Boom Island Park proves to be a hit with fans of the Basilica Block Party, back after a two-year hiatus

The Basilica of St. Mary would make for a special backdrop to any concert. But for many people at this year’s Basilica Block Party, you just can’t beat the skyline views and green space, with the Mississippi River flowing by.

“It’s big and beautiful here,” said Adam Holt of Detroit Lakes. “It’s a great environment.”

The popular Minneapolis music festival returned after a two-year hiatus Friday at a new and bigger venue: the expansive green lawn of Boom Island Park, on the river’s east bank opposite the Warehouse District. And it proved to be a hit among attendees.

Traditionally held on the basilica grounds, the annual two-day block party debuted in 1995 to raise funds for the structural preservation of the Basilica and the parish’s charitable services.

This year’s lineup included the Goo Goo Dolls, the Fray, Dean Lewis and Red Clay Strays on Friday. The festival continues Saturday with the Counting Crows, Needtobreathe, Judah & the Lion and Phillip Phillips, among others.

Exact attendance figures weren’t available Friday evening, but thousands of people turned out to the park, building confidence for an event whose future had been called into question in recent years.

The block party has endured a rough stretch since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the event in 2020. The following year, headliner Avett Brothers canceled at the last minute and attendance was low. The block party was not held in 2022 or 2023.

The Rev. Daniel Griffith, the basilica’s pastor and rector, said it took months to decide whether to bring the event back this year. How to sustain the event was one concern; another was that a parking lot near the basilica that the block party needed to use, owned by Xcel Energy, was occupied by a construction project.

But midway through the event’s first day, Boom Island felt like a gamble that would pay off. Griffith was impressed by the turnout on a sunny day with temperatures in the 90s. And the size of the park, which can hold 30,000 fans compared to the old venue’s 16,000, holds promise for future growth.

With no assurances the Xcel parking lot will be available next year, organizers are thinking that Boom Island is the way to go for the time being.

“For the foreseeable future, we’d like to have it here,” Griffith said. “Early indications are that it’s sustainable. We’re off to a great start for future years, to grow off it.

“To come here and see this view of the downtown skyline, it’s great. There’s substantially more room.”

Concertgoers agreed. Whether they had attended previous block parties or not, many said they preferred the grassy lawn of Boom Island Park and the river views to the pavement of the church grounds and the roar of nearby Interstate 94.

Many attendees sat on picnic blankets or folding chairs, while others took a break at the food trucks. Kids played on a jungle gym and adults lounged by the water as the sky turned to twilight.

One of them was Kirsten Sundberg of Shoreview, who has attended the block party four previous times and showed up this year excited for Phillip Phillips, the Goo Goo Dolls and Counting Crows.

“It’s been a while since the last one, so it’s good to be back,” she said. “We like the park view at this spot by the water versus the parking lot.”