5 ways to celebrate the cold at the 2024 Great Northern Festival

Building atop several landmark winter events in the Twin Cities, the Great Northern Festival is set to kick off this week.

The festival, which runs Jan. 25 to Feb. 4, aims to celebrate the cold weather and spark conversations about protecting the winter season from climate change. The festival’s dates also encompass the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the City of Lakes Loppet in Minneapolis and the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships.

The organization expanded its leadership structure last year: Kate Nordstrum transitioned from a role as director to one as chief programming officer, allowing her to focus more deeply on festival curation, and artist and nonprofit leader Jovan Speller Rebollar stepped in to run the festival’s administration. This change is a sign of the festival’s long-term strength, Speller Rebollar said earlier last year.

“I think it’s really cool to be able to take something that maybe people shy away from — the cold, being cold, being out in the cold — and finding community within that,” Speller Rebollar said when she started the job in May 2023. “Flipping that idea on its head, and making it something people can look forward to.”

The festival boasts a full schedule of music, art, food and climate conversations. The full calendar, including registration links, is at thegreatnorthern.swoogo.com/2024.

Here are five ideas of what to do at the Great Northern this year.

1. Attend the Climate Solutions Series

Conversations all day Jan. 27 and 28: Attend any or all the sessions at this two-day discussion series on various solutions to climate change.

Highlights include conversations about building a more climate-friendly fashion industry; spotlighting the role of artists, designers and architects; understanding the intersections of winter sports and climate; and thinking critically about food with former White House chef Sam Kass and TV host Andrew Zimmern.

American Swedish Institute: 2600 Park Ave, Minneapolis. Event is free, but you have to register online.

2. Drink at the 100-foot ice bar

Various hours throughout the festival: Ice company Minnesota Ice has created a massive ice bar that is set to stretch an entire block in downtown Minneapolis.

The bar will offer a standing menu created by Adam Witherspoon, who has run some of the top bars and beverage companies in the Twin Cities. Plus, every day, visiting bartenders will create special featured drinks; guests include folks from Earl Giles Distillery, Libation Project, Meteor Bar and more.

Downtown Minneapolis: exact location TBD. Drinks: $5 for kids bevs and beer; $10 for non-alcoholic cocktails; $15 for full-proof cocktails.

3. Learn from place through Dakota traditions

1 to 3 p.m., Jan. 28 or Feb. 4: This session invites you to experience land and water in the Twin Cities through the lens of Dakota stories and spirituality — and, hopefully, start to reconsider your own relationship to the world around you.

This participatory session, offered by the Minnesota Humanities Center, sold out quickly last year. This year, it’s being offered twice, but be sure to buy a ticket in advance online. If you go, meet at the Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center at Fort Snelling State Park; the experience is outside, so dress appropriately. To park onsite, you’ll also need a one-day Minnesota State Parks vehicle permit ($7).

Fort Snelling State Park: 101 Snelling Lake Rd., St. Paul. Tickets are $30; purchase in advance.

4. Eat at the K’óoben pop-up

6 to 9 p.m., Jan. 30: This collaboration of high-powered Twin Cities chefs and cocktail mavens sold out super-quick last year, so snag a ticket for the 2024 edition if you can.

The K’óoben collective itself focuses on the roots of Mexican cuisine — the name is the Mayan word for kitchen or stove — and is composed of chefs Gustavo Romero, José Alarcón and Noe Lara. At the Great Northern this year, they’re focusing broadly on the Minnesotan immigrant experience by inviting Yia Vang (of Union Hmong Kitchen and the forthcoming Vinai), Peter Bian and Linda Cao (of Saturday Dumpling Co.), and Baaska Tegshbileg (of Cobble Social House). Mingle with the chefs, taste their small bites and listen to live music.

Glass House: 145 Holden St N, Minneapolis. Tickets are $100; purchase in advance.

5. Celebrate the ‘Midwinter Melt’

5 to 9 p.m., Feb. 2: Groundhog Day feels like the midpoint between winter and spring, organizers say, so this event offers plenty of ways to get outside and active on a frozen lake.

Enjoy kicksledding, light shows, walking trails, solar lamp-making and a “cosmic footgolf” course — think putt-putt meets kickball. Arrive at 5 p.m. for a soup dinner and DJ set courtesy of the group Melanin in Motion; the other events start at 6.

Silverwood Park: 2500 County Rd E, St Anthony, 55421. Event is free; no ticket required.