Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Minneapolis Aquatennial is back July 18–26, the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival takes Harriet Island with The Lumineers and The Strokes, plus Lynx home games, Mill City & Lowertown farmers markets, Asia Village, and Minnesota's cannabis testing-lab crunch.
Your Twin Cities week of July 13, 2026: Aquatennial roars back, Yacht Club Fest lands at Harriet Island, and the markets, patios and ballparks are all humming.
In this episode:
Sources:
Subscribe: mplsvegan.com
George: —and I'm telling you, Laura, I walked over the Stone Arch Bridge last night and it was like the whole city just... exhaled.
Laura: George, it's July. We exhale from like May through September, that's the deal.
George: Okay fair, fair. But there's a specific summer night in Minneapolis where the river smells right and the light hangs forever and—
Laura: You're doing the thing.
George: What thing?
Laura: The George thing. Where you start narrating the city like it's a Ken Burns doc.
George: Ope, guilty.
Laura: "Ope, guilty." That's your whole personality.
George: Listen, we've got a LOT of week ahead of us, so I'm allowed one moment of reverence.
Laura: One. I'm counting.
George: Deal. So — patio weather is holding, it's gorgeous, and this is basically the biggest week of the summer, right?
Laura: Kind of, yeah. Aquatennial's back.
George: AQUATENNIAL is back!
Laura: There it is.
George: July 18 through the 26, "Best Days of Summer," they're doing free family stuff down at Bde Maka Ska, along the riverfront, downtown parks — the whole spread.
Laura: And after a little hiatus, too. Which — I'll be honest, I wasn't sure they were bringing it back back.
George: Same. I remember growing up, Aquatennial was THE thing. My folks would drag us down to watch the parade and I'd be melting on the curb like a popsicle.
Laura: Very Minneapolis.
George: Very Minneapolis. And now it's back, and it's free, which — with how spendy everything's gotten, that matters.
Laura: That really matters. Free is a love language in this town.
George: Put that on a shirt.
Laura: I might.
George: Okay but also — same weekend, over in St. Paul — Minnesota Yacht Club Festival at Harriet Island.
Laura: Which is such a name. "Yacht Club." On the Mississippi.
George: I know.
Laura: But the lineup's actually stacked. Lumineers, the Strokes, Matchbox Twenty — that's a whole millennial fever dream, George.
George: You're saying that like I'm not a millennial-adjacent guy who owns a Strokes record.
Laura: I'm saying it EXACTLY because of that.
George: Fair.
Laura: July 17 through 19, Harriet Island. If you're going, plan your parking, because —
George: Oh, it's gonna be a scene.
Laura: It's gonna be a SCENE.
George: Take the bus, honestly. Or bike the river road down.
Laura: Bike the river road, yes. Which brings us to — the Greenway is peak Greenway right now.
George: The Greenway is unreal this week. I rode from Uptown out toward the lakes and it was just... families, dogs, that one guy on the very serious road bike who is not smiling.
Laura: There's ALWAYS that guy.
George: There's always that guy.
Laura: Okay, food. Can we do food?
George: Please. I'm starving just thinking about it.
Laura: So — quick sponsor nod, because it's relevant — mplsvegan.com has been keeping a running map of patio-friendly plant-based spots and I've been living on that site.
George: Same. Shout out to mplsvegan.com — they do the work so we don't have to.
Laura: And speaking of, I did J. Selby's over in St. Paul last weekend.
George: What'd you get?
Laura: The dirty secret burger, obviously.
George: Obviously.
Laura: And listen, I'll fight anybody on this — J. Selby's is a top-three vegan spot in the Cities. Full stop.
George: Top THREE? Not top one?
Laura: I said what I said, George. Because Herbivorous Butcher exists.
George: Okay okay okay.
Laura: You can't put anybody above Herbivorous Butcher over in Northeast. They basically invented a category.
George: They did. And their patio-adjacent situation this time of year — grabbing a sandwich, walking around the NE Arts District — that's a whole afternoon.
Laura: That's a WHOLE afternoon.
George: What's your third then?
Laura: Okay, don't make me pick.
George: I'm making you pick.
Laura: Fine. Reverie. Reverie Cafe. Because the vibe is right, the food is right, and it feels like a neighborhood.
George: Reverie's great. I'd argue Hard Times too, honestly, but Hard Times is its own thing — it's not really a patio move, it's a 2 a.m. move.
Laura: Hard Times is a state of mind, George.
George: Hard Times is a state of MIND, yes.
Laura: And Trio Plant-Based is doing their thing. Hello Pizza. The Herbalist.
George: The Herbalist is underrated. I said what I said.
Laura: Ooh, controversial.
