2023 Schedule of Events
Saturday, August 12, 2023
- Nicollet Chalk Art Festival | 10a – 6p
- 3D Chalk Art Installation at IDS Center | 10a – 6p
- Live Spray Painting on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
- Artists Craft Market | 10a - 6p
- Street Eats (food trucks and more) on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
- Pedal to the Metal | 10a - 6p
- Heart and Soul Drum Academy | 11a & 2p
- Streetcorner Letterpress | 10a - 6p
- Mobile Sign Shop | 11:30a - 3:30p
- Storyteller Brother Asé | 12p
- Hard in the Paint Hoops 3x3 Basketball Tournament | 12pm - 4pm
- Guided Downtown Mural Tour | 12p & 3p
- Flamenco del Arte | 1p
- Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival concert, curated by Illism: Black Velvet Punks | 3p, Jordan Johnston | 4p, Rawtwhylah | 5p
Sunday, August 13, 2023
- Nicollet Chalk Art Festival | 10a – 6p
- 3D Chalk Art Installation at IDS Center | 10a – 6p
- Live Spray Painting on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
- Street Eats (food trucks and more) on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
- Artists Craft Market | 10a – 6p
- Streetcorner Letterpress | 10a - 6p
- WOW Mobile Metal Lab | 10a - 6p
- Hennepin County Mobile Bike Library | 11a - 5p
- Street Show performances on Nicollet | 11a - 5p
- Mobile Sign Shop | 11:30a - 3:30p
- Guided Downtown Mural Tours | 12p & 3p
Saturday, August 13, 2022
Nicollet Chalk Art Festival | 10a – 6p
The centerpiece of the Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival is a two-block-long series of chalk installations by 19 local and international artists representing six states and five countries (Canada, India, Mexico, Turkey, U.S.A.). Watch the artists as they transform the sidewalks of Nicollet between 6th and 8th Streets from 10am to 6pm with their unique artistic vision in vibrant tempera. While enjoying the art, make sure to channel your inner artist and contribute to our community chalk mandala.
3D Chalk Art Installation at IDS Center | 10a – 6p
Watch world-renowned local chalk artist Shawn McCann as he creates a special 3D chalk installation on the corner of 8th & Nicollet. McCann uses advanced techniques and anamorphic perspective to produce an illusion of depth and perspective for your perfect festival Instagram moment.
Live Spray Painting on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
The excitement of live mural spray painting continues as our lineup of local and international artists showcase their unique sense of color, style and technique on Nicollet.
Street Eats (food trucks and more) on Nicollet | 10 - 6p
Enjoy street games, lunch from Street Eats vendor Stop, Drop & Rolls, or a snack from a selection of local food trucks and street vendors #OnNicollet
Artists Craft Market | 10a – 6p
Shop local at the Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival Artist Craft Market on Nicollet between 7th and 8th streets. More than 19 artists and artisan makers will bring their unique wares to the street. Browse through a wide selection of goods and leave with a souvenir to remember the festival by.
Street Show performances on Nicollet | 12p & 2p
Enjoy live performances from our Street Show favorites. Produced by the DID and curated by the Warming House, Street Show has brought more than 2,000 hours of paid street performance from local musicians, artists, dancers, painters and others to the sidewalks of downtown Minneapolis since 2018.
Pedal to the Metal | 10a - 6p
Tap into your inner street artist and contribute to a community carving and metal pour by Pedal to the Metal.
Streetcorner Letterpress | 10a - 6p
Streetcorner Letterpress invites people of all ages to print their own free postcards from a variety of papers, images, and colors.
Heart and Soul Drum and Dance Academy | 11a & 2p
Take in a performance by talented youth from Heart & Soul Drum Academy. This Rondo community-based organization helps kids 3-17 develop focus, discipline and teamwork skills while celebrating African culture through teaching drumming and dance.
Hennepin County Mobile Library Bike | 11a - 5p
Check out the fun arts activities, or a book, from the Hennepin County Mobile Library Bike.
Mobile Sign Shop | 11:30a - 3:30p
Tap into your inner street artist and design and take home a custom sign with the Mobile Sign Shop.
Street Art Festival In-person and Virtual Tours | 12p & 3p
Staff from Hennepin Theatre Trust will be offering tours throughout the festival highlighting the many amazing downtown murals, including the new Prince mural, as well as the latest installation of the It’s the People exhibition.
Storyteller Brother Asé | 12p
Out of North Minneapolis, Joshua Gillespie (Brotha Asè) was brought up within an Ancient Griot practice known as The Art of Oral Storytelling. The Griots were responsible for knowing the history of their community, the stories of their people, and the wisdom from times immemorial to be shared to motivate, inspire, and protect our communities.
Hard in the Paint Hoops 3x3 Basketball Tournament
Swing by The Alley Project (behind The FAIR School for Arts) to enjoy music, refreshments, and competition for our first annual Hard in the Paint Hoops 3x3 Basketball Tournament! The first-place team will win $300 and the second-place team will win $150.
