HARRIET ISLAND LARGE/PUBLIC EVENT RENTAL PROCESS
- All new large and/or public events go through a proposal process. Below you will find a proposal form to complete and send to our event office. Please include as much information as possible as this will speed along the proposal process. The process typically takes two weeks for all of the appropriate parties to review the documents. We will be determining if the date, site and type of event are a good fit for the venue and date.
- Once you submit your proposal, the proposed date (if it is currently available) will be placed on hold for your event during the proposal process. Please note that we limit the amount of large/public events at our venues to limit the impact to neighboring residents and businesses. At Harriet Island we do not schedule more than 2 of these type events a month. We keep specific weekends on hold for large events, please contact the Harriet Island event office if you don’t already know what date you would be proposing.
- If your proposed event is approved, you will be sent the Harriet Island Large Event Permit to complete and submit. You will also need to submit Category A fees within 2 weeks of approval. If the permit/fees do not get submitted in the afore mentioned timeframe, we will release the date(s) you had on hold.
- Event Proposal
2023 HARRIET ISLAND LARGE/PUBLIC EVENTS
Saturday, June 10 9p-1am: A night with the river, Presented by Northern Lights.mn
Gather with friends and strangers for a final night with Northern Lights.mn. Wander through installations by artists Bayou Bay and Studio Strange. Linger at the Northern Spark Memory Station and contribute your remembrances from long nights of art in the city.
Slow down to be with water.
In contrast to the energetic flurry of past Northern Spark festivals, this final event invites you to slow down and spend a quiet evening of collective listening and remembering. Bring a blanket, lay supine and listen.
From sunset to late night, we’ll reflect, rest, wander, and send wishes to the water.
Project Details & More Information
Saturday, June 10: Billy Lindsay 5K/10K, Target Stage
The Billy Lindsay Run is a Chip Timed 5K and 10K benefitting DinoMights. The event will start at Harriet Island (Target Stage) in St. Paul and run alongside the Mighty Mississippi River. The Minnesota Wild and TRIA are premier supporters of the event. The prizes and incentives include trips, new running shoes, DinoMights apparel, and more. DinoMights provides whole life youth development to youth in Minneapolis and St. Paul using ice hockey as a key component. The mission is to equip our urban youth to develop Physical, Academic, Social, and Spiritual excellence. We also provide academic support, mentoring, leadership, work readiness, and other activities that fulfill the mission. DinoMights builds long-term relationships with at-risk youth to provide the support every child needs to grow into a self-assured, competent adult. Over our 27 year history our high school graduation rate is 86% over 30 points higher than the average for local students.
SCHEDULE:
8:00 - 8:45 am - Check in/registration
8:45 am - Opening Ceremony
9:00 am - Run Starts
*10K Runners line up first
Saturday, June 10 @ 7pm & Sunday, June 11 @ 3p: One Voice Mixed Chorus Presents: ONEarth, Raspberry Island
Join us this June for ONEarth, a concert experience like no other! We’re taking this one out of the concert hall and into the great outdoors. ONEarth will celebrate our connections to each other and the earth, and what better place to do it than on Raspberry Island in the heart of the Mississippi River. Exciting visual elements, such as life-sized puppets, will help bring the eclectic set of music to life. So, grab your lawn chair or blanket (and maybe a few friends) and meet us at ONEarth for a communal experience that will stay with you long after the last note has been sung!
One Voice believes strongly in expanding access to the arts, which is why we are letting you pick your price. This is only possible due to our generous donors and supporters—thank you!
Ticket Price
$0-$100, pick your price
Thursday, June 22: Water Connects Us, An annual benefit for Freshwater, Harriet Island Wigington Pavilion
Water Connects Us an annual celebration and fundraiser for Freshwater, a nonprofit working to inspire and empower people to value and preserve our freshwater resources.
Set along the banks of the Mighty Mississippi and amidst the backdrop of downtown Saint Paul, this year's festivities will be held Thursday, June 22, 4:30 p.m. at the Harriet Island Wigington Pavilion.
Geared towards all ages as an informal and inclusive community celebration, Water Connects Us centers on the importance of water as a vital resource that impacts us all. Freshwater is providing free General Admission to this year's event and would appreciate a donation of your choosing at the time of registration.
Featuring:
Music and poetry by the Buffalo Weavers
Storytellers sharing a new project to clean up Lake Hiawatha
Context framing and moderation by Jothsna Harris of Change Narrative
Delicious local food truck fare from El Burrito Mercado and Café Cairo
Water-themed activities
An online auction with a variety of thoughtfully curated packages
Don't miss this joyful gathering, and help sustain Freshwater’s important work!
Friday, June 23: Classical Actors Ensemble Presents: Much Ado About Nothing, Target Stage
Classical Actors Ensemble (CAE) announces a 9th season of Shakespeare in
Our Parks with a new production of Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Papke, this comedy will be performed in parks across the Twin Cities, June 16 – July 16, 2023, including partnership performances with Franconia Sculpture Park and the MN Humanities Center.