George: Is it?
Laura: A little bit. But I'll allow it.
George: Okay, farmers markets, real quick — because if you're doing a patio kickoff week you should also be doing a market.
Laura: Yes. Mill City is Saturday, July 18, 8 to 1, down by the riverfront.
George: Which — Mill City on an Aquatennial Saturday is chef's kiss. You do the market in the morning, you walk out on the Stone Arch, you find a patio.
Laura: That's the whole day right there.
George: That's the whole day.
Laura: And in St. Paul — the Lowertown market — Saturday 6 a.m. to 1, Sunday 8 to 1.
George: 6 a.m.?
Laura: Six. A. M.
George: Who is going to a farmers market at 6 a.m.
Laura: The people who get the best tomatoes, George.
George: Okay, fair.
Laura: And the Lowertown market — they've got that permanent indoor Country Store now, going year round, which is such a cool small-business play.
George: Right, the Country Store of MN — dairy, meats, baked goods. It's basically an incubator for small Minnesota producers.
Laura: That opened alongside the outdoor market last year, and honestly? Turning a farmers market into a year-round destination is genuinely smart.
George: It's smart AND it's Minnesota nice — like, the whole vibe is "come support your neighbor."
Laura: Yeah. That's the good version of this state.
George: That's the good version.
Laura: Okay, quick pivot — new food news?
George: Yes. Asia Village.
Laura: Asia Village!
George: Grand opening was last month — it's an Asian food hall pavilion, vendors including 85°C Bakery Cafe and Hokkaido Ramen House.
Laura: I have not been yet.
George: You have not been?
Laura: I have not.
George: Laura.
Laura: I know, I know, it's on the list.
George: And also — Banh Mi House, over in the Mill City area downtown. Just opened.
Laura: A new banh mi spot downtown is very good news for lunch.
George: Very good news for lunch. That's a big Minneapolis sentence, "very good news for lunch."
Laura: It really is.
George: Okay. Cannabis corner.
Laura: "Cannabis corner," we've gotta get a sound effect for that.
George: We're working on it. Shout out our other sponsor while we're here — mncannabishub.com is where we send people who want the actual, current, adult overview of what's legal and where to buy.
Laura: mncannabishub.com is the move. Especially this week, because there's actual news.
George: There's real news. Okay so — the state is dealing with a testing-lab crunch right now.
Laura: Explain.
George: So — Legend Technical Services shut down their testing operation back in mid-June. That dropped Minnesota from five certified labs to four.
Laura: And of those four?
George: Only three are fully licensed to test all the cannabis and hemp products.
Laura: Ope.
George: Yeah, "ope" is right. Which means licensed retailers are hitting product shortages, because everything has to move through those labs.
Laura: So if you walk into your favorite dispensary this week and they're out of something they normally have?
George: It's probably not them. It's probably the lab pipeline.
Laura: Good context. Because I know people who get frustrated with their local shop and it's like — that's not the shop's fault.
George: It's not the shop's fault. Wildflower up in the North Loop, Simply Crafted over in Northeast, Green Goods in Bloomington, Edina Canna, Stigma with the THC beverages — these places are dealing with a supply squeeze that's coming from way upstream.
Laura: And is there — I feel like I read something about new licenses, too?
George: Yeah, so per statute, the OCM started their review July 1 on whether to release additional cultivator and retailer licenses.
Laura: Okay, that's good, right?
George: Well — recent legislative changes pushed the earliest date those new licenses can actually be made available to July 1, 2027.
Laura: Twenty-twenty-SEVEN?
George: Twenty-twenty-seven.
Laura: George, that's a full year out.
George: That's a full year out.
Laura: Cool. Cool cool cool.
George: I know.
Laura: So basically the market we've got is the market we've got for a while.
George: For a while. Which — honestly, if you're a small operator? That's a mixed bag. It protects the folks who are already in, but it also caps how much the scene can grow.
Laura: And it means shortages don't have a quick pressure valve.
George: They don't. So — patience. And shop local when you can.
Laura: Shop local when you can. And check mncannabishub.com if you're trying to figure out what's actually stocked where.
George: Perfect segue. Okay — live music, real quick.
Laura: Real quick because we're running.
George: First Ave is having a WEEK.
Laura: First Ave is having a week!
George: Juvenile — Tuesday, July 14, 8 p.m.
Laura: JUVENILE at First Ave.
George: I know.
Laura: That's a room I wanna be in.
George: Friday the 17th — "Miss Jackson If You're Nasty," a Janet Jackson dance night, 9 p.m.
Laura: Now THAT is a Friday.
George: That IS a Friday. And Club XCX on Saturday the 18th.
