23 Twin Cities art events you don't want to miss this winter

Winter has arrived in the Twin Cities, and with it comes new ways to get out and have fun.

• Here are the events, exhibits, concerts and more you don't want to miss this season.

Events

🎇 Holidazzle brings interactive art exhibits — including a giant yeti — vendors, food trucks, fireworks and more to Loring Park in Minneapolis for four weekends. Nov. 25-Dec. 18.

🎉 Hmong New Year is a two-day celebration honoring ancestors and giving thanks for the harvest season. Expect traditional Hmong dances, music, vendors, food and more. Nov. 26-27.

🥶 The Great Northern, the 10-day festival celebrating Minnesota's winter arts scene, has a packed schedule of public installations, climate talks and chilly parties. Jan. 25-Feb. 5.

🎡 The St Paul Winter Carnival is primarily free and open to the public, bringing parades, competitions, music and more to downtown St. Paul. Jan. 26- Feb. 5.

🏒 U.S. Pond Hockey Championships, an amateur, just-for-fun tournament celebrating the Land of 10,000 Lakes' signature sport, pits hundreds of teams against each other in a dramatic battle for the Golden Shovel. Jan. 19-29.

🕯Luminary Loppet is a chance to walk, ski or snowshoe across a candlelit trail on Lake of the Isles. Start times are staggered to avoid congestion. Feb. 4.

⛳️ The Chilly Open brings over 1,800 golfers to Lake Minnetonka for a nine-hole golf course carved directly into the ice. Chili will be provided. Feb. 11.

🍻 Winter Beer Dabbler is one of the biggest winter beer festivals in the state, with 130+ vendors providing unlimited samples for anyone brave enough to weather the cold. Feb. 25.

Exhibits

💨 Paul Chan: Breathers at the Walker Art Center features the artist's experimental zines, protest signs, billowing, fan-powered sculptures, and other works. Open now.

🏰 Ice Castles, built in New Brighton for 2023, are giant explorable sculptures with frozen slides, mazes, an ice bar and more. Dates and hours vary due to weather, but the castles are built in January.

🏚 Art Shanties are transported to frozen Lake Harriet for four weekends, turning the area into a colorful, explorable winter village of mini shacks. Jan. 21-Feb. 12.

🖼 Framed: Step into Art is a chance to literally walk through 3-D versions of four famous paintings, including the Mona Lisa, at the Minnesota Children's Museum. Jan. 21-May 7.

🇸🇪 Fluidity: Identity in Swedish Glass at the American Swedish Institute features contemporary glass creations by female artists. Feb. 1-May 28.

Live music

🐢 Trampled by Turtles, the bluegrass-folk band from Duluth, are coming to the Armory for "Alpenglow," its first album in four years. Nov. 26.

🎻 Trans-Siberian Orchestra is taking over Xcel Energy Center for its "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve — The Best of TSO and More" tour. Dec. 23.

🧊 Ice Cube, the acclaimed actor, entertainer and rapper, is appropriately visiting Mystic Lake Casino in January. Jan 27.

🎤 Muse and special guest Evanescence are playing Target Center, likely Bringing many rock/emo fans To Life. Feb. 26.

🤘 Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's first US tour in six years makes a stop at Xcel Energy Center. But, be prepared to shell out for tickets. March 5.

Performing Arts

🎪 "Cirque Dreams Holidaze" mixes Broadway-style theater with acrobatics, gravity-defying stunts and other circus arts. Nov. 25-26.

💸 "A Christmas Carol" is back at The Guthrie with an adaptation faithful to the Dickens tale. For those with sensory sensitivities, the theater has a relaxed performance with reduced volume and effects. Through Dec. 31.

🌹 "Beauty and the Beast" brings the Broadway adaptation of the beloved Disney classic to the Ordway in downtown St. Paul. Through Dec. 31.

🕺🏻 "Footloose," the Tony Award-winning adaptation of the 1984 hit movie, is playing at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres for a few more months. Through Feb. 4.

🐎 Cinch World’s Toughest Rodeo returns to St. Paul for two days of intense rodeo competition. Expect bull riding, barrel racing and determined cowboys from across the country.