PeopleFest!

When: Sunday, July 30 from 3:00-7:00 PM

Where: Staring Lake Park, 14800 Pioneer Trail (rain/weather back-up location is Central Middle School, 8100 School Road)

Details: Free, no registration required.

Exhibit booths, food trucks, a Human Library, art activities and live performances celebrating the many cultures that make Eden Prairie a wonderfully diverse community.

Performance groups include:

• Orhan and Makam Baklava (Turkish/Bulgarian/Balkan Music) 

• Larry Yazzie from Native Pride (Native American Drum, Dance and Flute)

• Taraangini School of Dance (South Indian Dance)

• Duniya Drum & Dance (West African Drumming and Dance)

• Mexico Azteca (Mexican Folk Dance)

• OMG (Onorach Mulhern Geraghty Irish Dance)

• TaikoArts Midwest (Japanese Taiko Drumming)

Confirmed food trucks include:

• Mi Pueblo

• Waffle Bar Food Truck

• Sambusa Express

• Pizza Karma

When: Monday, August 1 at 7:00 PM

Where: Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneer Trail

Details: Free, no registration required.

Sit back and enjoy this free Starring at Staring performance featuring Ecuador Manta, music from the Andes!

Ecuador Manta has created their music style over the years by using the traditional rhythms from Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Columbia and combining them with more contemporary Latin and Caribbean rhythms.

They have a splendid reputation nationally and internationally and have been recognized for their originality and superb stage performances. The band attracts and excites all ages and draws in large crowds from many different social and cultural backgrounds making the group a big hit at any many festivals. Their performances include brief histories of the music, dance, choreography, improvisation and encourages audience participation. Ecuador Manta can make the most unlikely audience, dance, move and smile.

Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Concessions available for purchase, or bring your own picnic and refreshments.

When: Tuesday, August 1 from 10:30 - 11:15 AM

Where: Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneer Trail

Details: Free, no registration required.

Heart and Soul Drum Academy is an educational non-profit organization in the Rondo Community of Saint Paul offering Djembe hand drum classes to youth ages 3–17. They use the Djembe hand drum to teach students about communication as well as musical creativity.

Bring a lawn chair or blanket. Treats from The Ice Cream Machine food truck and concessions will be available to purchase from 10–11:30 a.m., or bring your own picnic and refreshments. Purchases are credit/debit card only.

When: Evening of Tuesday, August 1

Where: Your Neighborhood!

Details: Every year citizens across the country celebrate Night to Unite on the first Tuesday of August. This year, Eden Prairie's Night to Unite will be August 1. This is an opportunity to come together, meet your neighbors, get to know them better and grow the sense of community we have here in Eden Prairie. 

Click here to learn more

When: Wednesday, August 2 from 6:30-8:00 PM

Where:  Eden Prairie High School

Details: Celebrate PeopleFest! by getting to know your neighbors and their tea traditions. Learn how to make different kinds of tea and explore varying customs and cultural significance of teas from around the world. 

Feel free to bring your own recipes and to share your traditions as well! If you are interested in leading a demonstration about your tea, please reach out to Molly Malone at mmalone@edenpr.org 

People of all ages are welcome to attend. Children under 14 must be accompanied by a registered adult.

Register Now

When: Thursday, August 3 from 5:45 - 8:30 PM

Where: Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneer Trail

Details: Free, no registration required.

Prior to Salsa del Soul, all are welcome to join us on for an author reading by Habso Mohamud and fun crafting with Eden Prairie Schools’ EPIC Youth Program. Habso will read her two children’s books, It Only Takes One Yes and When Boys are Black, and EPIC staff will also be on hand to lead youth through some art activities. Attendees can also check out Community Education's new Eagles Express Outreach Bus & Mobile Classroom. 

5:45-6:45: Author Reading with Habso Mohamud & People Shapes Kids Craft on the Eagle Express

7:00-8:30: Salsa del Soul

A food truck will be onsite with food and beverages for purchase.

Where: Midtown Global Market and the Somali Museum of Minnesota

Details: Pre-registration required for both options below. Free busing and admission is available for Eden Prairie Schools families. Others are welcome to drive themselves. Students must be accompanied by a registered adult. 

 Register Now

Busing Option (for Eden Prairie Schools Families only):

Explore the world through food, music, art and crafts at Midtown Global Market & the Somali Museum of Minnesota! Registered participants will receive tour of Midtown Global Market, participate in a storytelling session, and go on a scavenger hunt of the Market. Please bring money for purchases from restaurants and merchants. We will then head over to the Somali Museum of Minnesota, where you'll explore a collection of over 700 pieces and educational programs to learn and indulge in Somali traditional culture. The bus leaves Central Middle School promptly at 9:45 AM and is anticipated back around 2:00 PM.

Self-Drive Option (all Eden Prairie residents welcome): As space and funding is limited, transportation is only being provided to Eden Prairie Schools families on a first-come, first-served basis. A second, organized tour of the Somali Museum of Minnesota will take place at 1:45 PM, where you'll explore a collection of over 700 pieces and educational programs to learn and indulge in Somali traditional culture. Self-drive participants are encouraged to explore Midtown Global Market prior to attending the Somali Museum tour, but are not required to do so. Please bring money for purchases from restaurants and merchants.

Midtown Global Market and the Somali Museum are about 7 blocks away from each other off Lake Street in Uptown.

