May 29 - 30
Festival Friday
Music, dancing, activities, and food to start the Festival weekend
Friday, May 29
6:00 PM–9:00 PM
Start your summer off right and visit the Ordway for the official beginning of the Flint Hills Family Festival Family Weekend! With music, dancing, activities, and food, there is something to please everyone in the family.
Let loose with Rock and Roll Playhouse
Rock out to Beyoncé & Soul Sisters For Kids at a free outdoor performance beginning at 6:00 PM
Enjoy high-flying thrills by Cirque Mechanics
Circus-themed spectacle TILT! takes the stage at 7:00 PM—with tickets for just $8
Buy Tickets Dance into the weekend with Soul Ballroom and Salsa del Soul
Start with a demo by the experts of Soul Ballroom, learn a few steps of your own—and then put it all together to the irresistible music of Salsa del Soul!
May 29 - 30
NOOMA, an opera for babies
Free to attend
Outdoor performances
On Friday night, the park surrounding the Ordway comes to life with free, family-friendly acts! Bring your whole family for spectacular performances, live DJing, wandering puppet artists, face-painting, and more!
Where are outdoor performances?
Performance locations subject to change once the full Friday schedule has been announced!
Flint Hills World Music Stage
Across from the Ordway, between Washington and Market Street in Rice Park, near the fountain
No tickets or advanced registration are required for outdoor performances.
ASL interpretation offered
Flint Hills World Music Stage
DJ Huh? What??
Music starts at 5pm • Rice Park
Flint Hills World Music Stage
Rock and Roll Playhouse
6:00–6:45 PM • Rice Park
Beyoncé & Soul Sisters for kids
Flint Hills World Music Stage
Soul Ballroom
7:05–7:35 PM • Rice Park
Free salsa lesson & demonstration
Free to enjoy
Activities
Learn and create at the Festival! During the Flint Hills Family Festival weekend, Rice Park—just across from the Ordway—bustles with fun, free art-making activities, educational games, and more.
Arti Chandak Henna Art
Henna Body Art
Ages: 5–10 • Rice Park
Henna is a body art that can be done on all ages and is all-natural. It can feature very different, freehand creative designs, and will last 7–10 days on average.
Carpenter St. Croix Valley Nature Center
Critter Painting Party
Ages: 5–10 • Rice Park
Experience some of Minnesota’s native wildlife up close with some live animal ambassadors! You can paint, draw, or color the animals you meet.
Children's Theatre Company
Literacy, Sound, and Rhythm
Ages: 5–10 • Rice Park
Search and find letter beads to spell out your name, and then use them to make a shaker egg to explore rhythms to go along with letter sounds and syllables, inspired by Chicka Chicka Boom Boom!
COMPAS
Explore Different Kinds of Art!
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Each day of the festival, COMPAS Teaching Artists and Performers will celebrate creativity with a new chance to explore many art forms. From Circus Arts to Indian Impermanent Art to button making, join us for fun and art-making for all ages!
Flint Hills Resources
Design a Drawstring Bag!
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Get creative with us by designing and coloring your own drawstring bag! Show off your artistic style, then use your bag to carry all the arts and crafts you collect throughout the Festival.
Provided Through The Generosity of Flint Hills Resources
Fire Truck Activity Booth
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Stop by to explore a fire truck and experience a glimpse into a firefighter’s day! Kids can also decorate a sticker to personalize their very own firefighter helmet.
Author Trần Thị Minh Phước and Hoàng Anh Vietnamese Dance Group
Dragon & Fairies: Vietnamese Culture Through Folktales & Legends
Ages: 5–10 • Rice Park
Meet the legendary characters, Tam and Cam from the Vietnamese Cinderella, the Moon Lady and read their stories!
PhuocThiMinhTran.Wordpress.com HoangAnhDanceGroup.Wordpress.com
Joy Collaborative
Joy Mobile
Ages: 0-4 • Rice Park
We are a mobile sensory experience supporting individuals through healing spaces wherever they are.
Enjoy our mobile, sensory-friendly space whenever you need a break!
MN BIPOC Kid Lit
Comic Books and Story Time!
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Come make a graphic novel with local writers and illustrators and enjoy hourly storytime.
Markus Clegg: Magician
All-Ages Magic Show
All Ages • Rice Park
Enjoy a fun-filled magic show throughout the day!
Park Square Education
Theatre Masks
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Create your own theatre mask! Express your creativity by building and decorating your own unique theatre mask.
Public Math
Pop-Up Math Play
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Learn how math is all around us and what fun it can be!
Folk Art of India
All Ages • Rice Park
Hands-On Art Activity for All Ages: Kolam folk art of India
Saint Paul Winter Carnival
Winter Carnival
Ages: 5-10 • Rice Park
Play extra-large sized games, win prizes, make art, and so much more.
The Journey School
Create Your Own Puppet
Ages 5-10 • Rice Park
Use your imagination to create a paper bag puppet and put on a mini show!
Free Festival event transit
Visit the Flint Hills Family Festival for less with free rides from Metro Transit! To access this offer, use the links below to fill out a brief survey and download your Metro Transit event transit pass for the date(s) of your choice. Offer valid for both buses and rail lines.
May 29 offer
Link for May 29 event transit pass
May 30 offer
Link for May 30 event transit pass
Photo courtesy of Metro Transit.
Flint Hills Family Festival
Ordway's annual Festival celebrating the artists in every child
Festival Saturday
Dance acts, musical groups, artists, and more at the Festival
Festival School Week
The one-stop Family Festival shop for teachers
