ST. PAUL, Minn. (May 18, 2026) — The Flint Hills Family Festival, produced by the Ordway Center for Performing Arts, today announced the free outdoor lineup for Festival Friday: a lively, open-air celebration taking place Friday, May 29, from 6–9 PM in Rice Park. The evening will feature Rock and Roll Playhouse debuting a new set, Beyoncé & Soul Sisters for Kids, a free salsa lesson and demonstration with SOUL Ballroom, and a closing performance by Twin Cities-based Salsa del Soul — a Festival favorite that always creates a high-energy atmosphere for dancing.
Festival Friday marks the official start of Family Weekend, bringing music, movement, and summer-night energy to the heart of downtown Saint Paul. With live performances, dancing, food trucks, hands-on activities, face-painting, and henna artists, live DJing, and more, the evening is both a family-friendly kickoff and a free night out for anyone downtown.
“Festival Friday embodies what makes the Flint Hills Family Festival special: families, friends and neighbors enjoying free, world-class art, music and dance and bringing a special vibe to downtown unlike anything else,” said Ordway President and CEO Chris Harrington. “This year’s Friday night lineup brings incredible energy, full of music and rhythm that reflects the heartbeat of our community. It’s a summer evening for everyone, whether you’re bringing kids, meeting up with friends, stepping out with co-workers or simply looking for a reason to celebrate outside on a perfect Saint Paul night.”
The three free outdoor performances in Rice Park on the Flint Hills World Music Stage on Friday, May 29, include:
Rock and Roll Playhouse: Beyoncé & Soul Sisters For Kids
| 6–6:45 PM
Making their first appearance at the Ordway and the Flint Hills Family Festival, Rock and Roll Playhouse will open Festival Friday with their first-ever set dedicated to Beyoncé music for kids. Founded in 2014, Rock and Roll Playhouse is the nation’s largest kid-friendly live concert series, creating shared musical experiences for kids and grownups. Through games, movement, stories and songs inspired by iconic artists, the Rock and Roll Playhouse band encourages young audiences to explore their creativity while giving parents and adults a chance to sing and dance, too.
| 7:05–7:35 PM
SOUL Ballroom will get festivalgoers on their feet with a free salsa lesson and demonstration designed for every experience level, including those trying salsa for the first time. The interactive lesson invites audiences to learn a few basic steps, find the rhythm and warm up the Rice Park dance floor before Salsa del Soul takes the stage later in the evening — setting up everyone to dance their way into the night.
| 8–8:50 PM
Festival Friday closes on a high note with Salsa del Soul, a nine-piece orchestra performing Latin dance music rooted in Caribbean traditional dance rhythms. The Twin Cities-based group brings together styles from Spanish-speaking regions of the Caribbean, including Son, Son Montuno, Plena, cha-cha-cha, Bachata, Merengue, Timba and salsa. Featuring musicians from across the Twin Cities Latin music scene, Salsa del Soul has performed at restaurants, bars, jazz and Latin festivals, private engagements and community events throughout the region.
All Festival Friday outdoor performances are free to attend, and no tickets or advance registration are required. The Flint Hills World Music Stage is located across from the Ordway in Rice Park, near the fountain.
"For 26 years the Flint Hills Family Festival has marked the start of summer, with Rice Park energized by music, art and family fun," said Flint Hills Resources Director of Community Affairs Heather Rein. "We love partnering with Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the City of Saint Paul to bring this one-of-a-kind event to the community and to make art accessible to everyone.”
Festival Friday sets the stage for a full weekend of previously announced performances, including ticketed programming inside the Ordway Center: Cirque Mechanics’ circus-themed spectacle TILT! – which has a 7 PM show on Friday; the fan-favorite opera for babies NOOMA, presented by the Ordway and Minnesota Opera; and Theater Works’ topsy-turvy barnyard musical Click, Clack, Moo. Show times and ticket info — with all indoor shows starting at just $8 — are available on the Flint Hills Family Festival website.
The free outdoor energy continues Saturday with Sons of Mystro, an electrifying reggae-violin duo performing at noon in Rice Park — one of more than a dozen free performances taking place in Rice Park and Landmark Plaza that day, concluding with a special performance by Larry Yazzie and Native Pride at 3:15 PM. In total, this year’s Family Festival features 53 artists across 58 performances.
Through an ongoing partnership with Metro Transit, festivalgoers can access free ride passes to and from the Flint Hills Family Festival, making it easier to enjoy all of Family Weekend. New in 2026, the Festival is extending its commitment to making art experiences accessible by offering completely free busing for every school participating in field trips to the Ordway during the Festival’s School Week. Schools can still sign up for the Festival School Week field trips by calling the Ordway’s Education Hotline at 651.282.3115 or emailing educationsales@ordway.org.
Now in its 26th year, the Flint Hills Family Festival is one of the largest and longest-standing events of its kind in the country, offering two festivals in one: School Week, May 27–29, when more than 10,000 students take field trips to the Ordway for arts and cultural educational experiences tailored to them; and Family Weekend, May 29–30, which is open to the public and engaging for festivalgoers of all ages. Since it first began in 2001, more than one million people have experienced the Festival.
More information, including the full Flint Hills Family Festival schedule, is available at ordway.org/festival. Photos available for media use at ordway.org/media.
ABOUT THE ORDWAY CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS Located in the heart of downtown Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Ordway is a leading performing arts center dedicated to being a cornerstone of exceptional artistic, educational, and cultural experiences. It is home to a variety of performances that encompass the finest in Broadway musicals, concerts, dance and vocal artists. Renowned for its welcoming atmosphere and comfortable environment, the Ordway includes a 1,900-seat Music Theater, a state-of-the-art 1,100-seat Concert Hall and spacious lobbies. Each summer, the Ordway presents the Flint Hills Family Festival, one of the longest-standing and most accessible events of its kind in the country. The Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership, a strategic alliance of the four performing arts organizations that serve audiences at the Ordway. Learn more at ordway.org.
ABOUT FLINT HILLS RESOURCES Flint Hills Resources directly and indirectly supports more than 4,000 Minnesota jobs and has invested nearly $1.7 billion in upgrades and improvements to its Minnesota facilities since 2010. With 1,000 full-time employees, the Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend refinery is one of the largest employers in Dakota County. More information about the Pine Bend refinery is available at PineBendRefinery.com.
# # #
Media contact: Madeleine Rush, 651.214.6937, Madeleine@goffpublic.com