Aquatennial Night Market 2024
Did you know the Minneapolis Aquatennial has been an annual tradition for the city for over 70 years? It is also one of the few events throughout the year that actually puts up an AMAZING firework display that draws thousands to the Minneapolis riverfront, in front of iconic sites like the Stone Arch Bridge and the Guthrie Theater. Hosted annually during the third full week of July, visitors are greeted with city wide events that are family friendly for all ages. This year, as part of the Minneapolis Craft Market, is our first year attending craft shows in-person as we grow and the Aquatennial is one to remember.
One to remember might just be an understatement as it was one of the HOTTEST days we have attended for any events. Don’t get me wrong, the weather was beautiful, and it had a breeze to offset the humidity, but our display stands had different ideas that consistently asked for our attentions. To deal with mother nature, we put up our side tarps to block out the wind. The result? We sweated ourselves even more. Luckily for us, our customers made it fun to not realize how summery we actually were. Bonus gift to us? Bing texted one of his friends (shoutout to him) and had him deliver a few additional ice-cold water bottles! Talk about a nice friend!
Despite the tricks that mother nature played on us, it didn’t stop us from engaging with many visitors and showgoers. Wondering what are some of our bestsellers for the evening was? We have compiled a list of them.
The highlight of the Aquatennial celebrations culminated on saturday night with the Target Fireworks in downtown Minneapolis. Our little booth stall was sandwiched between the Guthrie and the river and we could just sneak right behind our tent and catch the show. We saw people heading down towards the Stone Arch Bridge as early as 1pm, a whole 9 hours before the 10pm show, talk about some real dedication!
Due at 10pm, the fireworks showcased its beauty and sent the crowd in awe as cheers and standing ovations could be seen and heard all around. Minneapolis sure knows how to put on a show! Did anybody tell Abby that booth breakdowns can start at 10pm? Where did Bing go? (hint: off to somewhere nice to grab these firework shots).