❋
Events Grants
2025
Under the Canopy
May- August. 2025
presented by The Hook and Ladder Theater & Lounge
-
Hook & Ladder Theater & Lounge announced the return of its award-winning outdoor concert series, Under the Canopy, for the 2025 season to strong community response, with tickets selling quickly following the public on-sale. The series continues to be a cornerstone of summer programming in Longfellow, drawing audiences from across the Twin Cities for live music and cultural events.
In addition to the concert lineup, Hook & Ladder will again host the Lake Street Roots, Rock & Deep-Blues Festival, bringing together neighborhood partners, artists, and local organizations for a day-long celebration of music and community. The venue is also preparing to announce additional spring and summer festivals and cultural gatherings, contributing to what is expected to be one of their busiest seasons to date.
These programs collectively bring more than 10,000 visitors into the neighborhood each summer, supporting surrounding businesses and reinforcing Longfellow as a destination for arts and culture.
Support for event operations, including Sequeerity staffing, helps ensure these large-scale gatherings remain safe, welcoming, and accessible while allowing the nonprofit to continue offering robust community programming.
May. 2025
Justice for George
-
The 5th annual Justice for George event centered on the theme Radical Joy, creating space for community care, healing, and connection while continuing to honor grief and the ongoing fight for justice in Black communities. As the five-year mark since George Floyd’s murder approached, the event encouraged participants to remember, reflect, and remain engaged in collective action.
Organized by Memorialize the Movement, Justice for George continues to balance remembrance of the 2020 uprising with forward-looking hope. Through the creation of new murals, exhibitions, and gatherings, the event offers a place for storytelling, dialogue, and transformation, reinforcing the uprising as a lasting part of Minnesota’s shared history.
The 2025 celebration expanded to include five days of programming leading up to the main event on May 25th. Activities included a play reading, a community summer kickback, and a walking tour, culminating in a large-scale mural exhibition alongside live music, dance performances, and live mural painting.
Each year, Justice for George provides a meaningful space for reflection, creativity, and community connection, bringing people together to honor the past while envisioning a more just future.
presented by Memorialize the Movement
Letters to the Ancient/Future/Now
May-Dec. 2025
-
Pangea World Theater produced the Milkweed Maps yard sign, a collaborative project conceived with Diane Wilson and artist Marlena Myles, who created the artwork. The sign serves as both a call to care for land and community and a piece of public art. As the signs continue to be shared across yards and community spaces, Pangea is collecting photos and stories to build a Milkweed Map of the Longfellow neighborhood and beyond.
The grant also supported a series of writing workshops led by Diane Wilson, including sessions with Ikidowin Youth and the Seeding Change Institute cohort. These workshops culminated in a September 6, 2025 gathering where 65 participants took part in a collective writing experience. The stories and reflections generated through these sessions will inform a future theater work developed in collaboration with Wilson, with additional workshops planned.
During the culminating event, 75 Milkweed Maps signs were distributed to community members. Marlena Myles spoke about the project’s connection to Dakota teachings, and Diane Wilson shared writing created with youth participants. Attendees contributed their own dreams, intentions, and prayers on butterfly seed paper, which were planted in soil for The Jim Denomie garden outside Pangea’s new building, accompanied by song and vocal improvisation led by Sarah Greer.
The grant helped spark artistic collaboration, youth engagement, and neighborhood participation, supporting a project that continues to grow through storytelling, land connection, and creative community practice.
presented by Pangea World Theater
Soul of the Southside
presented by The Legacy Building
-
Soul of the Southside continued to grow as a vibrant community celebration bringing together music, art, wellness, education, and Black-owned businesses in south Minneapolis. Held at the intersection of East Lake Street and Minnehaha Avenue, the festival created a welcoming space centered on connection, cultural expression, and community pride.
More than 4,000 attendees gathered to experience live performances, local vendors, and interactive activities that highlighted the creativity and entrepreneurship of Black artists and businesses. The event fostered opportunities for residents and visitors to support local enterprises while engaging in programming designed to uplift and empower the community.
By combining cultural celebration with economic and community development, Soul of the Southside strengthened neighborhood connections and reinforced the corridor as a hub for creativity, resilience, and collective joy.
June. 2025
Krewe Du Nord Community Festival
presented by Du Nord Foundation
-
Krewe Du Nord took place on June 21st in the parking lot of the historic Coliseum Building on East Lake Street, bringing together music, food, and family activities in a neighborhood celebration inspired by New Orleans traditions and community spirit.
