We’ve rounded up the latest free events, activities and crafts going on at various locations in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area and also nationwide this weekend (6/15-6/17). Please leave a comment if you know of any others and we’ll add them to this list.
Your turn: What other free weekend events and activities do you know of?
Nationwide Events
American Girl Store
Girls ages 8 and up can enjoy various crafts, cooking classes and tours at the American Girl Store. At the Mall of America location, this weekend’s free events include:
- Father’s Day Card Craft: Friday from 1-3pm and Sunday from 12-2pm
Barnes & Noble
Check your local Barnes & Noble for events. My closest store has Children’s Storytime on Tuesdays and Fridays at 10am. There’s also a LEGO Building Event going on this week at various locations (Twin Cities participating stores include Apple Valley, Eden Prairie, Woodbury, Burnsville, Minnetonka and Roseville).
Disney Store
Stop by the Disney Store this Saturday from 10:30am-12:30pm for a Brave Adventure. In-store activities will take place to celebrate the upcoming release of Brave. If you miss this weekend’s event, they’re also having it on June 23 and June 30. Minimum age for participating is 3 years. Find a Disney Store location near you (there is one in the Mall of America).
Guitar Center
Guitar Center offers a free recording workshop every Saturday from 10-11am. This Saturday’s lesson is about Working with Midi in Pro Tools 10. Find a Guitar Center location near you.
Home Depot
This month’s weekend adult workshops include Install a Ceiling Fan, Bath Safety, and Outdoor Pest Control. Check the Home Depot website for dates and times.
Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores
Kids can make a Darice Craft Foam Picture Frame craft for Father’s Day on Saturday from 11am-12pm as a free Make-It Take-It craft.
Lakeshore Learning
Kids can make a Key Keeper craft this Saturday from 11am-3pm. Find a Lakeshore Learning Store near you.
Michaels
This weekend’s free events include:
- Father’s Day Duck Tape Wallet for kids ages 3 and up: Friday from 6-8pm
- Inktense Demo for adults: Saturday from 1-2pm
- Cricut Expression 2 Demo for adults: Sunday from 3-4pm
Target
Select your city to find free and/or reduced-price admission to arts and cultural events in your area, sponsored by Target. If you live in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, the Walker Art Center is free every Thursday night as a part of Target Free Thursday Nights.
You can also stop by the Minnesota Children’s Museum this Sunday for free admission as a part of Target Free Third Sundays. June is one of the least-busy months of the year (tied with December), so this would be a good time to go and celebrate Father’s Day.
Toys R Us
Toys R Us has a LEGO Super Heroes! event going on this Saturday from 2-4pm. Create your own Batman or Superman shield with LEGO bricks and take it home.
Walmart
Enter your zip code in the Walmart Event Finder to see what’s going on in your area. My closest store is having a Fresh Fruit Sampling Event, an Armour Eckrich Bacon Lovers Deli Meats and Lipton Tea & Honey Sampling Event, and a Progresso Kitchen Favorites, Big G Cereals, Green Giant Steamers Sampling Event. Also, see an exclusive 10-minute preview of never before seen footage from “The Amazing Spider-Man” on June 15 and 16 at 10am, 3pm and 8pm.
Local Events
Be sure to check the Free Local Summer Entertainment and Events post for more on-going events.
Thanks to Free Family Fun and A Traveling Thought for some of this information.
