June festivals around Minnesota

Music (polka, bluegrass, jazz); art after dark; fiestas; Pride; Scandivians--these are just a few of the things being feted this month.

Richmond
Minnesota Homegrown Kickoff
June 1-3
One of four annual festivals run by the Minnesota Bluegrass and Old-Time Music Association, the Homegrown Kickoff offers live music, jam sessions, music classes, camping, and crafts and food.

Carlton
Chmielewski International Polka Festival
June 1-3
More than 100 musicians will contribute their talents to this three-day extravaganza. Think you know everything about polka? Think again—this festival will introduce you to all kinds of ethnic variations, including Polish and Slovenian.

St. Paul
Grand Old Day
June 3
St. Paul’s Grand Avenue welcomes the entire family for entertainment, kids’ activities, food, drink, art fair, parade—pretty much everything you need.

Worthington
Worthington Windsurfing Regatta and Unvarnished Music Festival
June 8-10
A windsurfing championship combined with an indie music festival. Makes sense. See the website for this year’s musicians.

Minneapolis
Famous Dave’s BBQ and Blues Festival
June 9
BBQ, all day, and blues. How can you go wrong with Charlie Parr???

Cass Lake
Chippewa Triathlon
June 9
Why swim when you can portage and canoe?

St. Joseph
The Caramel Roll
June 9
Go on a beautiful bike ride—and eat caramel rolls along the way. Could it get any better?

Twin Cities
Northern Spark
June 9-10
Art in the night. See the Cities after hours, and see what kinds of creativity take place.

Montevideo
Fiesta Days
June 10-17
A weeklong fiesta complete with parades, coronations of royalty of all ages, bike rodeo, dance, taco fee, and the Amazing Fiesta Race.

Grand Rapids
Judy Garland Festival
June 14-16
The birthplace of Judy Garland will host its 37th annual festival in 2012. Events include a poppy seed planting at the Museum, musical entertainment, The Wizard of Oz on the big screen, and kids’ activities.

Roseau
Scandinavian Festival
June 15-16
Visit the maypole, listen to music, enjoy a Scandinavian smorgasbord (including fresh lefse!). Take a slight detour out of town to visit the Pioneer Village, a beautiful recreated village of original pioneer buildings.

Rochester
Rochesterfest
June 15-24
A celebration of all things Rochester, this is a busy week: lumberjack championships; volleyball and fishing tournaments; cemetery walks; music and dancing; treasure hunt; historic walking tours; parade; and even a hot air balloon race.

Minneapolis
Stone Arch Bridge Festival
June 15-17
It’s hard to imagine a more scenic location for this jack-of-all-trades festival: juried art show, Art of the Car display, and live music.

Virginia
Land of the Loon Festival
June 16-17
A celebration of the various ethnic groups that settled into northeastern Minnesota. Food, music, arts and crafts from around the world.

Winona
Great River Shakespeare Festival
June 20 - Aug. 5
The annual Shakespeare Festival offers three of the Bard’s plays: King Lear, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, and All’s Well That Ends Well, as well as the “Abridged” version of all of Shakespeare’s plays. See website for schedule and ticket information.

St. Cloud
Granite City Days
June 21-24
Celebrate the Granite City’s heritage at this annual festival, complete with fly-in pancake breakfast, tours of historic homes, and bike races.

Moorhead
Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival
Jun 22-23
A joint Scandinavian festival presented by local Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, Icelandic, and Swedish groups, this annual celebration includes a LEGO art show, Scandinavian music groups, puppet shows, and of course—lots of Scandinavian food.

Henderson
Sauerkraut Days
June 22-24
Parades, tournaments, food and music—and a sauerkraut eating contest. Are you up to the challenge?

Scandia
Midsommar Dag
June 23
Held at the lovely Gammelgarden Museum, this festival offers Swedish music, a pig roast smorgasbord, Swedish Hambo dancers, and all manner of crafts and activities (butter making, hoop rolling). Or just enjoy a beautiful summer day at this living history site which features several original immigrant homes and buildings.

Minneapolis
Twin Cities Pride
June 23-24
Parade, boat cruise, concerts, picnic, art show—this is one packed weekend.

Svenskarnas Dag
June 24
Get your Scandinavian on at beautiful Minnehaha Park at this festival focused on a huge amount of Scandinavian music, and Midsummer pole to boot.

St. Paul
Twin Cities Jazz Festival
June 28-30
Enjoy a (hopefully) beautiful visit to Mears Park while soaking in the musical stylings of Delfeayo Marsali, the Luca Ciarla Quintet, and Araya Orta Latin Jazz Quartet, among others.

Note: A huge variety of events and festivals are listed on the website of the Minnesota Historical Society.