Beginning Saturday, the 21st annual Art Shanty Project event returns to Lake Harriet in south Minneapolis.
Unlike last year, the weather will be perfect - that is, if you like it bitter cold.
"We only had one weekend and then a few days later it was in the 50s and so we had to close," director Erin Lavelle recalls.
This year that won't be an issue. Organizers say, don't worry too much about those bitter wind chills though. Many of the shanties will have heaters or wood burning stoves to allow visitors to warm up.
"We have operated in subzero temperatures before. This is nothing new for us," Lavelle said.
Many of them will also be interactive, says Lavelle. There's one where people can film short movie scenes.
"Inside of this flaming dumpster, there's a disco dance party with a light up dance floor," Lavelle describes one of the shanties. "I'm also looking at a gingerbread house where the witches live. It's called Wicked Winter Shanty, and they will cast spells."
It's a lot of fun and it also supports a good cause. The shanties will be in a specific arrangement creating participatory art.
"Every year we pick a different shape to map our village in," Lavelle says. "We do put the shanties in a specific arrangement, and this year we chose an hourglass shape and the visitors will pass through it like the sands of the hourglass. And this is really a reference to climate change and the necessity to slow it."
The event will be held from 10:00 to 4:00 each Saturday and Sunday through February 9th. Click here for more information.
