Every year after the spring thaw, Rochester, Minnesota, comes alive with hot celebrations and outdoor events geared toward family fun and showcasing the best the community has to offer. Residents and visitors shed their winter coats for the summer season of outdoor community fun. If you plan to visit Rochester, learn about a few events you won't want to miss.
Rochester's official city celebration has provided hometown summertime escape entertainment since 1982. With a litany of events spread throughout nine days each June, Rochesterfest is the most anticipated event of the year among area residents and visitors. Daily entertainment fills the downtown streets during the festival, surrounded by dozens of food vendors enticing crowds with everything from gyros, funnel cakes, cheese curds and mini-donuts. The festival also features a strongest-man competition, million dollar hole-in-one shootout and a grand parade that attracts thousands of onlookers to the streets. A giant street dance takes over the party on the final Saturday evening, with up to six bands playing multiple stages. A treasure hunt offers a chance to cash in on your sleuthing skills with daily clues pointing to the location of a hidden medallion.
Rochesterfest
P.O. Box 007
Rochester, MN 55903
(507) 285-8769
www.rochesterfest.com
Boasting the second largest state fair in the nation, Minnesota loves its annual community showcase events, and Rochester is no exception. The Olmsted County Fair comes to town each summer in late July or early August. The fair features large displays of local livestock, arts and crafts, and vendors showcasing the latest improvements in home, automotive and recreational supplies. Nightly grandstand shows rumble the fairgrounds with demolition derbies, tractor pulls and monster trucks. Live music entertains fair-goers from multiple stages. And don't forget the flashing lights and wild rides of the midway, which entice attendees into its lair of always-entertaining carnival games and food wagons serving all your favorite guilty-pleasure fare.
Olmsted County Fair
1400 North Broadway
Rochester, MN 55906
(507) 282-9862
www.olmstedcountyfair.com
Sunday evenings in July and August, people in Rochester flock to the banks of the Zumbro River in Mayo Park by the thousands to enjoy free concerts in a setting reminiscent of a neighborhood block party. Local, regional and national artists perform twilight sets in serene urban surroundings. Attendees stretch out on the lush grass with blankets and lawn chairs, many choosing to bring their grills and coolers for family picnics. The concerts are always free and feature a variety of music each week ranging from blues to jazz, rock, reggae and classical. These popular shows have become a favorite gathering place on Sundays for residents and visitors alike, and they inevitably result in concert-goers "dancing in the dark".
Down By The Riverside
201 4th Street Southeast
Suite 170
Rochester, MN 55904
www.riversideconcerts.com
