10 Reasons to Go to the Flint Hills Family Festival This June

Downtown St.Paul’s Rice Park and the Ordway will light up with nationally renowned artists and performers. Here’s why you should bring your whole fam June 2–3.

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1. Ticket to Ride 

Catch the Metro Transit bus or light rail for free. Downloadable passes are available at ordway.org/ festival.

2. All the Outdoor Fun Is Free

Activity tents galore will serve up henna tattoos, face painting, balloon animals, make-and-take crafts, and more.

3. Learn Latin Dance from the Best

Cuba native René Dennis Thompson’s salsa, mambo, rumba, and chacha skills have landed him in music videos and movies with Will Smith, John Leguizamo, and Gloria Estefan. Salsa del Soul’s nine-piece orchestra will provide the live music. Free, 6–10 p.m., June 2

4. Live Performances All Day 

Catch modern and traditional dances from around the world and more than a few folks with stilt-walking skills.

5. Special Concert by The String Queens 

Get amped, orchestra students. The viola-cello-violin trio slayed at the We Are One presidential inauguration concert. $23+, 7 p.m., June 2

6. Food Trucks to Boot 

Walk a block to Market Street for pop-up global options and kid faves.

7. Alfresco Art 

Admire the works of K–12 artists in the ArtZone exhibit on Washington Street in front of the Ordway. 

8. Koo Koo Kanga Roo

The Minneapolis duo tours internationally and can make your hands clap, your feet dance, and your parents sing along. Google “Cat Party music video” if their wonderfully weird lyrics don’t a

lready live in your head rent-free. Free, 3:15 p.m., June 3

9. Lightwire Theater 

The America’s Got Talent semifinalists and Fake Off winners tell stories in the dark using electroluminescent images. $5, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., June 3

10. The ReMINDers 

With their captivating French-English flow and street-smart lyrics, Big Samir and Aja Black have shared the stage with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Mos Def. $5, 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., June 3

This article originally appeared in the June 2023 issue of MSP Jr. For more information about the Flint Hills Family Festival, visit ordway.org/festival.