Your Guide to the Twin Cities in May

It doesn’t get better than May in the Twin Cities. It doesn’t snow in May, and the mosquitoes aren’t quite ready to ruin an evening on a patio. The theater scene is in full swing, outdoor concerts start popping up every weekend, and people stop looking at you weirdly for getting ice cream. It’s been a long winter and a spring peppered with mornings fit for a parka and evenings fit for a tank top. But the warm weather is here to stay, and it’s time to enjoy it. Here are our recommendations and pro-tips to make the most out of your May.

Take in a Show

🎹 Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at Guthrie Theater

I have seen dozens upon dozens of shows at the Guthrie, and “Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women” was in my top two of all time. The set, the script, the actors, the costuming, the jokes that brilliantly blended between then and now – it was a perfect, perfect show. At intermission, I leaned over to my husband and asked him how many times he cried thus far. “Four,” he replied, lifting up his glasses and wiping his eyes. When we got home, we literally called people we knew, late at night, to rave to them about this show. Isabella Star LaBlanc, whom you might recognize from HBO’s True Detective Season 4, will forever now be “Jo” to me. This show will stay with me for a very, very long time. Now playing through June 21. –Anna

🦁The Wizard of Oz at Children’s Theatre Company

I had a phenomenal time with my four-year-old seeing “The Wizard of Oz” this past weekend. The staging was magical, the cast, including Aniya Bostick as Dorothy, was brilliant and incredibly talented, and the potentially horrifying elements of the story were masked with smart humor and lots of levity, making it accessible for all ages. Reed Sigmund as the Lion and Autumn Ness as the Wicked Witch of the West were gobs of fun, and Dean Holt as the Scarecrow did moves with his legs that I’ve never seen on a stage before. And if you get the chance to go, keep an eye on Brendan Nelson Finn – one of my favorite ensemble members. I don’t know anything about him, but he stole nearly every scene he was in, sometimes without even moving or talking. What a talent! Now playing through June 14. –Anna

Pro tip: I always bring these essentials to the theater with me: glasses, cough drops, a mask in case there are any errant coughers around me, my phone completely on silent, and for those that might have an ouchie tailbone, like I do, I turn my coat into a little tailbone pillow. It really helps! –Anna

Go All in for Art-A-Whirl (May 15-17)

🎨 Plan for whimsy

As an art market enthusiast, Art-A-Whirl is my Coachella. I’m hitting every vendor I possibly can, and going out of my way to visit artists in person. It’s quite a treat to visit the artist studios, but I actually have the best time visiting the pop-ups. If you’re really looking to shop until you drop, definitely drop by Quincy Hall, conveniently located next to major lofts like the Northrup King and Q.arma buildings. Every year, vendors fill out Quincy Hall’s massive venue. –Tiffany

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of events (and people) at Art-A-Whirl, so I recommend choosing which artists you definitely want to visit ahead of time and staying in that zone. My artist recommendations for some fun and whimsy: Lovely Little Uglies at Moth Oddities (maker of the chickens-with-cowboy-boots earrings) and sidecar ceramics (maker of funky mugs and other statement pottery). –Tiffany

Pro tip: Riding a bike is a great way to get to all of the different arts buildings during Art-A-Whirl, even if you don't own a bike. Recovery Bike Shop on Central Avenue will be lending out bikes for free all weekend long. Show up to Recovery during Art-A-Whirl, pick out a bike, and return it by Sunday at 6 p.m. for FREE! They'll also have helmets and bike locks available to borrow on a first-come, first-served basis, but they recommend bringing your own if possible. –Adam

🎵 Make time for music

The way I fell in love with Art-A-Whirl was not through visual art or jewelry. For me, the first draw was the music. One can pack in a full summer’s worth of outdoor music in a handful of well-curated days each May. I recommend catching your favorite artists at the big stages early in the day and then following your whimsy toward impromptu jam sessions, live DJ sets, and under-the-radar stages as the sunsets. The lineup at Indeed Brewing on Saturday features some of the best young acts in the Twin Cities, including Room3 and BAKKWOODDRIFT. Zippy Laske is a talented songwriter navigating a career renaissance with a set at Bauhaus on Saturday. The Twin Cities’ best grocery store (according to us) is also throwing a banger of an event on Saturday with sets from Cornbread Harris, Laamar, and Ozone Creations. If you have enough gas left in the tank for more fun on Saturday, I recommend donning your finest in ironic cowboy gear and racing a “hobby horse” at the Flux Arts Building because, honestly, when’s your next chance to do that? On Sunday, Kennadi Watkins, one of the premier voices of gospel music in town, will get things started at Indeed. And when you are ready to get out of the sun on your final day of Art-A-Whirl hijinks, stop by the 331 Club to catch indoor sets from Jim Walsh (The Mad Ripple), Mikkel Bee, Diane, and more! –Sean

Pro-Tip: The Fish and Chips at The Anchor are an absolutely insane thing to eat when you will have questionable access to a bathroom for the foreseeable future, but the fish is so good it’s worth the risk. When it is time to return the Alaskan cod to the ocean, walk calmly into a fancy restaurant like Vinai and pretend you’re about to meet someone, and then make a quick beeline for the bathroom. If they make you buy something, get the charred cabbage – I cannot begin to explain how delicious it is. –Sean

Celebrate Some of Our Best Neighborhoods

🇲🇽 Cinco de Mayo Fiesta – May 1-2 on St. Paul's West Side

For two days, Cesar Chavez Street transforms into a massive street festival honoring Mexican heritage and the West Side's Latino community. Friday night kicks off with a lowrider car show at Harriet Island. Saturday is the main event: a parade at 10 a.m. followed by live music on two stages, 40 food vendors, 80 craft and merchandise vendors, a Family Zone, and — don't sleep on this — lucha libre-style wrestling. Last year's parade featured Indigenous dance groups in full regalia, folklorico dancers, and the Latin America Motorcycle Association. Over 10,000 people are expected, and it lives up to the crowd.

Pro tip: Take Metro Transit. Street parking vanishes early, and the neighborhood gets packed. If you do drive, park a few blocks out toward Robert Street and walk in. Come hungry — 40 food vendors mean you're eating well, but the most popular spots get long lines by early afternoon. Get there closer to 11 a.m. and eat first. –James

☀️ Mayday Parade & Festival – May 3 in Powderhorn Park

The Mayday Parade started in 1975 — just two weeks after the Vietnam War ended — when a group of 60 people marched with an Earth puppet, a water puppet, two accordions, and a bunch of banners. Now it draws up to 50,000. The parade kicks off at noon at Bloomington and 28th, winds down to Powderhorn Park, and is followed by the Tree of Life Ceremony on the hillside around 3 p.m. Mayday is built almost entirely by the community. After In the Heart of the Beast Theatre released the event in 2023, neighbors took over — constructing giant puppets (some over 10 feet tall) from recycled cardboard, house paint, and fabric scraps in garages and basements across South Minneapolis. You'll see activist street bands, stilters, art cars, dancers, and puppets the size of buildings. Dress up if the mood strikes you — many do. –James

Pro tip: The parade route gets very crowded south of 32nd Street. For a more relaxed view, stake out a spot north of Lake Street, where the route is less packed. There is no public parking in the Powderhorn Park lot — it's reserved for disability access only — so bike, bus, or walk. Food trucks are clustered on 35th Street near the park (Taco Taxi, La Perla, Rollin' Nolens BBQ, and more), not along the parade route, so bring snacks for the march and save your appetite for the park. –James

🦆 Minnehaha Creek Duck Race

On Saturday, May 2, head down to the Minnehaha Creek at 11 a.m. to watch thousands of rubber ducks float toward the falls. If you want to get in on the action, you can pay to sponsor a duck (or a whole flock), and you'll get a prize if your duck is one of the first 20 to cross the finish line. The race starts at the 12th Avenue Bridge and Minnehaha Parkway and finishes at 17th Avenue and Minnehaha Parkway. Don't worry, none of the ducks end up polluting the river, as volunteers wait at the finish line with big nets to collect them and use them again next year. –Adam

