You Don’t Want To Miss This Gorgeous Lantern Festival In Minnesota This Year
Minnesota's Lantern Lighting Festival at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory is a beautiful annual event inspired by the traditional Japanese festival of Obon.
Minnesota has many great festivals throughout the year. From food to fishing to hot air balloons and beyond, you're sure to find something that strikes your interest. One of Minnesota's most beautiful festivals? The Lantern Lighting Festival at Como Park Zoo & Conservatory.
The Japanese Garden at Como Zoo is one of the most beautiful, peaceful parts of the park.
This festival is similar to the traditional Japanese festival of Obon, in which people light lanterns to guide spirits to and from their resting places.
This beautiful display only happens once a year. In 2017, the lantern festival will take place on August 20. For more information about attending, click here.
Have you ever been to this lantern festival? What did you think? For more festival fun, check out this list of 16 small-town festivals in Minnesota.
The Fourth of July is right around the corner, so you may be wondering, Where to watch fireworks near me in Minnesota? Well, there's no need to fret! We've got you covered with some suggestions for a few of our favorite fireworks celebrations in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
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Editor's note: In making this 2024 list, we attempted to ascertain whether the recent flooding has affected any of the listed events. For example, Stillwater was omitted because its fireworks show has been postponed due to high water on the St. Croix River. As of the date of this article, the following fireworks displays still appear to be scheduled.
1. City of Duluth Fourth Fest - Duluth
City of Duluth Fourth Fest is the annual Independence Day celebration at Duluth's Bayfront Festival Park includes live music, vendors, and one of the largest fireworks shows in the Midwest. Gates open at 4 p.m., and fireworks start around 10 p.m. Admission is free. If you plan ahead, a fireworks cruise on a Vista Fleet vessel is a wonderful way to enjoy the show, which is staged from the harbor.
Rochester hosts the biggest Fourth of July celebration in southeast Minnesota in the form of 4th Fest. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. at Soldiers Field Memorial park with live music and family fun. Fireworks are scheduled for 10 p.m.
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3. White Bear Lake Fireworks - White Bear Lake
The city of White Bear Lake hosts its annual fireworks display in conjunction with one of its Marketfest nights. Festivities begin downtown at 6 p.m. with music, inflatables, and food. At 9 p.m., the party moves three blocks eastward to the shore of White Bear Lake for the fireworks show.
The 4th of July Celebration in Coon Rapids is a three-day party, from July 2 to July 4, that's chock full of events, including a parade, a car show, and a carnival. Fireworks are launched at 10 p.m. on the Fourth and can be viewed from Coon Rapids Ice Center and Anoka Ramsey Community College.
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5. Lake Minnetonka 4th of July - Excelsior
Those looking for an all-day Fourth of July event at The Commons in Excelsior. The party kicks off in the morning with Firecracker races. It continues at 10 a.m., and throughout the day, with parades, a petting zoo, live music, and more. The evening culminates at dusk with the only fireworks show over Lake Minnetonka.
The St. Cloud Fireworks display is launched from a point between Hester and Wilson Parks. This allows folks to enjoy a day in either park, with food vendors and live music, and enjoy the fireworks at 10 p.m.
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7. Red, Hot & Boom! - Mankato
Mankato's annual Red, Hot & Boom! celebration is scheduled for Riverfront Park at 10 p.m. on July 4. This music-synchronized show is always an awesome pyrotechnic display that's well worth attending. This year, however, you may want to verify the location and date before you go. It's still on the calendar as of this writing, but recent flooding could affect the event.
For those who can't wait until the Fourth, head up to Nisswa in the Brainerd Lakes area. This tiny town hosts its Freedom Days Celebration every July 3, and it's outsized, to be sure. Events include a parade, live music, and the town's famous turtle races, as well as a fireworks display at dusk.
When someone you know asks where to watch fireworks near me, what do you tell them? Let us know in the comments! Two of my favorite July fireworks displays in Minnesota aren't even Independence Day events. The annual Aquatennial fireworks display in downtown Minneapolis is one of the biggest and always a crowd pleaser. A sleeper fireworks display happens in southeast Minnesota during the annual Mazeppa Daze celebration on the second weekend in July. Small town, BIG fireworks - definitely worth the trip! No matter where or when you celebrate this year, heading out to a professional display is great way to enjoy a safe holiday, minimize fire danger, and keep the doggos sane. And don't forget sunscreen, bug protection, and plenty of water!
Let's be honest. Spring is kind of a crapshoot in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Sometimes is just winter until May, and then it's summer. Other times, it's just a few weeks of mud and gray skies between winter and summer. But, on occasion, it's amazing. It's the fact that spring can occasionally be amazing that fuels our optimism in the Bold North (it certainly isn't the Vikings), and so, no matter what comes, we welcome it. One of my favorite ways to open my mind to the thought of spring is to visit the annual Hop Into Spring event in Minnesota at the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul. (If nothing, else, you can stay inside if you need to).
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Every year, the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory hosts its annual Hop Into Spring Event.
Amazingly, this wonderful place in St. Paul is free to the public. It relies on donations to operate, and Hop Into Spring is also a great fundraising opportunity for the organization.
During the event, the conservatory is decked out in all the glory of spring, sporting seasonal blooms of all kinds.
It really is a beautiful way to welcome spring in the Northland. For more information about the Hop Into Spring event in Minnesota, visit the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory website or check the organization's Facebook page for updates. Another great way to support parks in the U.S. is through Parks Project Apparel. They even offer apparel with Peanuts art from St. Paul's own Charles M. Schulz.
