The city of Minneapolis is unveiling a massive multi-neighborhood music showcase Wednesday night.
Dozens of local cafes, restaurants, and patios will host live musical performances in four corridors across the city for the Minneapolis Mile of Music event.
Local leaders are hoping it will promote economic recovery in the wake of Operation Metro Surge, the federal government's crackdown on illegal immigrants in Minnesota and the Twin Cities.
"Minneapolis is set apart from the rest of the country in large part because of artists that make this music, and we have the opportunity to support them," Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey explains. "Make sure that you're doing that, by the way. Make sure that you're contributing to them, that you're tipping them, and then that these local venues feel the benefit as well."
City administrators say they hope this is the first year of many for the event.
"Funding for this program is coming from the Small Business Resiliency Fund, which is designed to promote businesses as we recover from the harm and impacts of Metro Surge," adds City Director of Arts and Cultural Affairs Ben Johnson. "The fund is meant to support new activity and vitality in our commercial districts within Minneapolis."
Stretching from Saint Anthony Main through downtown corridors and down to Eat Street Crossing, the Minneapolis' Mile of Music will fill local commercial districts with live performances from local jazz, R&B, soul, rock, and cultural artists.
Johnson says people can catch happy hour shows across more than twenty-five diverse neighborhood spaces, including the Minnesota Orchestra lobby, Brit's Pub, and the Aster Cafe.
You can see more about the venues and artists here:
