The Maple Grove, Minnesota, area hosts many awesome festivals and community events throughout the year. Engage with your community, celebrate holidays, and have a lot of fun when you and your family attend these annual festivals and events in and around Maple Grove.

Kites on Ice

In February, head about 30 minutes east of Maple Grove to Buffalo, Minnesota, for the Kites on Ice event. The people of Buffalo build and fly kites of every shape, size, and color from the downtown area across the frozen Buffalo Lake for an awesome winter parade. The event also has kite-building workshops for the kids to try, dog sled rides, local food trucks, and so much more. Make this a new mid-winter tradition for your family.

Spring Festival

If you love arts and crafts, the Spring Festival in nearby Shakopee will be your new favorite annual event. This is a traveling event that hosts hundreds of talented artisans and crafters from 30 different states who sell their goods. You can find one-of-a-kind gifts, handmade home decor, as well as clothing and accessories. This April event could be a great place to shop for gifts or just enjoy meeting the artists and eating good local food.

Sounds of Summer Concert Series

Enjoy great live music all summer long, from June to September, at the Town Green in Maple Grove with their Sounds of Summer concert series. You can visit the Town Green every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for free evening and late-night performances in genres like country, blues, and kids music. Bring some lawn chairs, blankets, and a cooler full of drinks and snacks. Or, you can head to the concession stand for popcorn, nachos, candy, and ice cream right before the show starts.

Maple Grove Days

Spend four days celebrating the Maple Grove community at the Maple Grove Days event in July. Throughout the event, there are many fun activities including friendly sporting competitions, fishing lessons, outdoor yoga, and a silent auction. The whole family can enjoy the parade, fireworks show, live entertainment, and movie nights. And if you really want to get involved in the community, consider becoming a volunteer.

Chalkfest at Arbor Lakes

“Pasadena Chalk Festival” licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr by Scrubhiker (USCdyer)

In early September, right around Labor Day, you can take the kids down to Arbor Lakes for the annual Chalkfest. This colorful event hosts talented artists from around the world to create beautiful chalk drawings and murals throughout the area. You can even watch the artists at work, see how their idea comes to life, and then vote for your favorites to help crown a winner. This is a great event for any child, regardless of their interest in art, because the drawings are just that amazing. Plus, there are many local restaurants to visit while you’re there, too.

Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze

Head about 15 minutes east of Maple Grove to Brooklyn Park for the Twin Cities Harvest Festival and Maze, which occurs from September through early November. This fall fest is free to visit every day of the week, but it costs a few dollars to take on the corn maze. You can also catch hayrides to and from the pumpkin patch, where you and the kids can pick out your own pumpkins to decorate or carve when you get home.

Be sure to take a family photo by the sunflower fields, grab some grub from local food truck vendors, and shop for fresh fall fruits and veggies.

Halloween Family Fun Day

Hosted by the Maple Grove Community Organization (MGCO), the annual Halloween Family Fun Day is another fantastic fall festival for kids and adults of all ages. It’s located at the perfect location, Weaver Lake Park, and provides activities like treasure hunting, bouncy inflatables, a screaming contest, and a costume fashion show. Bring the whole family to get into the Halloween spirit and show off your costuming, pumpkin-rolling, and howling skills. You can also get involved as a volunteer to host or sponsor an activity, game, or craft station through MGCO.

Breakfast and Lunch With Santa

Start your holiday season off right by having breakfast or lunch with the Big Man in Red. In early December, you can bring your kids to the Maple Grove Community Center for an early breakfast or mid-day lunch, a meet-and-greet and photo with Santa, and plenty of holiday-themed games and crafts. Plus, your family can contribute to the community by bringing non-perishable food to donate to local families in need.

Registration ranges from $2 to $7, depending on if your children are attending breakfast or lunch and how old they are.

A Norwegian Christmas

Around the same time as Breakfast and Lunch With Santa, you can head back to the Brooklyn Park area to visit the Historic Eidem Farm for the Norwegian Christmas spectacular. This farm is a historical site where you can learn about and experience life in Brooklyn Park in the early 1900s. And during Christmas, you and your whole family can take part in 100-year-old holiday traditions that the Eidem family and other local families practiced. Watch demonstrations on cooking traditional holiday dishes, card-making, and more.

Sing come carols or listen to the carolers as you stroll around. Make decorations for your tree at home and other traditional Christmas crafts. Other fun activities that are sure to put you in good holiday cheer include touring the house all decorated for Christmas, drinking homemade hot cider, seeing the animals on the farm, and kicking sleds around the property. You can also have another visit with Santa as he makes his rounds throughout the Minneapolis area.

Tickets are typically $20 per family, so you can easily make this a new holiday tradition for your family.While these nine events typically occur every single year, make sure to check the local community calendars for new events and cancellations. Have we missed your favorite annual festival or event? Contact Crème de la Crème of Maple Grove to let us know, and we’ll be sure to add it to our list!