"We’re very excited to once again share these plays with thousands of Minnesotans in their local parks," said Joseph Papke. "For many of them it will be their only Shakespeare in the year, and forsome, their only play."
Written circa 1599, Much Ado About Nothing is considered a stylistic precursor to both comedy of manners and modern romantic comedy. A Prince and his soldiers return from a civil war and bring excitement, intrigue, and passion to a rural town. Callow youths and jaded exes both have their romantic lives complicated by gossip and all is lost—before it’s won again. CAE’s production will be set in the south of France during the late 19th Century. CAE last staged Much Ado in the fall of 2019 in repertory with Arden of Faversham at the LAB Theater in Minneapolis.
CAE honors Shakespeare’s work by making high-quality entertainment available for all at no charge through its annual Shakespeare in Our Parks program. CAE encourages audiences to bring a picnic to enjoy this free outdoor entertainment for the entire family. In keeping with CAE’s aesthetic, this production will include live, modern music performed by the cast.
TICKETS: FREE and non-ticketed
Online pre-registration recommended for weather updates. Donations encouraged.
Questions may be directed to the box office at boxoffice@classicalactorsensemble.org or
651.321.4024.
Saturday, June 24: Opening Day of the Wakpa Triennial Art Festival, Raspberry Island
Saturday, June 24 11 AM – 12:30 PM | Raspberry Island, Saint Paul Schubert Club Bandshell | Free and open to the public!
Celebrate the opening day of the Wakpa Triennial Art Festival!
PRESENTED BY OYATE HOTANIN WITH PUBLIC ART SAINT PAUL
On this first day that art projects will be open to the public, we launch Wakpa Triennial with a ceremonial event in the heart of Wakpa Tanka, the Mississippi, on Raspberry Island. Amidst the river bluffs of downtown Saint Paul, we will honor the river, Dakota land, and hear from musicians and poets.
Oyate Hotanin will host a Dakota ceremony, create a flower mosaic, one of their signature artworks, and lead a Round Dance that everyone may participate in. The Buffalo Weavers, 2022 Winner of Best Native American Duo, will share songs. Winners of the 2023 Sidewalk Poetry Contest, led by Public Art Saint Paul with Saint Paul Almanac and the City of Saint Paul, whose work explores our “network of mutuality,” will read their new poems.
Based in Saint Paul, Oyate Hotanin (Voice of the People) is an indigenous organization working to lead a movement for the next 500 years that supports a new era of art, healing, and change. The organization exists to creatively channel the potential of conversation, stories, art and mobilizing to bring communities together to laugh, think, inspire healing, and to address critical issues that spur social change.
Saturday, June 24: Human Powered Health Half Marathon, Upper Landing Park
Mark your calendar for June 24, 2023 and run in St. Paul on a beautiful route along the Mississippi River. Pick the distance that is right for you. There is a race for everyone whether this your first 5K or you are training for a marathon. Use our training plans to help you achieve your goals. Run your best in 2023!
Saturday, July 1: Raedial Book Fair, Harriet Island Wigington Pavilion
Event Schedule
11:00am Book Fair Begins
● 11:30am-12:30pm | Drag Queen Reading Hour
● 1:30pm-2:30pm | Author Talks
● 3:30pm-4:30pm | Panel: Social Media's Impact on the Discoverability of Diverse Books
5:00pm Book Fair Ends
About The Book Fair
Raedial's Book Fair is a free event open to all individuals and families. Our goal is to support the Twin Cities' literary ecosystem by showcasing 20+ literary vendors, authors, booksellers, and publishers whose missions uplift diverse literature. This event includes a Drag Queen Reading Hour, Author Talks, and a panel that will be discussing social media's impact on the
discoverability of diverse books. Local food trucks will be present so you can come enjoy an
afternoon away from home! This year, we are also partnering with the nonprofit organization,
Planting People Growing Justice, to host a book drive. For an updated list of our vendors,
authors, speakers, and performers, please visit Raedial's Book Fair webpage linked here.
Raedial's Mission & Vision
Raedial is a data processing enterprise focused on literary accessibility in the book industry. We work with database management vendors, publishers, libraries, and booksellers to enhance the discoverability of characters with diverse and intersectional experiences. Raedial envisions a world in which books with intersectional characters are accessible to all people.
For more information, visit our website and follow us on social media @raedialreads.
Saturday, July 8: Dance Around Minnesota Performance, Raspberry Island
After a three-year pandemic slumber, DanceCo returns to the stage with a
series of free, interactive, family-friendly outdoor performances. Titled Dance Around Minnesota and narrated by Paul Bunyan, the show will begin with a short kid-focused workshop to move and teach audience members interactive parts of the show. Then, the DanceCo Artists will begin a 45-minute performance with opportunities for the audience to join the dancers on stage!