Friday, 6/15
- Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest
- Farmington Dew Days
- Midsummer Days (North Branch)
- Parktacular (St. Louis Park)
- Stone Arch Bridge Festival (Minneapolis)
- Tater Daze (Brooklyn Park)
- Urban Birding Festival (various Twin Cities locations)
- Summer Flower Show (Como Park Conservatory – St. Paul)
- 2012 Can-Am Roadster Demo Tour (Mall of America): 9am-6pm
- Art Attack (Inver Glen Library – Inver Grove Heights): 10am-4:30pm
- Chipotle Edible Garden Opening (Como Park Conservatory – St. Paul): 10am-6pm
- Jumpstart Your Summer Job Search: Teens (St. Louis Park Library): 1-3pm
- YNK You Never Know (Brooklyn Park Library): 1-3pm
- Read the Book, See the Movie – for Kids (Franklin Library – Minneapolis): 2-4pm
- Readers’ Theater (East Lake Library – Minneapolis): 3pm
- Game On! Gaming Fridays (Franklin Library – Minneapolis): 3-4pm
- I Can Fish! Fishing Fridays (Fort Snelling State Park): 3-5pm
- Movies for Teens (Franklin Library – Minneapolis): 4-6pm
- Nature Valley Bicycle Festival (Minneapolis): 4:30-9pm
- Family Night with New Distractions (Midtown Global Market – Minneapolis): 5-8pm
- A Night of Wine and Roses (Nathes 101 Market – Otsego): 5:30-7:30pm
- Teen Battle of the Bands (Maple Grove Town Green): 6-9pm
- Friday Night Movie Night: Fly Away Home (Springbook Nature Center – Fridley): 6:30-8pm
- Cromulent Shakespeare Company, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Minnehaha Park – Minneapolis): 7pm
- Eden Prairie Players Present Annie (Staring Lake Amphitheatre – Eden Prairie): 7pm
- HCL Presents Westminster Town Hall Forum (Westminster Presbyterian Church – Minneapolis): 7pm
- Lies Beneath by Minnesota Author Anne Greenwood Brown (The Red Balloon Bookshop – St. Paul): 7pm
- New Revival of Present Days (Minnehaha Falls – Minneapolis): 7pm
- Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour (Minneapolis): 7pm
- Prairie Fire Children’s Theater: Mid-Summer Night’s Dream (Hilde Amphitheatre – Plymouth): 7pm
- Rain Dogs (City Square Park – Chaska): 7pm
- The Willie August Project (Lake Harriet Bandshell – Minneapolis): 7:30pm
- Top Gun (Lake Harriet Bandshell – Minneapolis): 9:17pm
- The Timeout Takeover (Time Out Sports Bar – Elk River): 9:30pm-2am
Saturday, 6/16
- Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest
- Farmington Dew Days
- Father’s Day Tractor Show (Pahl’s Market – Apple Valley)
- Midsummer Days (North Branch)
- Parktacular (St. Louis Park)
- Stone Arch Bridge Festival (Minneapolis)
- Summer Flower Show (Como Park Conservatory – St. Paul)
- Tater Daze (Brooklyn Park)
- Urban Birding Festival (various Twin Cities locations)
- Sweatastic Saturday (lululemon athletica – St. Paul): 9-10am
- Bird Banding (Lowry Nature Center – Victoria): 9am-12pm
- Plant Swap (Northeast Farmers Market – Minneapolis): 9am-1pm
- 2012 Can-Am Roadster Demo Tour (Mall of America): 9am-6pm
- Animal Feeding (Springbrook Nature Center – Fridley): 10am
- Free Family Flick: Spirit (Theatres at Mall of America): 10am
- Juneteenth (North Mississippi Regional Park): 10am
- Roma Tomato Plant Giveaway (Como Park Conservatory – St. Paul): 10am
- Canoe and Kayak Demo (Hyland Lake Park Reserve – Bloomington): 10am-2pm
- Fish Prints (Creative Kidstuff locations): 10am-2pm (bring a cotton T-shirt)
- KidStock (The Shoppes at Arbor Lakes – Maple Grove): 10am-3pm
- Musical Storytime with Stephen Shaskan (The Red Balloon Bookshop – St. Paul): 10:30am
- Master Gardener: Low Input Lawn Care (LILaC) (Augsburg Park Library – Richfield): 11am
- Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour (St. Paul): 11am
- Public Tours of Minneapolis Central Library: 11am-12pm
- Paws to Read (Brooklyn Park Library): 11am-12:30pm
- Hardscapes Seminar: Retaining & Free Standing Walls (Bachman’s – Minneapolis): 11am-1pm
- LEGO Mania! (Walker Library – Minneapolis): 11am-3pm
- Saturday Live!: Swedish Folk Tales (Central Library – St. Paul): 11:15am-12pm
