Big events have downtown Minneapolis buzzing again
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Taylor Swift fans flock to downtown Minneapolis. Photo: Shari L. Gross/Star Tribune via Getty Images
The last two weekends have brought hundreds of thousands of people to downtown Minneapolis.
Why it matters: The Taylor Swift concert, Twin Cities Pride, and Taste of Minnesota were all conducted without a major public safety incident.
- Boosters hope this will give more people the confidence to return to the city center.
State of play: Taste of Minnesota drew 100,000 for food and concerts on Sunday and Monday. Organizer Taylor Carik told WCCO Radio that they are interested in a repeat in 2024.
The intrigue: Food vendors at Taste saw bigger crowds than they expected in the first year of the rebooted festival.
- “It's crazy. We didn’t really know what to expect and it’s just been like you said, shoulder to shoulder down here all day," Animales Barbeque's Jake Johnson told KSTP on Sunday.
Yes, but: Organizers still have some kinks to work out. They didn't initially have a water station, vendors ran out of food, and there were long lines to get in.
Between the lines: These big events (Swift and Pride drew 500,000 the previous weekend) have provided an opportunity for city officials to convince visitors that downtown Minneapolis is a safe place to have fun.
What they're saying: "We’ve had this sort of three years of accumulated negativity, and it’s hard to overcome that unless you have a whole series of very positive experiences downtown," Downtown Council CEO Steve Cramer told FOX 9. "And that’s the trajectory we’re on right now."
By the numbers: Shootings and homicides downtown are down significantly compared to 2022.
- There have been five homicides through July 4 in the first precinct that covers downtown Minneapolis, according to MPD stats. That's down from six during the same period of 2022 and up from four in the same period of 2019.
- Shots fired calls and gunshot wound victims are down 46% and 56% respectively, compared to 2022.
Reality check: Downtown's biggest problem is still the loss of daytime office workers. It remains to be seen how much of an impact these big events have on people who would just rather work at home due to commute times and convenience.
- Plus, incidents of teens shooting fireworks at people and cars in Boom Island Park following a Fourth of July celebration don’t help with perceptions, even if they happened outside of downtown.
What's ahead: Two more big events are coming up downtown. Target Field's TC Summer Fest is July 14-15 and the Aquatennial is July 19-22.