Treat Your Mother Like The Queen She Is

🌺 Give her time and space to buy some GD flowers

In my house, Mother’s Day is synonymous with the start of gardening season. I think everyone’s season of motherhood varies wildly depending on how old your kids are. If you have teenagers, maybe you’re desperate to spend time with them. If you have pre-teens, maybe you want them to cook you breakfast. For me, I have a 2 and 4 year old, so what I’m asking for isn’t monumental. It’s for my husband to sit in the car, DJing Danny Go for them while slowly doling out snacks, so I can spend a glorious 12 minutes alone wandering the outdoor aisles of Mother Earth Gardens. Bonus points? Play with the kids inside the house for 20 minutes while I plant them in my outdoor flower box. The luxury!! –Anna

Pro Tip: Gardeners don’t always get sarcasm! The sage wisdom for Minnesota green thumbs is to not plant anything until Mother’s Day to avoid an early spring frost. I made a social faux pas on April 22 by suggesting on social media that it was perfect weather to start planting tomatoes. The response from the internet was swift and vicious. So, not only should you avoid planting things before Mother’s Day, you should avoid making jokes about breaking that rule online. –Tane

May 11 – Minnesota Statehood Day

This marks the date Minnesota was admitted to the Union in 1858 – the last state actually admitted to the Union prior to the Civil War. It is commemorated each year by the lighting of the "Electrolier" or chandelier in the state Capitol Rotunda. It's 100+ years old (first installed in 1905) and they only light it occasionally, as Statehood Day is one of the only days you're guaranteed to see it lit (they might also light it the first day of session each year). It's pretty stunning and gives you an excuse to visit the most beautiful state capitol in the United States. –Tane

Support the Frost, The Wolves, and the Wild in their Postseason Runs

🏀 Watch a Wolves Game at Falling Knife

I’d like to curse us by pointing out that Minnesota sports teams are doing pretty well. The Twins had an unexpectedly good start to their season. There is reason for guarded optimism for the upcoming Lynx season. And the Frost, the Timberwolves, and the Lynx are all in the postseason. I know we are not used to our teams being in good condition, and surely the moment will pass, but give the Lazy-Boy a break this month and get out to a local watering hole to cheer on your favorite teams!

When you want to watch the Frost, your best option is A Bar of Their Own in Seward. This place is the beating heart of women’s sports culture in the Twin Cities. Their next game is on Saturday, May 2, and the bar is sure to be packed to the gills with the Frost faithful. It’s not hard to find a hockey bar in the Twin Cities. On nights when the Wolves and the Wild are both in action, I’m usually looking for a bar that doesn’t turn the sound on for the Wild. But, I consulted my dedicated hockey neighbor Donny, and he said the place to be for peak Wild intensity is Tom Reid’s in downtown St. Paul. Tom Reid is a hockey icon known to darken the door of his namesake bar from time to time, and being that they are located just blocks away from the Grand Casino Arena, the hockey energy is truly palpable.

There’s a simple answer when you’re talking about the heart of Timberwolves fandom in the Twin Cities. Falling Knife is the brewery that you know will always be open for games, sound on, and delicious pizza baking outside from Wrecktangle’s truck. I recently caught Game 1 of our series against the evil, terrible, shameful Denver Nuggets, and though the loss was a bummer, the energy was great. The crew from Falling Knife sets up a huge, two-sided screen outside, and fans bring folding chairs. It is a special place to enjoy a game and be shoulder-to-shoulder with other insane people who will watch basketball while wrapped in blankets at 10:25 p.m. on a Monday night. –Sean

Get the Bike Out of The Garage

🚲 Ride bikes with your neighbors

It's finally warm enough that you have no excuse not to be riding your bike. Get a tune-up at your nearest bike shop if something feels off after not using it all winter, or take it into Recovery Bike Shop for a Tuesday DIY night to fix it up yourself under the kind supervision of a knowledgeable bike mechanic. Join in on a group ride to enjoy some riding with your neighbors:

Eat Ice Cream

🍨 Celebrate the Bounty of Great Twin Cities Ice Cream Options

There should be no stigma to eating ice cream in the middle of January. But there is. Once we hit Cinco De Mayo, however, it is ice cream season in the Twin Cities, and you can’t drive two blocks in this town without facing awesome and unique ice cream offerings. Our contributor Denzel Belin is poetic about the Salted Caramel Flan Brûlée from Bebe Zito. This flavor is only available at their Uptown location, and Belin says they hit it with a torch before serving it to give that unmistakable brûlée flavor.

