Twin Cities Sun Day Festival

FESTIVAL UPDATE – 9/15

We’re very excited to share more information with you about the Twin Cities Sun Day Festival this Sunday, September 21. General information about the Festival is below – and here you can read about what to expect at the festival including a schedule of activities and who will be there to entertain and inform you.

If you haven’t already, please register with the link above.  And here’s a little more to help you plan your visit.

Getting There:    

• Graco Park, 810 Sibley St NE, Minneapolis between 8^th and 9^th Ave
• Parking available in MFT parking lot across the street
• Bus lines 11A and 30 stop within a few blocks of the park
• Bike/walking paths go through the park

What to wear and bring:

• If you are inclined, wear something festive to celebrate the sun
• Help make this a zero-waste event by bringing your own water bottle
• Bring a portable chair if you don’t want to sit on the ground for the performances
• Bring friends and family, including children and grandchildren
• Plan for the possibility of rain showers (this is a rain or shine event)

To request any accommodation services or ASL interpretation, please contact minnesota@thirdact.org

See you on Sunday for fun in, and with, the sun!

FESTIVAL DESCRIPTION

Sun Day is a nationwide day of action on September 21, 2025, celebrating solar and wind power, and the movement to leave fossil fuels behind. We all know that clean energy is the only way to ensure a healthy planet for everyone. Solar energy is now the cheapest source of power on the planet – and gives us a chance to actually do something about the climate crisis. We will build, rally, sing, and come together in the communities that we need to get laws changed and work done.

The Twin Cities Sun Day Festival will feature three hours of inspiring music, dance, interactive art activities, and exhibits, where the “solar-curious” (including families) can have fun while also exploring options for their own participation in the clean-energy revolution.

We’re very excited to be holding the festival at Graco Park, Minneapolis’ newest park, located on the Mississippi River in NE Minneapolis, with parking across the street, bus lines, and bike and walking paths. The park has a net-zero building with a solar array, geothermal, and hundreds of native plants.

The excitement is growing as more activities and performers are being added. In the Heart of the Beast’s Sun Puppet will be there. DJ Low will emcee the day. We are lining up musicians, dancers, and spoken word artists, including the Selby Avenue Brass Band, singers Katy Vernon and Mayda, the Minnesota Ballet Collective, and dance artist Elizabeth Flinsch. In addition, several people will be running creative activities for kids, including face painting, giant bubbles, and hands-on art projects. People of all ages will be encouraged to create a Sun Hat to wear during our crowd singalong to “Here Comes the Sun.”

We’ll also have interactive sessions where you can learn about Tax Credits and Rebates for Clean Energy, Community Solar Gardens, Energy Conservation, Advocating for Clean Energy, and even Solar Camping. Talk to a solar installer about rooftop solar or ask an EV owner your questions about owning an electric car. Food trucks will have great food for sale, and Sierra Club volunteers will help make Sun Day a zero-waste event.

The Twin Cities’ Sun Day Festival is jointly hosted by COPAL (Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action), the MN North Star Chapter of the Sierra Club, MNIPL (Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light), and Third Act Minnesota. At the Festival, you can talk to other organizations interested in clean energy, such as the Citizens Utility Board, Cooperative Energy Futures, Elder Climate Action, Twin Cities Indivisible, Vote Climate, Vote Solar, and UNIDOS.

Despite the policy attacks at the national level, we feel positive about the progress that has been made, and must still be made, to protect all life on this planet.