Midtown Global Market is located at 920 E Lake St., Minneapolis, MN 55407. Parking options include a ramp at 10th Avenue and Lake Street (1hr FREE parking with purchase), a metered lot on Elliot Avenue, or Street Parking. Please bring money for purchases from restaurants and merchants.

The Somali Museum of Minnesota is located at 1516 E Lake St #011, Minneapolis, MN 55407. Free parking is available in the lot behind the Plaza Verde Building, off of 15th Avenue S. Street parking is also available.

You are responsible for getting yourself to and from the location/s, find parking and any payment for parking. The Somali Museum tour will promptly start at 1:45 PM and will end at 2:45 PM. Please arrive by 1:35 PM.

When: Friday, August 4 from 7:30-10:30 PM

DJ Kool Akiem, Desdamona and See More Perspective start at 7:30 PM

Wakanda Forever starts at 9:00 PM

Where: Staring Lake Amphitheatre, 14800 Pioneer Trail

Details: Free, no registration required.

Rated PG-13

Join us for an exciting outdoor movie experience! Bring your chairs, blankets, friends and family to enjoy a free movie under the stars. Come early for concessions and pre-show entertainment, then watch as heroes band together to protect their nation from intervening world powers and forge a new path for their beloved kingdom of Wakanda.

The We Laugh Alike / Juntos Nos Reímos Story Stroll, featuring the book by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, will be at the Eden Prairie Library (565 Prairie Center Dr) in the Reading Garden on the west side of the building throughout the 2023 PeopleFest! Celebration. Follow this sweet story of six children at the park, one group speaks only English and the other only Spanish, as they learn to communicate through playing, dancing, and singing. The stroll will be up during library hours Sunday, July 30 through Saturday, August 5.

When: Saturday, August 5 from 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM

Where: Three local faith communities

Details: Free, Pre-registration required (for both individuals riding the bus and those driving separately)

Journey with us as we explore a handful of local faith communities as a group. Interfaith Circle is partnering with Community Education to offer this FREE interfaith tour as part of PeopleFest!. Community members are encouraged to join us on a bus tour (space is limited), which will include visits to all of the faith communities in the tour. People are also welcome to drive themselves and join us for any or all of the tours. The schedule is as follows:

11:20: Meet at Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple (parking is available onsite)

11:30: Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple Tour

12:30: Masjid Al-Tawba Tour

1:30: Tu Viện Tây Phương Buddhist Meditation Center Tour

2:30: Return to Sri Venkateswara (Balaji) Temple

Upon arrival at each site, you will be welcomed by a member of that faith community, who will provide the group with a tour and briefly share a bit about their religion (tours are educational in nature). This is a unique opportunity to learn about other religions first-hand, in a friendly and inclusive environment. Come with questions; respectful inquiry is encouraged! 

Out of respect for the faith traditions we are visiting, participants are asked to wear long pants. We also ask participants to refrain from smoking for the duration of the field trip.

Additional information for those interested in taking the bus:

• Participants are responsible for getting to the first site, where there is ample parking. 
• Children are welcome to join the tours, but the bus is not able to accommodate car seats.
• Please note a $5 no-show fee will be charged to those who reserve a spot on the bus and do not attend. Cancellations must be made by noon on Thursday, August 3 to avoid this fee.

Register Now

Eden Prairie’s PeopleFest!: A Community Celebration of Culture is a series of educational events that reflect the range of traditions, backgrounds, abilities and expressions of our community through literature, music, dance, visual art, food and education offerings.

The purpose of PeopleFest! is to bring residents together in celebration and awareness of the many cultures that make Eden Prairie great. Our community-wide celebration is presented in collaboration by the City of Eden Prairie, Eden Prairie Schools Community Education, Eden Prairie Community Foundation, Islamic Resource Group, Academy for Young Leaders, Eden Prairie Human Rights and Diversity Commission, Eden Prairie Chinese Association, India Association of MN, Eden Prairie Library, Pakistani American Society of Minnesota, Kaleidoscope Teens and others. 

To learn more, watch the video above or contact Molly Malone, Director of Adult & Community Engagement Programs, at mmalone@edenpr.org or 952-975-6942.

We learned a lot planning the virtual 2020 and hybrid 2021 festivals that will carry forward into future celebrations. While we are proud of how we have persevered during the pandemic, we were excited for the return of the PeopleFest! Party in 2022 and other in-person events that weren't possible the previous two years. PeopleFest! 2023 will feature mostly in-person events once again. 

The vast majority of PeopleFest! 2020 was online, and we are grateful for the content that community members can continue to learn from. Visit the 2020 PeopleFest! page to view virtual exhibits and explore our featured performances and visual artists.  

When the PeopleFest! Planning Committee began to meet to develop the 2021 schedule of events, members decided the celebration would not feature the large PeopleFest! Party, but instead should consist of a variety of  smaller in-person events, as well as virtual and asynchronous opportunities. We were grateful for the return of the PeopleFest! Party in 2022 and other in-person events that weren't possible the previous two years. 

We look forward to gathering safely in person for the majority of the PeopleFest! 2023 events. We will also continue to feature ways for community members to participate without gathering face-to-face in large groups with others. We want all residents to feel safe while exploring the richness of our city's cultural diversity.

Looking for Even More PeopleFest!?

Explore Virtual Exhibits and Previously Featured Artists!

Check out the 2020 PeopleFest! webpage to view an information-packed Virtual Exhibit Hall and Featured Performing & Visual Artists

VISIT THE 2020 PEOPLEFEST! PAGE