Pro-tip: If you grab the Salted Caramel Flan Brûlée on a Friday the 13th, they’ll serve it to you with a mini-Jason mask.

I’m sure I’m biased based on it being carrying-a-crying-kid walking distance from my house, but Cold Front at Randolph and Hamline in St. Paul serves up some great flavors. My wife’s go-to choice is Exhausted Parent. If she ever let me even have one taste, I would tell you that it is espresso ice cream lightly kissed with bourbon flavor, peppered with delicious bittersweet chocolate chunks. I can give you a first-person testimonial on the uneaten half of my daughter’s cup of “Birthday Cake,” and oh my flipping god, it is so good. It’s melty, the spoon is already covered in ice cream by the time I get to it, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

Pumphouse Creamery in South Minneapolis is also a year-round ice cream treasure, and though they offer a bevy of flavor options, I simply can’t get away from their pumpkin ice cream. They source their pumpkins from the Autumnwood Farm, and it makes a world of difference to actually get some farm-fresh flavor in the mix. Sure, pumpkin ice cream meets its peak popularity in November, but there’s no law against pumpin’ it up in May. I checked.

Pro-tip: Sugar cones are trash. It’s a waffle cone, a cup, or GTFO. –Sean

Enjoy a Patio

🌻 Drink Outside

Let’s be honest, Twin Cities – we jump the gun on patios. A real Minnesotan will probably try to get away with dining al fresco in the very high 40s. And that’s wrong. But there is such an appetite to spend some time outside that we are willing to throw on a couple layers to jump in early. May is when patio season starts to really shine. There are few things better in life than those first couple sips of a beverage of your choosing with friends of your choosing on a spectacular Twin Cities patio. Here are a couple highlights.

The Black Hart of Saint Paul - Sure, you’ve had a Summit EPA before, but have you ever had a Summit EPA on the patio at a gay soccer bar with an international peace prize-winning owner? I didn’t think so. The patio is always hopping at The Black Hart, and it’s the perfect place to decamp to if all the pool tables are full and the music is too loud inside. Join a bocce league, make some friends, and enjoy.

Pro-tip: Unless you are a soccer person with a capital “S” make sure you are ready if you go to The Black Hart on game day. It is a zoo! It’s a fun zoo, but it’s a zoo nonetheless.

Bauhaus Brewlabs - The back of Bauhaus Brewlabs is a magical little oasis right in Northeast Minneapolis. The courtyard looks out on an industrial area with an active train line that makes for an easy backdrop to step out and explore with a restless toddler or a joint that needs to be smoked post haste. Bauhaus also does a commendable job of booking quality food trucks and giving them enough space to service a crowd. Make time this May to let the sun go down over you and your crew on the Bauhaus courtyard.

Moscow on the Hill - Sure, a drink on a patio is one thing, but how about a meal from one of the most celebrated restaurants in Minnesota history? Moscow on the Hill is a neighborhood institution, and their dining room is legendary. But they have an enclosed courtyard that is the pinnacle of outdoor dining. Attentive servers bring you flights of vodka and plates of Siberian pelmeni while you lean back and enjoy the company and the stunning vibe.

331 Club - The 331 Club patio is one of the most lawless places in Minnesota. It is self-governed by a group of responsible regulars who make sure nobody does anything too wild, but generally, this is a self-service patio. Order a drink inside and sit your ass down on a bench and drink it with your friends. Did you bring a speaker? Play it quietly, please. We don’t all want to hear Ludacris as much as you do. But, it’s a live and let live patio, and that’s exactly what the 331 excels at; it’s a come as you are bar where everyone does their best to celebrate life together. I’ll drink to that. –Sean