Festival Dates: Jan 28 – Feb 1, 2026

Early Bird Ticket Pricing Ends in …

Events Schedule

Explore every event at our festival at a glance. Filter by interest and jump into the experiences that speak to you.

Discover the festival lineup

Enjoy weekday events on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, featuring a mix of free and ticketed activities. Saturday is our main festival day—grab a pass for the full experience! Sunday is our free Family Day.

Tab through the days and categories below to discover all the events the festival has to offer.

4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Main Cinema
Rooted: Stories from Minnesota’s Farming Future
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Loft Literary Center
Poets Building Community: A Gathering of Poet Laureates
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Midtown Global Market
Light on Lake Opening Party
4:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Aster House Patio
Vikre Winter Lounge
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
The Main Cinema
Tracing Sacred Steps
5:30
Aster Cafe Patio
Midegaadi: Canuupa Hanska Luger, Public Art Reveal
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
The Cold Open DJ Dance Party
7:30 PM – 8:30 PM
The Main Cinema
Harvest
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
9:00 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Winter Fun Run
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Riverplace
Climate Action Fair
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Along the River: Dakota Culture and Urban Ecology
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Riverplace
Juniper Lou Vintage and Makers Market
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
The Main Cinema
The Great Progression – AI and Clean Energy with Peter Leyden
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Winter Wellness: Breathwork and Meditation
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
The Main Cinema
adrienne maree brown + Autumn Brown – How to Survive the End of the World
12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Aster House
Vikre Winter Lounge
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
The Main Cinema
Water, Land, and Relatives
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Outdoor Fitness Class with Hothouse
1:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Chef Demo and Presentation with Owamni Restaurant
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Pivo
Local Winter Foods: Eat, Learn, and Enjoy with Beth Dooley and Ella Daniels
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
A-Mill Artists Loft
Visible Mending Workshop with Textile Center
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Obi Original and The Black Atlantics
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
The Main Cinema
Insight on Midwest Decarbonization: Spark Talks
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Snowga
5:00 PM – 5:45 PM
The Main Cinema
What if We Get It Right with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
5:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Glow Roll – Illuminated Bike Ride
6:00 PM – 6:45 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Porch Light
6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Aster House
MMYYKK ft. Omar Abdulkarim
6:30 PM
The Main Cinema
A Life Illuminated
7:45 PM
The Main Cinema
Bring Them Home
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
9:00 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Winter Fun Run
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Along the River: Dakota Culture & Urban Ecology Walk
10:30 PM – 11:00 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Winter Wellness: Breathwork and Meditation
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Outdoor Fitness Class with Hothouse
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Winter Wellness: Snowga (Yoga in the Snow)
5:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Glow Roll – Illuminated Bike Ride
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Obi Original and The Black Atlantics
6:00 PM
Aster House
MMYYKK ft. Omar Abdulkarim
6:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Porch Light
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Climate Action Fair
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
The Main Cinema
The Great Progression – AI + Clean Energy with Peter Leyden
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM
The Main Cinema
adrienne maree brown + Autumn Brown – How to Survive the End of the World
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM
The Main Cinema
Water, Land, and Relatives
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
The Main Cinema
The Nature of Northern Adventure
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
The Main Cinema
Insight on Midwest Decarbonization: Spark Talks
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM
The Main Cinema
What if We Get It Right with Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
6:30 PM
The Main Cinema
A Life Illuminated
7:45 PM
The Main Cinema
Bring Them Home
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Pivo
Local Winter Foods: Eat, Learn, and Enjoy with Beth Dooley & Ella Daniels
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
A-Mill Artists Loft
Visible Mending Workshop with Textile Center
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Aster House Patio
Vikre Winter Lounge
1:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Chef Demo and Presentation with Owamni Restaurant
6:00 PM
Aster House
Live at The Winter Table
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day Presented by Target
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Riverplace
Climate Action Fair
10:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Pivo
Winter Farmer’s Market
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Walk on Snow! Discover & Try the Art of Snowshoeing
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
FRGMT
Cutting Carbon at Home: Practical Steps for Renters and Homeowners with Mary Britton
12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Aster House
Vikre Winter Lounge
12:00 PM
The Main Cinema
Future Council
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
A-Mill Artists Loft
Puppet Making with Heart of The Beast
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Heart of The Beast Puppet Shows
2:00 PM
The Main Cinema
Lowland Kids
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Snowga (Yoga in the Snow)
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Tria Skate Rink
Brownbody Performance and Skate Party
4:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Rock & Roll Playhouse
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day
10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Riverplace Courtyard
The Great Northern Sauna Village
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Walk on Snow! Discover & Try the Art of Snowshoeing
1:15 PM – 2:45 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Heart of The Beast Puppet Shows
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Winter Wellness: Snowga (Yoga in the Snow)
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Rock & Roll Playhouse
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Riverplace
Climate Action Fair
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
FRGMT
Decarbing with Mary Britton
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day
12:00 PM
The Main Cinema
Future Council
2:00 PM
The Main Cinema
Lowland Kids
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
A-Mill Artists Loft
Lantern Making with Semilla Center
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
FRGMNT
Cutting Carbon at Home: Practical Steps for Renters and Homeowners with Mary Britton
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
A-Mill Artists Loft
Puppet Making with Heart of The Best
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Family Day
10:00 AM – 1:30 PM
Pivo
Winter Farmer’s Market
12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Aster House
Vikre Winter Lounge
12:15 PM – 1:00 PM
Father Hennepin Bluff Park
Chef Demo – Emily Vikre
The Great Northern Winter Festival – Passholder Day
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM
Tria
Brownbody Performance
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Tria
Open Skate

Explore the festival schedule

Want to dive deeper? Click into any event listing to read a fully synopsis, or search by keyword or event name if you know what you’re looking for!

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