🎆The Fourth Up North!

The best events for your 4th weekend.

Joe Carmack
July 01, 2026

Happy Fourth of July weekend! We hope your next few days are filled with fireworks, burgers, and just enough family time to make memories without anyone ending up in the emergency room.

Cheers!
-Joe & Haley

Your Weekend Forecast

Pan-O-Prog Festival

7/4-12

Part brainpower, part friendly competition, this annual speed puzzle contest turns a simple jigsaw puzzle into a race against the clock. Teams and solo puzzlers spread out across tables, sorting, searching, and snapping pieces together as fast as possible while spectators watch the action unfold. Whether you're a seasoned puzzle expert or just appreciate a good challenge, it's a surprisingly intense event filled with strategy, teamwork, and plenty of celebration when the final piece clicks into place.

Concert On The Pier

Jul-Aug

An easy summer evening by the water, where live music drifts across the lake and lawn chairs fill the shoreline. Local and regional bands take the stage as families, couples, and friends settle in to enjoy the scenery. Boats pass in the background, the sun sinks toward the horizon, and the whole night feels distinctly Minnesota. Food trucks and ice cream nearby.

Taste Of Minnesota

7/3-4

A celebration of Minnesota food, drink, and local flavor, bringing together restaurants, breweries, wineries, and specialty vendors from around the state. Wander between samples, discover new favorites, and enjoy live entertainment along the way. It’s part food festival, part community gathering, and a great excuse to come hungry.

Stars & Stripes Days

7/3-4

Pequot Lakes comes alive for this classic small-town summer celebration filled with the traditions people return for year after year. Expect a parade, live music, family activities, and community events as locals and visitors gather to enjoy a festive mix of hometown pride, friendly faces, and summer fun.

Bean Hole Day

7/15-16

One of Minnesota’s more unusual traditions, this long-running community event centers around beans slow-cooked underground in large kettles, just as they have been for generations. Alongside the famous meal, you'll find a parade, live entertainment, family activities, and plenty of small-town charm packed into a day of summer celebration.

Dinner starts in Minneapolis' North Loop at NOLO's, tucked inside a restored historic building that once housed a hardware store. The menu leans into modern American comfort food made with local ingredients, from wood-fired pizzas to scratch-made favorites. Regulars rave about the award-winning burger, but the breakfast fried rice has built a loyal following of its own. Cozy booths, craft cocktails, and just enough energy to feel lively without making conversation a shouting match.

After dinner, swap small talk for a little friendly competition at Bad Axe Throwing. Don't worry if you've never picked up an axe before. Coaches walk you through the basics, help with your technique, and keep things moving with games and challenges. It lands somewhere between bowling, darts, and a lumberjack competition, making it a surprisingly easy date-night activity. Expect plenty of laughs, a little trash talk, and at least one of you becoming way more competitive than expected.

The Fourth of July is almost here, and Minnesota’s skies are getting ready for their biggest show of the summer. From small-town celebrations to massive displays over lakes and rivers, here are some of the best places to catch fireworks this week.