Edina Art Fair canceled due to COVID-19 after initial postponement

Concerns about COVID-19 force decision by 50th & France business group.

June 10, 2020 at 10:47AM
The Edina Art Fair is traditionally held the first full weekend in June and claims to be the first major art fair of the year in Minnesota.
The Edina Art Fair is traditionally held the first full weekend in June and claims to be the first major art fair of the year in Minnesota. (Marci Schmitt — Star Tribune file/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Edina Art Fair, which annually attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors, has gone from delayed two months to canceled this summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It saddens us not to be able to host the event this year, but we all know it is for the common good," Rachel Thelemann, executive director of the 50th & France Business Association, said in a statement Monday. "The artists have become family to us throughout the years."

The fair is traditionally held the first full weekend in June and claims to be the first major art fair of the year in Minnesota. In early April, organizers postponed the 54th annual event to late August hoping it would be possible to host the event then.

Next year's fair is scheduled for June 4-6, the association said.

Since its start in 1966, the Edina Art Fair has grown to up to 300,000 visitors throughout the weekend, displaying the creations of hundreds of artists and offering entertainment, a kids zone, craft beer, gardens, gourmet food and more.

The event is consistently rated one of the top art festivals in the nation and has received accolades from national outlets.

The 51st Annual Edina Art Fair has grown to 200,000 visitors throughout the 3-day weekend, while displaying 300 artists diverse collection of art, entertainment, kids zone, craft beer garden in the Edina 5-0 Food Court, and a new beer garden on Drew Avenue. The Edina Art Fair is the first art fair of the summer and is rated one of the top 50 art festivals in the nation. Here, artist Ali Hasmut of Chicago drew a crowd as he created an oil painting of Kevin Olson of Canby, MN, Saturday, June 3, 20
An artist drew a crowd in 2017 as he painted an oil portrait at the Edina Art Fair. The event will skip a year and be held June 4-6. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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Paul Walsh

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Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota.

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