The Taste of Minnesota is returning with musicians and food vendors and more, July 2 and 3 on Nicollet Mall in Downtown Minneapolis.
Mayor Jacob Frey, City Councilmember Michael Rainville and Downtown Council President Steve Cramer made the formal announcement along with Taste of Minnesota hosts, organizers and others.
The main musical acts will be Third Eye Blind, rapper Big Boi and Uncle Kracker, along with a few smaller acts. There will be plenty of food vendors and food trucks, an art market and more each day from Noon to 8:00 p.m. The city will also provide free bus rides to and from the event.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says he was presented the idea for this year's festival just a couple of months ago and was shocked they were planning to bring it back this summer.
"This year? You're going to pull all of these people and this vision together in this short period of time," asked Frey. "Not only is it coming back, it's coming to downtown Minneapolis, to Nicollet Mall. It is entirely free. You're going to be able to listen to exceptional music, have wonderful food."
The original Taste of Minnesota started in the early 1980s at the State Capitol in St. Paul. It was always a free event, and eventually became one of the state’s largest gatherings. It moved to Harriet Island in 2003.
Eventually, Taste of Minnesota came undone in the 2000s when money started to become scarce.
A lot of that was due to the failing health of Ron Maddox, a St. Paul bar owner and legendary personality who was the event’s co-founder. Maddox was a fierce promotor and the face of the festival. Maddox would drive around the festival grounds in a golf cart due to his health issues, organizing things, chatting with anyone who had time for him, and even looking for troublemakers with a bat that said “You agree with me don’t you?”
Maddox eventually died in 2010 and it was bankruptcy for the new owners of Taste. In 2014, Maddox's widow Linda tried to reboot it, but flooding in St. Paul forced the event to leave and it moved to Waconia in 2014 and 2015. It wasn’t as successful and has been shuttered since then.