The Minnesota State Fair may be over, but there’s still festival fun to be had in Cedar-Riverside this weekend. Open Streets Minneapolis™, the highly anticipated event series that closes city streets to motor vehicle traffic, will return to Cedar-Riverside this Sunday, September 13, 2026.
The founders of Open Streets MPLS™, Our Streets, are joined by the West Bank Business Association in closing down the intersection of Cedar and Riverside Avenue from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Minneapolis residents to enjoy neighborhood businesses and safe biking, walking and rolling. Attendees can get a glimpse of streets as public spaces and the vibrancy of pedestrian-friendly boulevards at the free, family-friendly event.
Since Our Streets launched the event series in 2011, one million people have flocked to Open Streets Minneapolis™ festivals to enjoy games, live music, shopping at small businesses, art, and more. These family-friendly events are free to attend and a great way to engage with the rich diversity of Minneapolis and learn more about the local community.
More than 100 local businesses, organizations, and artists will be participating in the event, offering a wide range of activities and programming. Attendees can enjoy food and beverages from local restaurants, including Cafe Jote, Hard Times Cafe, Tamu Grill, The Wienery, and more. Pop-up patios and restaurants along the route will also provide indoor service.
The event features three stages, with performances from Cedar Cypher, Jada Brown, the Real Chuck Norad, and Black Widows. Attendees can skate with Twin Cities Skaters, enter their pup in the Wienery’s Wienie Dog Race, ride a Camel, climb the Southside Battletrain, adorn themselves with free henna art and face painting, and shop at the Makers Market.
The party won’t stop when the street reopens at 5 p.m. Attendees can stay to enjoy a free after-party from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Red Sea Restaurant with Socaholix: Tribute to Sangoya and Fanaka Nation, or join the Vikings-Packers game watch party hosted by The Wienery in Edna’s Park. Cedar Cypher will also continue with dance, performances, and vendors on the Cedar Cultural Center plaza until 8 p.m.
For more than a decade, Our Streets served as the community organizer for Open Streets Minneapolis events. In 2024 and 2025, the City of Minneapolis hosted its own version of Open Streets events through other community organizers. This year, Our Streets and the West Bank Business Association are co-hosting Open Streets MPLS™ Cedarfest event through independent private and state funding.
Our Streets prioritizes event corridors that lack existing public space or have been harmed in past transportation planning decisions. The return to Cedar-Riverside comes at a pivotal moment in the Rethinking I-94 project timeline, as this street closure follows a call from state legislators to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to pause the project. Cedar Riverside will be greatly impacted by the outcome of the Rethinking I-94 project, and many neighbors feel the agency has ignored their input by moving forward without highway removal options.
Open Streets Minneapolis™ Cedarfest is sponsored by McKnight Foundation, The Butler Family Community Foundation, AAA, Minneapolis Foundation, and the Minnesota State Arts Board.