Laura: Which is also Aquatennial Saturday.
George: Which is also Aquatennial Saturday, so downtown Minneapolis is gonna be — you're just gonna have to make choices.
Laura: You're gonna have to make choices.
George: And if you're going bigger — John Mellencamp at Mystic Lake Amphitheater, Tuesday the 14th.
Laura: Wait, Mellencamp is still touring?
George: "Dancing Words Tour: The Greatest Hits." I did not know that was still a thing either, honestly.
Laura: There it is — George admits he doesn't know something.
George: I admit it! I'm a man of the people, I don't pretend.
Laura: Okay.
George: Sports! Sports, quickly.
Laura: Lynx.
George: Lynx are on a four-game homestand at Target Center, July 11 through 18.
Laura: Tonight — Monday, July 13 — vs. Phoenix. 8 p.m.
George: Wednesday the 15th vs. the Sparks.
Laura: And Saturday the 18th — another homestand game.
George: And then they pause for the All-Star break in Chicago, July 23 through 26.
Laura: Everybody go see the Lynx.
George: Everybody go see the Lynx. That's the takeaway of the whole show, honestly.
Laura: Maybe.
George: Saints at CHS Field down in Lowertown — Louisville Bats this weekend, Friday through Sunday.
Laura: CHS Field on a warm July night with a market walk earlier that day —
George: Come on.
Laura: Come ON.
George: Twins are on the road but they're back at Target Field July 24 through 26 vs. Oakland.
Laura: And United's home match against Vancouver Whitecaps is Saturday the 25th at Allianz.
George: Skol, sort of. Wrong sport. You know what I mean.
Laura: Skol works whenever, George.
George: Skol works whenever.
Laura: Family stuff, quick — Como Zoo and Conservatory, free family concerts and activities, Wednesday the 15th, 6 to 8.
George: Como on a summer Wednesday is elite parenting.
Laura: Elite parenting. Bring water. Bring snacks.
George: Bring pop.
Laura: Bring pop.
George: Okay. Weekend vibes. Sell it.
Laura: Okay. Here's how I'm doing my weekend. Saturday — Mill City market in the morning. Walk over the Stone Arch. Land somewhere for lunch — maybe Banh Mi House, maybe I loop back over to Northeast and hit Herbivorous Butcher.
George: Solid.
Laura: Aquatennial thing in the afternoon — riverfront, free, just wander. Then evening, First Ave dance night if I've still got legs.
George: "If I've still got legs" is such a real Minneapolis summer sentence.
Laura: It's the truth. What about you?
George: I'm gonna do West 7th in St. Paul on Friday night. Take a walk, grab something, ease into the weekend. Saturday I'm doing the Lowertown market —
Laura: At 6 a.m.?
George: NOT at 6 a.m., Laura, I'm a grown man with dignity.
Laura: Okay okay.
George: Like nine. I'll get there at nine.
Laura: Bold.
George: Bold. Then Saints game Saturday night at CHS Field. That's a perfect night in St. Paul.
Laura: That is a perfect night.
George: Sunday — Greenway ride, patio somewhere in Uptown, done.
Laura: Done. That's a good week.
George: That's a really good week.
Laura: Alright — takeaway.
George: Takeaway. Okay. One concrete thing — if you do NOTHING else this week... get down to the riverfront during Aquatennial.
Laura: That's the pick?
George: That's the pick. It's free, it's back, it's ours, and it only comes around this time of year.
Laura: That's a good pick.
George: What's yours?
Laura: Support a small food business you haven't tried yet. Asia Village, Banh Mi House, one of the plant-based spots on mplsvegan.com — just pick one you haven't been to.
George: That's a great takeaway.
Laura: We've got a good scene. Feed it.
George: Feed it. I love that.
Laura: Don't make it corny, George.
George: Too late.
Laura: Alright — that's our show.
George: That's our show. Thanks to our sponsors mplsvegan.com — the best plant-based map of the Twin Cities — and mncannabishub.com for keeping you current on what's actually going on with cannabis in the state.
Laura: Both real resources, both run by people who actually live here.
George: Which matters.
Laura: Which matters a lot.
George: Get outside. Tip your servers. Wear sunscreen.
Laura: Drink water. Ride the Greenway. Be nice to somebody at a market.
George: Be Minnesota nice.
Laura: Be Minnesota nice, for real.
George: We'll catch you next time.
Laura: Catch you next time.
Three times a week, the Twin Cities in 12 minutes. Real restaurants you should try, real local business news, real events worth your weekend. Sponsored by mplsveganhub.com and mncannabishub.com — for serious Minneapolis business owners, also brought to you by Quiet Coyote (quietcoyotemn.com).