The Grand Avenue Business Association would like to invite you to the 35th annual Grand Old Day celebration on Sunday, June 1. This is St. Paul's first rite of summer, and it takes place along the city’s historic Grand Avenue annually on the first Sunday in June. Grand Old Day is the Midwest's largest one-day festival and includes a parade, sporting events, live music on 7 stages, art fair, family fun zone, teen battle of the bands and international performance. Because this year sees the 35th Grand Old Day, the theme of this year's celebration is "Flashback to the '70s" to celebrate the festival's 1970s roots. Organizers hope that festival-goers will don their bell-bottoms and platforms.
Of course, there will by a “groovy” parade along Grand Avenue in the Summit Hill-Crocus Hill neighborhoods of Saint Paul. There will be dog competitions, art cars on display, children's activities, street performances, and lots more events and activities. All of the street’s stores and restaurants will be open for food, drink, and shopping. For the day, Grand Avenue will be divided into five sections:
- The Sporting District will feature, well, sports! There will be an 8k inline skate, an 8k run, a ¼ mile and ½ mile youth run, a 5k walk/jog, and the strongest woman and man on Grand competition.
- The Family Fun District will have activities like pony rides, a petting zoo, inflatable bounce houses, and mini golf.
- The Art District will feature arts and crafts from local and regional artists.
- The International District includes African dance and drumming, Native American dance, digeridoo and Tibetan singing bowls, Irish dance, Germanic dance, accoridion, salsa dance lessons and Tropical Zone latin band.
- The Entertainment District will feature several stages with over a dozen bands. There will also be a festival garden, which you must be 21 or older to enter.
Parking near Grand Avenue, even on a good day, can be hard. Free parking is located in the University of St. Thomas parking lot at Summit and Cretin. Street parking will be very hard to find on Sunday. Attendees of Grand Old Day are encouraged to carpool, walk, bike, or take public transportation. Free shuttle rides are available to Grand Old Day guests along Summit Avenue between Cretin and Dale.
A full Grand Old Day event guide can be found here! Don’t miss it this year! Grand Old Days promises a fun-filled day.
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