The Uptown Art Fair is back for 2026, and it has a new address. This year the fair spreads out along Lake of the Isles and The Mall — arguably the prettiest setting a Minnesota art fair has ever had, and an easy hop from downtown Minneapolis. If you have been thinking about coming into the city for the weekend, this is a good one to plan around. Here is what to know before you go.
Uptown Art Fair 2026: dates, hours, and admission
The fair runs Friday, August 7 through Sunday, August 9, 2026, at Lake of the Isles + The Mall.
- Friday, August 7: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.
- Saturday, August 8: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- Sunday, August 9: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Admission is free all three days. The 2026 edition brings together 200 juried artists from across the country, along with live performances, food and coffee vendors, and family-friendly installations scattered through the park. It is a rain-or-shine event. The event map, artist directory, and daily performance schedule all live on the official Uptown Art Fair page — worth a look the night before so you know where the stages and food are.
One extra worth knowing about: on Friday night, the ARTCRANK Revival takes over Venture Bikes Midtown on the Midtown Greenway from 6 to 10:30 p.m., projecting two hundred limited-edition bike-culture screenprints on the side of the building. It is free, it is a little strange, and it is very Minneapolis.
Getting there from downtown without the parking hunt
This is where staying downtown pays off. The Uptown Association is handing out free Metro Transit day passes for each day of the fair — you claim them through the links on the fair’s Plan Your Visit page and activate before you board. From downtown, walk a few blocks over to Hennepin Avenue and catch the E Line, which runs frequently down the newly rebuilt Hennepin corridor straight into Uptown. Use the Metro Transit trip planner to time it from wherever you are staying.
Biking? There is complimentary bike valet at James Avenue and The Mall, right off the Midtown Greenway, open from fifteen minutes before the fair opens until fifteen minutes after it closes. If you do drive, the preferred ramps are the Seven Points garage at 1375 W 31st Street (a flat $10 for the day) and the MoZaic Art Park ramp at 1398 Lagoon Avenue, with a shuttle running to the main entrance. Street parking in the surrounding neighborhoods fills up early on Saturday.
Make it a full Minneapolis weekend
The art fair weekend lands in the busiest stretch of the Minneapolis summer, which is a good problem to have. The Minnesota Fringe Festival runs August 6–16 at venues around the city, so you can spend a Saturday afternoon looking at pottery and a Saturday night watching something experimental in a black box theater. The Twins open a nine-game homestand at Target Field on August 10 if you want to stretch the trip into the following week.
For a wider view of the city, Minneapolis Trolley Tours covers the mills, the riverfront, and the mansion districts in about an hour. And if you would rather stay in a historic house than a studio, our sister properties 300 Clifton and the Pillsbury Club sit in the Washburn-Fair Oaks mansion district, halfway between downtown and the lakes.
Where to stay: a furnished studio in downtown Minneapolis
Oaklands on 9th is a restored 1889 brownstone at 215 South 9th Street, in the middle of downtown. Every studio is fully furnished with a full kitchen, and WiFi, all utilities, heat, and laundry are included. There are no contracts — stay a night, a weekend, a week, or a month — and some units are pet friendly. After a long day on your feet at the fair, having your own kitchen and a quiet garden to sit in beats a hotel room and a vending machine.
Coming by car? Our guide to overnight parking in downtown Minneapolis covers the nearby ramps and monthly options.
Art fair weekend fills up quickly downtown. If you are thinking about August 7–9, check availability and book a studio here, or call us at (612) 314-5124 — we are happy to help you figure out which tier fits your stay.