Guided Downtown Mural Tour | 12p & 3p
Mary Jane Mansfield from Hennepin Theatre Trust offers an insider’s tour of downtown murals at 12pm and 3pm both days of the festival, highlighting the many amazing downtown murals, including the Prince mural, as well as the latest installation of the It’s the People exhibition.
Flamenco del Arte | 1p
Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival Concert, curated by ILLism: Black Velvet Punks | 3p, Jordan Johnston | 4p, Rawtwhylah | 5p
Wrapping up a full day of street art on Saturday, August 12, local hip hop duo iLLism has curated a musically diverse set of local performers, who will take the stage on Nicollet at 7th Street for a free concert. Jazz punk, neo-soul and hip-hop group Black Velvet Punks (3pm) will be kicking off the concert with a splatter of punk and a tapestry of neo-soul charm and smoothness. Pop/soul singer Jordan Johnston (4pm) takes the stage next with his band and his dad drummer Bob Johnston (an original member of Flyte Time). Following their performance, Rahtwhylah (5pm) will be taking the stage for a high-energy performance featuring music with a fusion melting pot sound and a Caribbean undertone. Enjoy performances that span multiple genres, such as Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz, and Minneapolis Funk, to close out the first day of the Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival.
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Nicollet Chalk Art Festival | 10a – 6p
The centerpiece of the Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival is a two-block-long series of chalk installations by 19 local and international artists representing six states and five countries (Canada, India, Mexico, Turkey, U.S.A.). Watch the artists as they transform the sidewalks of Nicollet between 6th and 8th Streets from 10am to 6pm with their unique artistic vision in vibrant tempera. While enjoying the art, make sure to channel your inner artist and contribute to our community chalk mandala.
3D Chalk Art Installation at IDS Center | 10a – 6p
Watch world-renowned local chalk artist Shawn McCann as he creates a special 3D chalk installation in the IDS Center outdoor plaza. McCann uses advanced techniques and anamorphic perspective to produce an illusion of depth and perspective for your perfect festival Instagram moment.
Live Spray Painting on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
The excitement of live mural spray painting continues as our lineup of local and international artists showcase their unique sense of color, style and technique on Nicollet.
Street Eats (food trucks and more) on Nicollet | 10a – 6p
Enjoy street games, lunch from Street Eats vendor Stop, Drop & Rolls, or a snack from a selection of local food trucks and street vendors #OnNicollet.
Artists Craft Market | 10a – 6p
Shop local at the Downtown Mpls Street Art Festival Artist Craft Market on Nicollet between 7th and 8th streets. More than 19 artists and artisan makers will bring their unique wares to the street. Browse through a wide selection of goods and leave with a souvenir to remember the festival by.
Street Show performances on Nicollet | 11a, 12:30p, 3:30p, and 4:30p
Enjoy live performances from our Street Show favorites on the big festival stage. Produced by the DID and curated by the Warming House, Street Show has brought more than 2,000 hours of paid street performance from local musicians, artists, dancers, painters and others to the sidewalks of downtown Minneapolis since 2018. For the season schedule, click here.
Streetcorner Letterpress | 11a - 5p
Streetcorner Letterpress invites people of all ages to print their own free postcards from a variety of papers, images, and colors.
WOW Mobile Metal Lab | 10a - 6p
Get on the bus! Choose from a selection of molds (taken from nature, found objects and 3d printed designs) and pour lead-free pewter to create your own Souvenir Artifact - small sculpture, pendant, ornament, pin, keychain, zipper pull or magnet.
Ages 5+. No experience necessary.
Hennepin County Mobile Bike Library | 11a - 5p
Check out the fun arts activities, or a book, from the Hennepin County Mobile Library Bike.
Street Art Festival In-person and Virtual Tours | 12p & 3p
Mary Jane Mansfield from Hennepin Theatre Trust offers an insider’s tour of downtown murals at 12pm and 3pm both days of the festival, highlighting the many amazing downtown murals, including the Prince mural, as well as the latest installation of the It’s the People exhibition.
Street Art Festival Virtual Tour
Staff from Hennepin Theatre Trust will be offering tours throughout the festival highlighting the many amazing downtown murals, including the new Prince mural, as well as the latest installation of the It’s the People exhibition. Throughout the festival, you will see QR codes with scannable links to the Downtown Street Art Festival online tour with more information (in both English and Spanish) on the participating visual artists and artworks. While the festival is best experienced in person, this platform provides another opportunity for people to experience the festival from their living rooms. The link to the virtual tour will be available during the festival on the festival website at mplsstreetartfest.com.
About the Festival
The Downtown Street Art Festival is organized by the Mpls Downtown Improvement District and Hennepin Theatre Trust with support from our hospitality partner AC Hotel Minneapolis Downtown. IDS Center (Accesso Services) is a site sponsors.