During Fourth of July weekend, some Minnesotans pack up the car and head to the cabin. Taylor Carik, co-organizer of the rebooted Taste of Minnesota, says that's great, but what about everyone who stays in the Twin Cities? For years, the Taste of Minnesota was the answer. It was a weekend of art, food, and music in St. Paul from 1983 to 2010, then in Waconia from 2014 to 2015. And now, this year it's back — as a free event — on Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis, on Sunday, July 2, and Monday, July 3, from noon to 8 p.m. each day.

The Taste will have an art market, street performers, a bounty of food vendors curated in part by Andrew Zimmern, and national and local musicians across three stages. Food options include pop-ups from featured chefs from Nixta, Animales BBQ, Red Wagon Pizza, the Oceanaire, and Soul Bowl, and more than a dozen food trucks and vendors include MN Nice Cream, KCM Egg Rolls, Anchor Fish & Chips, and Rusty Taco. F1rst Wrestling is also taking the stage to remind Minnesota of its wrestling legends like Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, and Baron Von Rashke while getting the word out about new champions.

Carik hopes to continue growing the music lineup each year, but for this first go-around, Sunday is an alt-rock fest of Motion City Soundtrack and Third Eye Blind, and Monday features pop rock singer Uncle Kracker and hip-hop artist Big Boi (one half of OutKast). For local music, the lineup includes funky family act Nunnabove, powerhouse vocalists the Steeles, Americana/blues band Molly Maher and Her Disbelievers, rock band Fabulous Armadillos, and African music group Papa Shalita and Friends.

As Carik puts it, you can drop several hundred dollars on a single concert ticket, but he wanted a free option that was just as fun. "When I was much younger, I came here to tour the University of Minnesota, and it happened to be at the same time as the Smashing Pumpkins at Block E, so 100,000 people went downtown and got crazy," he says. "It had a big impact on me — 'This is amazing!' — so hopefully we can do some of that for other young people: 'I saw Big Boi! I saw these wrestlers! I ate Laotian food, which I never had!'"

The Taste of Minnesota was able to return this year through Carik and the rest of Minnesota Festivals LLC, whose cohort includes event planners who have worked on Art-a-Whirl, activations at the Super Bowl, the Ryder Cup, and more. "We originally started looking at bringing it back as an event because we're a music town and we're a foodie town, and we wanted to highlight a little bit of all of that," Carik says.

The group began its work in 2019, and then earlier this year, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey connected it with the Minneapolis Downtown Council to help facilitate contact with property owners, provide expertise on permit needs, and the like. Rumors of the Taste's return stirred at the end of March, and the festival was officially confirmed in May after the state legislature approved a $1.8 million grant to the downtown council to support the festival and plant seeds for its longevity.

"It's not a one and done. We want to really establish the Taste of Minnesota as a can't miss summertime event for people who are in town over the Fourth," says Steve Cramer, president of the Minneapolis Downtown Council and the Downtown Improvement District. "Our whole mantra this summer is to flood the zone with interesting and fun things to do in downtown Minneapolis, whether it's pro sports, theater, music, specific events, and everyday activations along the [Nicollet] mall. … Taste of Minnesota fits right in there." 

Metro Transit will provide free transportation to the festival, so getting there should be even easier. Just remember: Backpacks, large bags, Camelbak-style hydration packs, and coolers aren't allowed at the Taste of Minnesota, but strollers are. While the festival is free, the organizers ask you to either RSVP online ahead of time or at the gates when you arrive.

Carik hopes rehoming the Taste of Minnesota in downtown Minneapolis will help fill a hole in the Twin Cities' summer atmosphere. Rock the Garden and the Basilica Block Party aren't returning this year, and they’ve historically been ticketed events. With all these and other factors, city and festival officials say they're expecting about 100,000 people over the two days. 

Carik says, "Since we've started planning to bring back Taste of Minnesota, we've heard nothing but really fun, positive memories from everyone. 'I went and saw so-and-so back in this year,' 'I used to go every year with me and my friends,' 'back in the '80s I saw these guys,' 'I remember doing this.' I think that's something we're really excited to bring back."

Taste of Minnesota. Noon-8 p.m., July 2-3, Nicollet Mall, Downtown Minneapolis More info.

This feature is part of The Current’s 89 Days series, helping you enjoy the best of the season with weekly guides to events, entertainment, and recreation in the Twin Cities.