Spring
Edina Art Crawl
March Art meets 50th & France at the annual art crawl. Stroll the 50th & France promenade and vote on local artists and students via window displays. Meet the artists and view more in-store exhibits as well.
Taste of Edina
April Featuring Edina’s best culinary treats in one place, approximately 20 of Edina’s top restaurants gather each spring to give small-plate tastings, featuring their tastiest flavors and showcasing new culinary trends. The event is organized by the Edina Chamber of Commerce and also features wine pairings from Edina Liquor.
Edina Art Fair
June Each year in June, 50th & France hosts the Edina Art Fair, a nationally ranked fest that has been held in town for almost 50 years. The fair is composed of more than 300 artists showing off their talents, from painting to jewelry-making, as well as live entertainment, concessions and more.
Summer
Edina Parade of Boats
June The Edina Model Yacht Club knows how to showcase its work: Each June, the club holds a parade of boats to wow crowds with more than 100 radio-controlled boats at Centennial Lakes Park. For more than 20 years, the waters outside the Hughes Pavillion have filled with model boats, and others are available for closer inspection out of the water.
Outdoor Movies in the Park
June—August Never again will the family be without something to do on a Thursday night in summer: Centennial Lakes Park has come to the rescue withweekly outdoor movies. Bring a blanket, and buy popcorn from the concession stand, then count the minutes until dusk, when the movies begin. Although many are family-friendly, some are best-suited for date night, so be sure to check schedules.
Fourth of July Festivities
July Edina celebrates America with a handful of fun Fourth of July activities. Kick off your morning with the annual Fourth of July parade, which begins behind Edina City Hall and stretches to 50th Street and Halifax Avenue. Spend the day boating and barbecuing with family before you cap off the evening with a stunning display of fireworks in Rosland Park.
Fall
Fall into the Arts Festival
September What better way to celebrate the beginning of fall than with an arts festival? Each year, hundreds of exhibitors gather on the walkways of Centennial Lakes Park to showcase wares from photography to sculpture. Don’t miss special demonstrations and tasty bites from local food vendors.
Halloween Party
October Kick off Halloween a little early at the annual Halloween Party at Edinborough Park. Kids can go trick-or-treating throughout the park, play games, explore Adventure Peak, play in the pool, go for a hop in the jumper and run around the Great Hall—all in costume, of course.
Pumpkin Festival
October Local businesses get in on the Halloween fun at the Pumpkin Festival, held each year at 50th & France. Kids can don costumes to trick-or-treat at area businesses, play games, tour fire trucks and take part in a costume contest, which is open to both children and pets and judged by an audience applause meter.
Winter
Community Tree-lighting
November The weekend after Thanksgiving is the unofficial kickoff to the holiday season, and Edina does it up right with an annual tree-lighting at 50th and France. The streets and storefronts are decked in holiday décor, and there’s a festive feeling in the air as Christmas carols are sung and food and clothing donations are collected for local charities. Don’t forget to stop by for a visit with Santa before the mayor lights the ornament-adorned tree.
New Year’s Eve Party
December Edina’s New Year’s Eve Party is the perfect way to ring in the new year with the kids without pushing bedtimes too far. Edinborough Park hosts the event each year and, for a small fee, the whole family can play games, explore Adventure Peak, splash in the swimming pool, jump in the jumper, and dash around the Great Hall. The countdown to the new year begins at 8 p.m., leaving plenty of time for the little ones to get home and slide into bed at a reasonable hour.
Winter Ice Festival
January Held on a Saturday or Sunday at Centennial Lakes Park (Sunday in 2014), the Winter Ice Festival is the perfect way to celebrate the joys of winter at an event featuring something for everyone. Ice skaters and Norwegian ice sleds twirl around the Centennial Lakes ice at this fun festival, which also features face-painting, ice-sculpting demonstrations, concessions and horse-drawn wagon rides.
Editor’s Note: All dates and details subject to change; items highlighted are merely a snapshot of some of the city’s annual events. For more detailed information, visit edinamag.com.