- The First Tee Mini-Golf Putting Championship (Eagle Lake Youth Golf Center – Plymouth): 12-4pm
- Grimm Farmhouse Open House (Victoria): 12-4pm
- Teen Movie Madness: Lord of the Rings Part I (Saint Anthony Park Library – St. Paul): 12-4pm
- Sweet Colleens (Nokomis Library – Minneapolis): 1pm
- Exotic Plant Species: Together We Can Make a Difference (Fort Snelling State Park): 1-2pm
- Blaine Art and Music Fair (Town Square Park): 1-4pm
- Knitting Crash Course with the Textile Center (Heritage Library – Lakeville): 1-4pm
- Chemists in the Library (North Regional Library – Minneapolis): 1:30-3:30pm
- Hosmer World Music Series Presents Gabriel Hilmar (Hosmer Library – Minneapolis): 2pm
- Master Gardener: Edible Landscapes (Sumner Library – Minneapolis): 2pm
- Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour (Maplewood): 2pm
- Prairie Fire Children’s Theater: Mid-Summer Night’s Dream (Hilde Amphitheatre – Plymouth): 2pm
- Twin Cities Jazz Festival Concert: Jana Nyberg Group (Hayden Heights Library – St. Paul): 2-3pm
- Read to a Dog (Nokomis Library – Minneapolis): 3-5pm
- International Festival of Burnsville (Nicollet Commons Park): 3-9pm
- Rocking at Riley (Riley-Jacques Barn – Eden Prairie): 3-9pm
- Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour (Minneapolis and St. Paul): 4pm
- Saturday Night Cruise-In (Hastings): 5-9pm
- Cromulent Shakespeare Company, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Loring Park – Minneapolis): 7pm
- Eden Prairie Players Present Annie (Staring Lake Amphitheatre – Eden Prairie): 7pm
- Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour (Minneapolis and St. Paul): 7pm
- American Indians (Baker Park Reserve – Maple Plain): 7-8pm
- Your Friends and Family (Lake Harriet Bandshell – Minneapolis): 7:30pm
- The Ring (Bohemian Flats – Minneapolis): 9:17pm
Sunday, 6/17
- Cottage Grove Strawberry Fest
- Father’s Day Tractor Show (Pahl’s Market – Apple Valley)
- Midsummer Days (North Branch)
- Parktacular (St. Louis Park)
- Stone Arch Bridge Festival (Minneapolis)
- Summer Flower Show (Como Park Conservatory – St. Paul)
- Tater Daze (Brooklyn Park)
- Urban Birding Festival (various Twin Cities locations)
- Free Third Sunday (Children’s Museum – St. Paul): 9am-5pm
- Sweaty Sundays with Teacher Training Graduates (lululemon athletica – Minneapolis): 9:30-10:30am
- Nature Valley Bicycle Festival (Stillwater): 10:30am-4pm
- Bell Museum of Natural History (Minneapolis): 12-5pm
- Birds Up Close (Coon Rapids Dam Regional Park – Brooklyn Park): 1-3pm
- Free Family Funday: The Birds of Summer (Carl Kroening Interpretive Center – Minneapolis): 1-3pm
- Let’s Get StARTed: Garden Gala (Silverwood Park – St. Anthony): 1-3pm
- Anthology of Poetry: Cung Tram Truong (Minneapolis Central Library): 2pm
- Cantus (Lake Harriet Bandshell – Minneapolis): 2pm
- Cromulent Shakespeare Company, The Merry Wives of Windsor (Lyndale Park Rose Gardens – Minneapolis): 2pm
- Sculpture Park Tour (Franconia Sculpture Park – Franconia): 2pm
- The Fish Table (Fort Snelling State Park): 2-3pm
- Raptors in the Yard (Lowry Nature Center – Victoria): 2-4pm
- Como Pops Presents: Klezmer: All That Jazz (Como Lakeside Pavilion – St. Paul): 3pm
- Turtle Talk (Richardson Nature Center – Bloomington): 3-4pm
- Open Eye Theatre Driveway Tour (St. Paul): 4pm
- Sumunar Gamelan Ensemble (Lake Harriet Bandshell – Minneapolis): 5:30pm
- Lau (Central Park Lexington’s Frank Rog Amphitheatre – Roseville): 6pm
- Ski Otter Water Ski Show (White Bear Lake): 6pm
- Silverwood Summer Concert Series (St. Anthony): 6:30-8:30pm
- Eden Prairie Players Present Annie (Staring Lake Amphitheatre – Eden Prairie): 7pm
- Hopkins Westwind Concert Band (Centennial Lakes Park – Edina): 7pm
- Minnesota Sinfonia (Caponi Art Park – Eagan): 7pm
- St. Louis Park Community Band (Como Pavilion – St. Paul): 7pm
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About Laura Wales