Saturdays 10:00 am & 11:30 shows:
• June 24 | Springboard for the Arts
262 University Ave W. St. Paul, MN 55103
• July 1 | Minnehaha Falls Park Pavilion
4825 Minnehaha Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55417
• July 8 | Raspberry Island
2 Wabasha Street, St. Paul, MN 55107
• July 15 | Downtown Commons Park
425 Portland Ave S. Minneapolis, MN 55415
DanceCo is a professional performance company creating original, interactive dance narratives for young people ages 3-103! Karla Nwege joins Matthew and Brittany Keefe to direct Dance Around Minnesota. Dancers include DanceCo favorites and new members Hannah Benditt, Emily Compaan, Kendall Kramer, Anna Novak, Jennifer Mack, Leeah Schuhwerck, and Maria Vitelli.
Produced in collaboration with the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation, St. Paul Parks, and Young Dance, DanceCo is thrilled to bring its fourth production outside, free to the public!
Learn more about DanceCo and our professional artists.
Saturday, July 15: Mid-Summer Food Truck Extravaganza, Harriet Island
Sunday, July 16: Sounds of Hope, Target Stage
Thursday, August 3: Picnic for the Park, Harriet Island Pavilion
Friday, August 11 - Sunday, August 13: Irish Fair of Minnesota
Sunday, September 17: Twin Cities Veg Fest
Healing People, Animals, and the Planet at Twin Cities Veg Fest
Twin Cities Veg Fest, the Upper Midwest's largest vegan festival, returns to Harriet Island Park on September 17, 2023, 10am to 4pm. Featured as one of the best seven festivals in the world by Afar magazine, the festival will include plant-based food, music, games, giveaways, cooking demos, speakers, a health corridor, and a Let’s Beat Breast Cancer rally. The event is free to attend and the first 100 attendees get free swag bags from festival sponsors!
Now in its eleventh year, the festival welcomes 90+ exhibitors offering everything from artisan crafts & jewelry to decadent plant-based food. Chick'n and waffle cones, lobster mac ‘n cheese, and egg rolls on a stick are just a few of the 100+ entirely vegan menu items.
Attendees can enjoy their food while listening to live music by Mary Bue (10:45am), Happy Lance Brunious (1:30pm), and The Red Wine Trio (2:30pm) on the Cultural Star Stage.
Festival goers can also score free food samples and in two ways. First, get samples from the Food Giveaway booth while supplies last. Second, by attending cooking demonstrations on the VegFund Mainstage from HEAL Mpls (10:30am) and Reverie Cafe + Bar (2:30pm). At 3:30pm the winners of this August’s Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge will be announced!
Attendees and exhibitors come to the festival from across the country and Canada. They’re drawn by the fabulous food, fun and inclusivity of the event,” said Laura Matanah, Executive Director of Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA), the local non-profit that runs the festival. “We’re now at the point where most Americans have tried meat alternatives. The festival gives people a chance to try a wide range of plant-based foods while learning about the reasons over two million Americans are choosing a vegan lifestyle.”
Festival sponsor CLIMB Theatre will provide family programming, and the Farmaste Fun Zone will offer opportunities for children of all ages to play bags and giant Jenga throughout the day.
Guests can download free transit passes from festival sponsor MetroTransit at tcvegfest.com. They can also drive and park in Union Depot parking Lots B and C. Free shuttles sponsored by Reverie Cafe + Bar (including an ADA accessible shuttle) will then take attendees from Union Depot and the Union Depot parking lots to the festival entrance at 151 Water St.,St. Paul, MN. Bicycle parking is located near this entrance.
The local non-profit Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) organizes both the Twin Cities Vegan Chef Challenge and the festival. Founded in 1998, CAA envisions a world where all animals, human and non-human, can thrive. Find out more about CAA at caa.mn.
Thursday, September 21: The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night
At Light The Night, it is our aim to bring light to the darkness of cancer through research and cures. Light The Night is a series of fundraising campaigns benefiting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's (LLS) funding of research to find blood cancer cures. We bring hope instead of despair by working to ensure access to treatments for all blood cancer patients. We bring communities together to celebrate those who are fighting the disease and to honor those we have lost.
We are taking steps to end cancer. WE LIGHT THE NIGHT.
Saturday, October 28: Monster Dash, Upper Landing Park
Saturday, November 4: Chocoholic Frolic
The St. Paul Chocoholic Frolic is a 5K/10K experience like no other!
Enjoy a safe and scenic route, chip-timed results, chocolate-themed rest stops (weather permitting) and amazing SWAG! Chocoholic Frolickers receive a race 1/4 zip, commemorative medal and chocolate treat at the finish. The St. Paul race site offers a 5K, 10K and KidsK! So if you are aiming for a personal best, out for a casual jog, or trying to finish your first couch to 5K, you'll find that our race is simply the sweetest!
Schedule:
7:30 am – Onsite Packet Pickup/Race Day Registration
8:45 am – KidsK Run
9:00 am – 10K Start
9:10 am – 5K Start
Register for Chocoholic Frolic
Proceeds from this race will donated to:
The Longest Day is the day with the most light — the summer solstice.
Join us to fight the darkness of Alzheimer's through a fundraising activity of your choice.
The funds you raise advance the care, support and research efforts of the Alzheimer’s Association.