The Minneapolis holiday tradition Holidazzle returns to Loring Park on Friday, November 23 for five weekends of community festivities. This year’s Holidazzle mixes the favorite weekly activities enjoyed annually at Holidazzle along with a collection of new programs on the schedule that will add to the holiday cheer.
Holidazzle 2018
Thursdays – Sundays, November 23 – December 23
Thursdays from 5 pm – 9 pm | Fridays from 5 pm – 10 pm
Saturdays from 11 am – 10 pm | Sundays from 11 am – 7 pm
holidazzle.com | Free & open to the public
“We are excited to welcome you and yours to Holidazzle at beautiful Loring Park in downtown Minneapolis this winter,” said Leah Wong, vice president of external relations, mpls downtown council. “Holidazzle offers a chance to curate your own experience and participate in a variety of activities. There is something for everyone to enjoy.”
This year’s Holidazzle has a collection of new activities and events that add to the fun:
- The Thwing, an interactive multi-person swing
- Downtown sleigh rides to and from Nicollet in downtown’s core, with Mpls Downtown Improvement District activities on Nicollet at pick-up point
- Photo opportunities inside giant snow globes
- Alpacas and rescue animals on site during first four Sundays (Nov. 25, Dec. 2, 9, 16)
- Storytime sessions on Sundays
- S’mores station with specialty marshmallows each Friday night
- Silent disco skating on Thursday nights
- Adult Craft & Vinyl Night in Fulton Beer Garden on Thursday nights
- Drag Queen Bingo at the Fulton Beer Garden on Friday nights
- Brunch at Holidazzle, including Micheladas at Fulton Beer Garden and Holidazzle Hash at Kabomelette on Sundays
Plus, annual favorites returning at this year’s Holidazzle include:
- Holidazzle Fireworks presented by Xcel Energy (Nov. 23, Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22)
- Meet Santa and take photos for free during all Holidazzle hours
- 10 Movie Nights presented by U.S. Bank (featuring movies like Frozen, The Mighty Ducks, The Santa Clause, A Christmas Carol, Groundhog Day and more)
- Free skating with complimentary skates available at Wells Fargo Mpls WinterSkate
- Kids Zone area
- Local Musical Performances
- Bonfires & Warming Houses
- Visit the Holidazzle schedule page for details: holidazzle.com/schedule
Holidazzle offers an incredible assortment of on-site prepared food and beverages representing Minnesota’s culinary scene, including limited time items: the exclusive Holidazzle sausage (featuring wild rice and cranberries) from Kramarczuk’s, Fulton Beer’s new take on its wildly popular Holidazzle Proper Porter, and Sociable Cider Werks’ Fat Bike hot mulled apple cider released first at Holidazzle. Other food offerings in the lineup include:
Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
Fair Faves
I Look So Good Smoothies
K-Town Street Foods
Kabomelette
Kramarczuk’s
Lady A’s
Poffertjes (The Littlest Pancake)
The Thirsty Whale
Twin Cities Paella
Waltz Wings
Gorkha Palace
Complementing the prepared food and beverages are a wide variety of local merchandise vendors offering unique holiday gift items from right here in the community:
Love Your Melon
Faribault Woolen Mill Co.
Hippy Feet
KCM Woodworks
MN Art Truck
Northern Drift
The Abbey Alpaca
The Thirsty Whale
Three Rivers Farms
Triple Crown Hats
Cabin Customs
Block Paper Scissors
Blue Egg Farmstore
Cheese Brothers
Cooper & Kid
DK Wood Toys
Minnie & Paul
Midwest Woodcraft LLC
North Shore Apparel MN/Martin’s
Simple Trends
Skyline Specs
And more!
Plus, Holidazzle will welcome the Mpls Craft Market on Thursday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Dec. 16. The Twin Cities’ mobile marketplace dedicated to crafts will feature rotating handcrafted goods by designers and makers of the North.
Also of note: lighting and ambiance will be part of the Holidazzle experience, including twinkle lights within Loring Park, and the popular Wolf and Moose exhibit, a Christopher Lutter-Gardella creation, returns this year.
When planning a trip to Holidazzle, visitors can enjoy Free Ride Nights courtesy of Metro Transit each Saturday throughout the run. Get there by bus or light rail with a free-ride pass, which can be downloaded at Holidazzle.com. The pass must be printed and shown during the free ride, and the free-ride pass is good from 10 am-11 pm each Saturday from Nov. 23 through Dec. 23.
Other arrival opportunities include parking for $5 or less during all Holidazzle hours at Minneapolis College’s parking ramp (1420 Hennepin Avenue). A drop-off and pick-up location will be available on the corner of Yale Place and Willow Street includes Uber and Lyft zones, and ADA-accessible parking spots are available along Willow Street.
For more information on Holidazzle scheduling, vendors and entertainment, visit www.holidazzle.com and follow along on social media through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #Holidazzle. While at the event, patrons are encouraged to use Holidazzle’s Snapchat filter. Holidazzle imagery can be found at www.holidazzle.com/media.
