Twin Cities Father's Day weekend guide: Juneteenth festivities, Midsommar, giant pencil sharpening

Juneteenth isn't until Wednesday, but local organizations are getting an early start to honor the holiday celebrating Black emancipation from enslavement.

Two free events to check out:

• Northside's Juneteenth Family Festival runs Friday through Sunday throughout North Minneapolis. Activities include a Black business marketplace, community movie screening, ice cream social, free food and pool party.
• The West Broadway Juneteenth block party, hosted by Juneteenth Minnesota, kicks off Sunday with a parade and features plenty of family fun like face painting, carnival games, a bounce house and more.

In other entertainment news...

🎶 Kingfield Porchfest, an evening of free music exclusively performed on front porches, is Thursday 6–9pm throughout the south Minneapolis neighborhood. Check out the interactive map here. Free

🎤 Trans Voices Cabaret, a division of Sandbox Theatre run and operated by transgender, nonbinary and gender-diverse artists, is hosting a karaoke night and fundraiser at Minneapolis Cider Company Friday night. Sliding scale tickets start at $10

🎭 Shakespeare in Our Parks returns for the summer this weekend! The traveling theater troupe will perform "Twelfth Night" at Lake Harriet Rose Gardens on Friday, Lake of the Isles on Saturday and Matthews Park on Sunday. Picnics are encouraged. Free

🛼 Pride Skate Party is back at Cheap Skate in Coon Rapids on Friday night. Expect local LGBTQIA+ vendors, a photo booth, "big gay rainbow cake" and a disco ball. Ages 18+. $15 advance, $20 door

✏️ The giant pencil sculpture at Lake of the Isles will hold its annual birthday sharpening on Saturday 1–3pm. Expect comments from the artist, a drum and bugle corps, people dressed as pencils, and ice cream. Free.

• Audrey's thought bubble: This is by far one of the weirdest events I've ever attended. You need to go. (Say hi if you see me!)

🌸 Dance around the maypole at the American Swedish Institute's Midsommar Celebration Saturday in Minneapolis. Activities include making fresh-flower head wreaths, live music (singing encouraged) and Swedish food from FIKA Cafe. Advance tickets are sold out, but tickets at the door are available after 1:30pm

🌈 St. Paul's Pride celebration kicks off with a parade downtown at 10am and a festival at noon Saturday. Hopkins Pride festival will also take over several blocks off Main Street all day Saturday. Free

🎨 The Stone Arch Bridge Festival will continue, even if part of the bridge is closed. This year's event returns to West River Parkway (the downtown Minneapolis side) Saturday and Sunday with more than 200 artists, food trucks and live music. Free