Taste of Minnesota kicks off this weekend in downtown Minneapolis, the third iteration of the festival there after years in St. Paul.
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and Cheap Trick will headline the event Saturday and Ludacris and Nur-D will perform on Sunday.
Now if music isn't your thing, there will also be aerialists, puppies, inflatables and wrestling matches. Oh, and food. A lot of food.
Associate producer of Taste, Josh Vosberg, with some of the changes this year.
"This year we are open until 10:00 p.m., so it's going to be super great to just stay open a little bit later after the headliners close for you to experience kind of like the nightlife of Taste of Minnesota as well," says Vosberg. "In case you come a little later. Yeah, it's just going to be a really great event for just the people of Minnesota."
The event is being held on Washington Avenue and Nicolet Mall. It's free, and there are dozens of options for food.
Vosberg anticipates crowds larger than last year’s 200,000, mostly thanks to bigger musical guests and post–July 4th timing.
"This year it's a little bit more condensed, and every location has something special in it without you having to walk too far to get something that you're looking for," Vosberg adds.
There are special food options both Saturday and Sunday. There's a Jucy Lucy "Hall of Flame" with Matt's Bar, the 5-8 Club and The Nook on Saturday. Sunday "Funday" comes with some lawn games and a mouthwatering wing tasting.
Get more information here and prepare for some traffic and parking headaches. In addition to the noon-10:00 Taste of Minnesota, both days have 1:10 p.m. Twins games at Target Field.