there…read morewasn't too much meat and it was on a wrap. This was a negative. The corn looked really good but unfortunately I didn't have any room left in my stomach for it. Good music, nice assortment of vendors. And super friendly people.

A great day, good food, and very friendly community - and a beautiful church, wow!read more

My first year attending the Stone Arch Bridge Fest. Due to the bridge being under construction on…read morethe Mill City side you cannot access the festival (via the stone arch bridge) from the north loop side. You have to find parking dt/near mill city. This festival was bigger than I thought it would be. It felt like it went on forever, the more you walked down the river parkway. Towards the Guthrie they had a vintage pop up shop (which was the starting point for us). We adventured all the way towards the north loop side where they had a car show going on. They had plenty of vendors, food trucks, ports potty's and things to do along the way. They had live music going on, a dance class, areas to sit and people watch. Also the views of the river! For sure a fun fest to checkout even if it's just to look at the art vendors, so many creative pieces of art & art styles.

It was hot on Sunday and the festival was packed. It was fun to walk around and see the cool…read morebooths. My only complaint is food was very far away. It also would have been nice to know what trucks were on each side. So glad Johnny Pops was there to provide a cold treat. We had to park my Surdyks

As far as I can remember, I have loved street festivals. Growing up in NYC I recall always being…read morepleasantly surprised while walking down a street with no specific intention to check out a street fair but would love the pleasant surprise of bumping into one. I loved the array of food, clothes, music, people. and whatever else would be available at these fairs because I always have fond memories of walking for blocks and blocks of city streets just taking it all in. As I got older I began to seek them out on my own. The NYC Bastille Fair was one of my favorites. Now that I am in Minnesota, I checked out the Bastille Day Block Party and although the size was limited they sure packed a lot into this block! Live performances, fries, ice cream, beer galore, food trucks, wine tasting vendors and more. I came curious and left happier and full. It is definitely a nice summer event to check out if you have the time! -After all, it's only once a year.

This is a really fun event. Cocktails at the castle is one of ASI's big events that both races…read moreFunds for the organization, but also introduces people to the museum. It is a really well done event. The setting itself is gorgeous. If you haven't visited the museum/Turnblad do it now. But there's so much going on at this event that everyone can have fun. The bands were incredible. There were a variety of different art activities that you could participate in both inside and out. I liked that several of them related to the Main exhibit that is taking place there right now. They worked with Du Nord spirits to come up with four signature cocktails. We tried two of the four they were both excellent and the rest looked fantastic. They also had four signature mock tails. The food curated for the event also looked great but we made the mistake of eating before we went. The mood was festive and there were people of all ages from 21 on up there. I went with just one friend. I think it could've been even more fun if we brought a crew but either way I think it is an extraordinary sFriday night out with just a special someone or friends. Big thank you to @mspyelp and the American Swedish Institute for providing me the tickets.

A fun night of wine, cocktails, music and mansion exploration…read more Wine from Chile. Cocktails made with Du Nord spirits and small bites from FIKA were all good. We had shrimp piri piri, preserved mango couscous salad, and the coconut cardamom Basbousa cake. The music was from Obi Original & the Black Atlantics. Nigerian Music. Was great.

I have been to both the dabblers this year, winter and highland. This was larger in size, but a…read morelittle poorer planned in my opinion which is why it did not get 4 or 5 stars. The pros - huge area: they did a great job with the locatation. There was lots of room so even though there were a lot of people it didn't feel too congested. The beer tents were spread out nicely helping to keep the lines down. - quick entry lines - divided up international regions - Large beer selection from MN brewers, micro, domestic, and foreign. Similar to the dabblers, but a little more selection. Although I am not a big Sam's guy, kudos to them for bringing a new beer not available locally to the beerfests. In this case it was the Hallerteu IPA. - Good live music throughout. - Lots of parking options in the area Cons - What you think you need for bathrooms double it and add 50% more!!!!! It was terrible. The wait was easily 15 minutes plus. Our group left at 8:15 because we didn't want to have to wait in line again, even though we all would have like to stay for a bit longer. Hopefully they learn from this blunder like the dabbler did after the winter fest. - More food carts. For the number of people there was too few food selections. The Chef Shack is great (love the pork tacos and bacon brats) but the line was constantly long. Same with Buffalo Wild Wings. - I think it is absurd DD's have to pay, but at least you should have some beverage options for them. I felt so bad for our DD. No free pop options we were able to find, only saw 1 non alcoholic beer (may have been more). Respect the DD's a bit more. Overall it was a fun time on a nice fall night. Hopefully they have it again next year and make a few improvements.

