Taste of Minnesota organizers share details of festival's comeback

The revamped Taste of Minnesota to be held in Minneapolis this summer will feature two days of events, including professional wrestling and live music.

Organizers unveiled the entertainment lineup Thursday for the festival on Nicollet Mall. The free event will be held July 2 and 3 and include performances from Third Eye Blind, Uncle Kracker and Big Boi from Outkast. There will be art, and of course, food.

Officials said they're expecting 100,000 festival-goers over the two days. Metro Transit will provide free buses downtown.

Taste of Minnesota will encompass three blocks of Nicollet Mall, from Washington Avenue to Fifth Street. The main stage will be set up at the Third Street parking lot.

Taste of Minnesota was held near the state Capitol in St. Paul throughout the 1980s and '90s and moved to Harriet Island in St. Paul in 2003. The last Taste of Minnesota was held in Waconia in 2015.

The new event's programming will tap into Taste of Minnesota's history, said Taylor Carik, planning committee member and co-organizer of Minnesota Festivals, which will own and operate the event.

"We want to have music, we want to have food, but we also want to celebrate the things we've been doing really well in the last 10, 20 years," Carik said.

Chef and restaurateur Andrew Zimmern will serve as food ambassador, Carik said.

"I think what this is emblematic of is a city that's on the rebound, it's a city that's coming back," said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. "This is going to be something really special."

City Council Member Michael Rainville noted that there would be "something for all ages" at the event.

"Hats off to the organizers. They pulled this off in just an incredible record time," said Steve Cramer, CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.

A bill has been introduced in the Legislature to allocate $1.85 million as a one-time grant to the Minneapolis Downtown Council to fund the event's buildout, permits, waste disposal, staff, security, equipment, signage and insurance.

Blois Olson, whose marketing firm Fluence Media is promoting the event, offered no funding details but said money wouldn't be a stumbling block. There are a lot of sponsors involved, he said, including flagship sponsor Surly Brewing Co.

"We'll figure out the Legislature but the event will go on regardless," he said.

Staff writer Dave Orrick contributed to this report.