The event featured live performances from Hipshaker DJs, Brass Solidarity, the Soul Rebels, and the St. Paul and Minneapolis Funk All Stars, drawing attendees throughout the afternoon and evening. Local food and beverage vendors included Du Nord Cocktail Room and Lagniappe, Mr. Momo, Taste the Real Nawlins’, and Big Bell Ice Cream, creating a vibrant street festival atmosphere.
Families participated in a lantern-making activity led by artists from the Semilla Center, with many planning to join a future lantern parade on the Greenway. The Du Nord Foundation also hosted a free raffle featuring gift cards to 14 East Lake Street businesses, encouraging continued support for the corridor beyond the event.
Krewe Du Nord created a joyful gathering space on Lake Street, highlighting local talent, supporting neighborhood businesses, and strengthening community connections.
June . 2025
Music in the Garden
presented by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
-
Music in the Garden brought neighbors together for an evening of connection, music, and shared community space at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. The event was created as a welcoming gathering for the many communities connected to the campus and surrounding neighborhood.
Participants included members of Holy Trinity’s congregation, the Minnesota Swahili Christian Congregation, which is made up largely of first and second generation East African immigrants, guests from the Soup for You! free community meal, residents of Trinity Apartments and Trinity on Lake, and individuals participating in the Volunteers of America federal reentry program.
The evening centered on creating a joyful and inclusive space where people from different backgrounds could gather, share music, and build relationships. Events like Music in the Garden help strengthen the social fabric of the neighborhood by bringing together communities that may not otherwise cross paths in everyday life.
June - Sept. 2025
Annual Outdoor All-Ages Concert
presented by Sister Species
-
More than 80 community members gathered in the greenspace next to Moon Palace Books for the fourth annual outdoor, all-ages concert featuring local chamber pop septet Sister Species. The evening opened with a performance by lo-fi indie rocker Loud Sun, setting the tone for a relaxed and welcoming neighborhood gathering.
Despite the late-summer heat, attendees settled into the shade and enjoyed an intimate live music experience that drew people of all ages. Families with babies and young children shared space with longtime music fans, while older neighbors joined in to listen and connect, reflecting the intergenerational spirit of the event.
Now a yearly tradition for many, the concert continues to create a simple but meaningful opportunity for neighbors to gather, celebrate local artists, and enjoy live music together in a familiar community space.
August. 2025
Mizna Film Series
presented by Mizna
-
Mizna’s Film Series at Trylon Cinema brought audiences together for a thoughtfully curated program centered on Iranian Classics, featuring recently restored archival films and conversations that deepened the viewing experience. The series exceeded attendance expectations, welcoming 237 audience members across screenings and demonstrating strong community interest.
Working with Iranian scholar and activist Dr. Sima Shakhsari, Mizna programmed screenings of Gilaneh and Tales, accompanied by a prerecorded conversation with filmmaker Rakhshan Banietemad titled “Afterlives of War: The Persistent Emotional Labor of Iranian Women.” The discussion provided historical and cultural context, helping audiences engage more deeply with the films’ themes and their connections to present-day realities.
Additional screenings included The Pear Tree in October and a special presentation of Palestine 36 on November 30, which sold out shortly after tickets were released. The ability to add films in response to timely opportunities strengthened the series’ relevance and reach.
Through this program, Mizna expanded its partnership with Trylon Cinema and strengthened relationships with the Iranian community in the Twin Cities, creating space for cultural exchange, dialogue, and shared reflection through film.
July - November. 2024
September . 2025
Oktoberfresh
-
Oktoberfresh at Arbeiter Brewing grew out of the Longfellow Fair Festival and reimagined the traditional Oktoberfest as a celebration rooted in local culture, creativity, and community connection. With support from a Longfellow Rising Event Grant, the event blended live music, family activities, and neighborhood food vendors into a welcoming, all-ages gathering.
In partnership with the Legacy Building, the event featured live performances by the Cody Steinman Trio and Brayden Tulloch and the Poetic Roots, with KRSM’s DJ Biig Miic providing music between sets and into the evening. The collaboration highlighted how local venues and artists can work together to create vibrant community programming.
Families participated in hands-on activities including crafts with Half Pint Co., face painting, and a bouncy castle, while local vendors Laune Bread and Bao Bao Buns offered creative food specials such as kimchi pretzels, kimchi brats, and a bao-eating contest.
CRWN Media documented the day through photo, video, and drone footage, creating lasting promotional assets and capturing the energy of the celebration.
The grant support made it possible for Arbeiter to expand beyond its typical programming and host a dynamic neighborhood event that introduced new audiences to local artists, businesses, and the brewery itself. Oktoberfresh strengthened community pride, brought new visitors to the area, and demonstrated how small investments can create meaningful, shared experiences.
presented by Arbeiter Brewing Co.