Mpls: Dakota Block Party 2026

September 26, 2026 Saturday
Dakota Block Party
at Nicollet Mall
dakotacooks.com

Dakota will once again host a free block party in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, from 2 to 10pm on Nicollet Mall.

We caught the first-ever (?) 40th Anniversary Dakota Block Party last year and wrote, “Forty-year anniversary celebrations were on the menu this weekend. In Chicago the Pogues played Riot Fest to celebrate the 40 years since the release of their seminal album Rum Sodomy & the Lash. At The Bank on the University of Minnesota campus an all-star line-up, including Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan, headlined the 40th Farm Aid Music Festival. And on Nicollet Mall in the heart of downtown Minneapolis, a jazz club reached the rare milestone and decided to throw a party. What’s there to say about the Dakota Jazz Club other than it’s one of our favorite venues in the Twin Cities. The interior is beautifully illuminated. The proscenium stage allows great viewing. And the curation of musical acts is given as much care as what the world-class food added to the menu. We have seen quite a few shows over the years, whether it be jazz with Veronica Swift, international with Céu, singer songwriters like Freedy Johnston or iconic bands like Cowboy Junkies. And none of these shows (14,000) over forty years would have happened if it wasn’t for one man, Lowell Pickett.”

Music Lineup: