September might be the easiest month of the year to be downtown in Minneapolis. The heat lets go, baseball is still going at Target Field, football starts up at U.S. Bank Stadium, and the theaters and concert halls open their fall seasons within a few weeks of one another. From a furnished studio at Oaklands on 9th, most of it is a walk rather than a drive.
Here is what is on the downtown calendar for September 2026, with every date checked against the venue’s own site, plus a few notes on planning a stay around it.
Baseball’s last month at Target Field
The Twins have four home series left in the regular season, and the walk north to the ballpark takes roughly twenty minutes from our front door:
- September 1–2 vs. the Detroit Tigers
- September 11–13 vs. the Cleveland Guardians
- September 14–16 vs. the New York Yankees
- September 25–27 vs. the Texas Rangers — the final home stand of the year, closing out on Sunday, September 27
Start times move around from afternoon to evening, so check the official Twins schedule before you walk over. If you are here sooner, our guide to Twins home games in August covers the same route.
Vikings vs. Packers on Sunday, September 13
The Vikings open the season at home against Green Bay with a 3:25 p.m. kickoff; stadium doors open at 1:25 p.m. It is about a fifteen-minute walk east from 9th Street, and downtown fills up early on a Packers Sunday.
Worth knowing: the Twins also host Cleveland that same afternoon, so September 13 is one of the rare days you could catch a ballgame and a football game without moving your car. Our Vikings game-day guide has more on gates and timing, and the skyway guide explains the extended second-level routes that stay open around big stadium events.
Target Center: Lynx down the stretch, and Kacey Musgraves
Three nights at Target Center, all within a short walk on the Nicollet Mall side of downtown:
- Friday, September 18, 6:30 p.m. — Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty
- Tuesday, September 22, 7:30 p.m. — Kacey Musgraves
- Thursday, September 24, 7:00 p.m. — Minnesota Lynx vs. Indiana Fever
Dates and times are posted on the Target Center events calendar, which is also where late additions show up. Our August Target Center roundup covers the walk over in more detail.
Broadway, the orchestra, and a Nordic festival
Mamma Mia! runs at the Orpheum Theatre September 15–20 — a few blocks west of us on Hennepin Avenue. Show times and the rest of the fall lineup are on the Hennepin Arts events page.
The Minnesota Orchestra opens its 2026–27 season on Friday, September 25 and Saturday, September 26 at Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall — about a five-minute walk. Thomas Søndergård conducts George Walker’s Icarus in Orbit, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 with Vadym Kholodenko, and the complete Firebird with video work by Tal Rosner. Details are on the Minnesota Orchestra’s event page.
And FinnFest USA comes to Minneapolis September 18–20, bringing three days of Finnish and Nordic music, design, food and talks to downtown. Program details are posted at finnfest.us.
Planning a September stay
A couple of practical notes. The Minnesota State Fair runs through Labor Day, September 7, so the first week of the month is busier than it looks — our State Fair guide covers that stretch. And the weekend of September 25–27 stacks the orchestra’s opening night, a Lynx game and the Twins’ last home series into three days, which tends to fill rooms downtown.
Every studio at Oaklands on 9th is furnished and has a full kitchen, and WiFi, heat, all utilities and laundry are included — handy when you are here for a long weekend of games and shows rather than one night. There are no contracts: stay a night, a week or a month, and some units are pet friendly. If you would rather be in a historic mansion, our sister property 300 Clifton is a few minutes away near Loring Park, Pillsbury Club is another option, and Minneapolis Trolley Tours is a good way to see the rest of the city between events. Meet Minneapolis keeps a broader citywide calendar if you want to go further afield.
Ready to pick your dates? Check availability and book a studio, or call us at (612) 314-5124 — we are happy to talk through which nights are getting tight.
Keep reading: The 1883 brick sewer under 9th Street — and the three days it took to reconnect this building to it.