The Minneapolis Beer Fest is a bit different than a few of the other beer festivals in the Cities,…read morewhich is pretty noticeable when you look at the list of participating breweries (i.e., many macros, a few regionals and the occasional local brewery). In other words, it's not a place that you're likely to find many diamonds in the rough, but it's still enjoyable when appreciated for what it is. For the event's first year they were actually pretty well organized, with the one exception being the long lines for restrooms (which is a common ailment at such events). The presence of a number of food trucks was a great idea; any time I can get a lobster roll from Smack Shack will always make for a good evening. They also had live music throughout the duration of the event with solid local bands. All-in-all a good event for the non-die hard beer drinker and those looking for a fun night out during the fleeting days of fall in the Twin Cities (though Four Loko should never be present during a beer tasting).

While not a huge fan of live music, I accepted an invitation to go with some friends to this year's…read moreRTG at the Walker Art Center. My expectations were low, but it turned out to be a great time--Im very glad I was convinced to go. As I mentioned, Im not a music guru... But I like to think of RTG as an "event." Several local bands play, but to me, it's more about the atmosphere and comraderie. The venue is beautiful and situated in such a fashion that you can sit on the hill next to the Walker and look down on the stage--with the downtown skyline in the background. There are also a number of vendors and food trucks such as the Barrio taco truck and some of the best corn dogs Ive ever tasted. Of course, if you are a drinker you can partake in plenty of local Summit beers. So even if you arent familiar with some of the bands, I highly recommened experiencing this event at least once. The only drawback to this particular event is the price. Thankfully, my ticket was donated to me... But typically, the tickets are expensive. If you combine that with parking ($10) and food, you can expect to spend around $80 or more for the entire outing. I should also mention that the photography policy is confusing. The website is a little ambiguous about the types of cameras they allow. Thankfully, they let me in with my D3100 but they made me promise not to shoot video. Id check with security before bringing an SLR.

I have to say, this year was better than last. Better…read morelineup, better organization, more food. Some complaints if I may, and feel free to add your own opinions here. This is Yelp afterall! 1. Rules. They were conflicting. Facebook said bring a cooler. Get there and it says now outside food. What the F is the cooler for then? Make sure everybody is on the same page re: the rules before they show up for work at this event. We brought water and were told we couldn't have it. Then later, we were told we could. Too bad I had already guzzled it and had to piss. Same applies for the umbrella rule. It was 90 degrees and no shade. We are pale ass minnesotans. let us have an umbrella to block the shade. Makes me angry when I see other people were allowed in with an umbrella. 2. Food. Can I just say that Vincent must have the best burger in town if the burger at RTG was any indication? Wicked good. Seriously. I was happy to see Holy Land in the lineup this year. I was upset to see that there were two lines. One to order (shorter) and one to pickup (much much longer). No receipt, so when you go to pick up, dude asks you what you had. Seriously? I just waited 45 minutes for a fucking gyro (what else is there to do really?) and you have no idea what I ordered, so I have to tell you again. How many people stood in the pickup line w/o paying and just said give me one of everything and got it? Silly Silly Silly. Once I got my Gyro, I was tempted to stand in line for the bathroom because by the time you get to the front, you would be ready to shit it out. You can still hear the music and chat with your neighbors while in line, which makes it moderately ok. Conversation ranged from how stupid Holy Land is for not being able to manage with one line to how stupid Holy Land is for not being able to manage with one line. That and how there will never be peace in the Middle East with such a lack of logic...) I could have driven to Central ave and back and gotten my shit quicker. 3. Beverage. Just beer. Really? Oh wait, there was water for a buck (not a bad deal, actually. No hidden prices there) and watery lemonade for $6. I waited in line for what turned out to be a $6 lemonade. The sign said Lemonade $3. Refills any size. I ordered, thinking it was 3 bucks. Dude said: "That'll be six bucks to break the ice." I said: "Hard work breaking that ice, huh?" but paid anyway, because the lady needed something to drink since beer doesn't sit with her. Bourbon yes, vodka yes. Beer no. RTG, can you please allow better selections for drinks, better preparedness on message, and better vendor organization for a better experience next year?