MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – This weekend is packed with events like shopping for gifts from local artists, attending the Twin Cities Con in Minneapolis, or seeing the Split Rock Lighthouse lit up in northern Minnesota.

Twin Cities Con 

• Minneapolis Convention Center
• Nov. 8-10
• Day tickets start at $40, weekend passes are $70

The 2024 Twin Cities Con is back at the Minneapolis Convention Center and features several celebrity guests, including “Star Wars” actors Hayden Christensen and Ian McDiarmid, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants, Tom Kenny, in addition to professional wrestlers, authors and more. 

The event takes place from Friday to Sunday, with day tickets starting at $40, and weekend passes starting at $70. 

Visit Twin Cities Con website for more information on guest appearances, schedules, and other events happening this weekend.  

Art Attack 

• The Northrup King Building, Minneapolis
• Nov. 8-10
• Free

Art Attack at the Northrup King Building in Minneapolis showcases four floors of locally made art and gifts from artists. The event features artist talks, food trucks, interactive art projects, live demonstrations and more. 

The event takes place on Friday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday from noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. To learn more about the event, visit Northrup King Building’s website here.

Minnesota Black Authors Expo 

• Minneapolis Central Library, Minneapolis
• Saturday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Free to attend

The Minnesota Black Authors organization is hosting its eight annual expo on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This year’s theme is “Bringing Back Books to Life” and will feature 30+ authors, a writer’s boot camp workshop, live entertainment, business vendors, a kid’s corner and more. 

The event takes place at the Minneapolis Central Library and is free to attend, but the writers’ boot camp is an additional cost. For more information, visit the Minnesota Black Author’s Expo website here.

Nocturnal Animals in the Park 

• Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park
• Friday, Nov. 8, from 6-8 p.m.
• A parking permit is $7, tickets are $3 per person and children ages 6 and under are free

Curious about nocturnal animals? Join Washington County Parks and Carpenter Nature Center for a live presentation on creatures of the night featuring nocturnal animals. After the presentation is over, you can keep warm and end the evening around a bonfire.  

The event takes place on Friday, Nov. 8, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m at the Cottage Grove Ravine Regional Park. A parking permit is required and costs $7. Tickets for the event cost $3 per person, but children ages 6 and younger are free. Registration is required in advance and can be done online here.  

Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Beacon Lighting

• Split Rock Lighthouse, Two Harbors
• Sunday, Nov. 10, at 4:15 p.m.
• Tickets cost $15 for adults, $8 for children ages 5 to 17, and children under 5 are free

The Split Rock Lighthouse, located about 47 miles northeast of Duluth, is hosting its annual beacon lighting in honor of the 29 people killed when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior during a storm on Nov. 10, 1975. 

Split Rock Lighthouse will temporarily close at 4:15 p.m. while the names of the ship’s crew are called out. The beacon will be lit after the ceremony, and the tower will then re-open.

Tickets cost $15 for an adult and $8 for children ages 5 to 17. A discount is offered for college students, military, and seniors 65 and older, while children under 5 years old are free. If you can’t attend the event, it will be streamed online. For more information, click here.