25 Twin Cities art events you don't want to miss this fall

Events

🏰 Cocktails at the Castle, a late-night party hosted by the American Swedish Institute, lets guests explore the museum after hours. Suggested attire is bathrobes and clogs, inspired by the current exhibition "The Morning Dip". Sept. 9.

🦋 Minneapolis Monarch Festival celebrates the migration of monarch butterflies from Minnesota to Mexico with live music, dance performances and hands-on experiences with butterflies. Sept. 10.

🍻 Oktoberfest celebrations take over local breweries and museums, including 612 Brew, Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative, the Germanic-American Institute and Utepils Brewing. Sept. 9, 10 and 16.

🌾 The Wild Rice Festival is an educational and delicious opportunity to learn more about our state crop. Expect traditional harvesting presentations, hands-on apple cider pressing and plenty of wild rice soup. Sept. 17.

🍂 Scarecrows in the Garden brings unique scarecrows created by local artists to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Sept. 17 - Oct. 31.

👗 Fashion Week MN is back this fall with nine shows by a variety of local designers. Sept. 18-25.

🌊 Owámni Falling Water Festival, held on the banks of the Mississippi, is a celebration of Indigenous culture with displays on both sides of the river. Oct. 9.

🎃 Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Minnesota Zoo is a family-friendly exhibit with over 5,000 glowing carved pumpkins. Tip: Go early in the season for the freshest pumpkins. Oct. 1 - Nov. 7.

Exhibits

🎨 The Weisman Art Museum's fall exhibition "We Are Working All The Time!" features three decades of work from Minnesota-based artist Piotr Szyhalski. Open now.

📔 Minneapolis Institute of Art displays its collection of 18th-century French fashion magazines for the first time in its new "Revolution à la Mode" exhibit. Opens Sept. 10.

🏰 The Minnesota Children's Museum adds eight medieval storybook-themed displays for "The Amazing Castle" exhibition. Opens Sept. 17.

🎟 Walker Art Center brings dozens of new sculptures by Greek artist Jannis Kounellis to the museum for "Six Acts at the Walker". Opens Oct 14.

🔍 The Minnesota History Center gets interactive with the "Sherlock Holmes: The Exhibition," where visitors can solve a possible murder. Opens Oct. 22.

Live music

🎺 The Selby Avenue JazzFest brings a full day of free jazz performances to St. Paul. Sept. 10.

🎸 Powderhorn Porchfest hosts 12 local bands of various genres on three porches in South Minneapolis. Sept. 17.

🪩 Infrasound Equinox takes over Harmony Park Music Garden in southern Minnesota for a three day electronic dance music festival. Oct. 6-9.

🎉 Lizzo returns to Minneapolis for "The Special Tour" at Xcel Energy Center. It's about damn time. Oct. 11.

🎹 Crazy Broke Asians, a mini music festival at the Cedar Cultural Center, celebrates Asian excellence in the Twin Cities community. Oct 21.

Performing Arts

🇻🇳 "A Different Pond," based on the book by local poet Bao Phi, shares the story of a Vietnamese family building a life in Minneapolis. Sept. 30 - Oct. 23.

🎻 "Enigma: A 360° Experience" is an "enveloping sonic and visual journey" by Chicago's Spectral Quartet in the Bell Museum's planetarium. Nov. 4-5.

🎭 "Sally and Tom" makes its world debut at the Guthrie, examining American history through the lens of theater. Oct. 1 - Nov. 6.

🐈 "Cats," the Broadway musical currently touring North America, takes over the Orpheum Theater for just a few days. Oct. 25 - 30.

👩🏼‍🦳 "Six" at the Ordway Theater remixes the stories of Henry VIII's six wives and features an all-female cast and band. Oct. 25 - Nov. 6.

General activities

🍁 See the Twin Cities' fall colors from above at these four scenic overlooks.

🚘 Drive across Minnesota for fall foliage and stay at a cool Airbnb.

🚶🏼‍♀️ Go for a scenic stroll at some of the metro's best nature centers.