Bread & Pickle served its last weekend of 2026 from Thursday, October 8, through Sunday, October 11, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Its website now says, "We are closed for the 2026 season. See you in 2027!" The Music in the Parks series at the Bandshell had already finished on Labor Day, Monday, September 7. The last show that night was Dred I Dread at 7:30 p.m.
Over the next four months, most of what's happening at Lake Harriet sits in one small area: the lake's northwest corner around West 42nd Street, plus the Linden Hills blocks a short walk away. That corner keeps its parking entrance open during this fall's paving. The Como-Harriet Streetcar's Halloween and holiday runs leave from a station there. And in January, the next big public event at the lake goes back onto the ice.
The paving crew leaves one corner open
Phase 1 resurfacing of Lake Harriet Parkway began Monday, October 5, and is scheduled to run through mid-November. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the City of Minneapolis are repaving from West 42nd Street to Roseway Road and upgrading pedestrian ramps around the lake. The MPRB timed the start for after the Twin Cities Marathon.
According to the MPRB's October 2 construction notice, two things stay open during the work:
- The bicycle and pedestrian trail along the north side of Lake Harriet.
- The entrance to the Bandshell's south parking lot at West 42nd Street.
The work also rebuilds the William Berry Parkway junction. The odd-shaped intersection becomes a standard T-intersection with raised crosswalks where the trail crosses and clearer sight lines. The board says the redesign is meant to make trail users safer, cut down on driver confusion and protect mature trees.
This fall is only part of the job. The Lake Harriet Parkway Resurfacing project page lists the project as in construction, with road closures, from summer 2026 to fall 2027. The rest of the parkway gets repaved in 2027. The lake will have a second construction season next year. This year's work is limited to the north segment, and the Bandshell lot stays reachable.
The streetcar fills the gap until December
A few blocks from that open entrance, the Minnesota Streetcar Museum runs the Como-Harriet Streetcar from its Linden Hills Station at 2330 West 42nd Street. Regular rides run May through September from 1 to 7 p.m. In October, weekend service shortens to 1 to 4 p.m. The museum's special events calendar adds evening and holiday runs on top of that, and they continue well after the concession has closed.
| Date | Streetcar event |
|---|---|
| Saturday, Oct. 17, 8:30 p.m. | Graveyard Ghost Stories |
| Sunday, Oct. 18 | Transylvania Trolley |
| Friday, Oct. 23 | The Late Show |
| Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 24–25 | Trick 'r Trolley |
| Oct. 31 | All Aboard Halloween Hangout, 4–7 p.m., and Spirits on a Streetcar |
| Friday, Nov. 27, noon–3 p.m. | All Aboard |
| Saturday, Nov. 28 | Santa's Storytime |
| Nov. 28–29 and Dec. 5–6 | Holly Trolley |
| Saturday, Dec. 5 | Vinternatt |
The Halloween runs fill the second half of October. The holiday runs start the day after Thanksgiving and run through the first weekend of December. That's the same weekend the neighborhood council has picked for its busiest daytime event in Linden Hills.
Saturday, December 5, has the busiest schedule
The Linden Hills Neighborhood Council events calendar lists Reindeer Day for Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The museum has Holly Trolley and Vinternatt on the streetcar line the same day. On December 5, the neighborhood council event in Linden Hills and the streetcar's holiday runs fall on the same Saturday. Of all the dates between now and January, that one has the most going on.
Twelve days later comes the Holiday Wine & Stroll, presented by New Gild Jewelers. The council's listing puts it on Thursday, December 17, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event page describes carolers, drinks, light bites, special offers and swag bags from neighborhood shops, and service providers with offices in the village opening their doors. It suggests starting the evening at New Gild Jewelers. The same description gives the date as Thursday, December 18, 5 to 8 p.m., and that text looks like it may be left over from last year. The listing date is the better one to use, but check with the organizers before you go.
One village anchor is changing its morning hours
France 44, at 4351 France Avenue South, plans the biggest change on the commercial side of Linden Hills this season. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported on September 30 that the shop is adding bakery production in the basement, a pastry case and morning espresso bar at street level, and a light refresh of its retail space. According to the Star Tribune, the store expects a brief closure, likely in January, and aims to open the bakery before the spring thaw in 2027. France 44's own website says the bakery and espresso bar are "coming winter 2027." Both describe plans, so the dates could still move. If the timing holds, the short closure would land in the same weeks the shanties are on the lake.
In January, the crowd returns to the ice
Art Shanty Projects plans to return to Bdé Umáŋ, Lake Harriet, for weekend public hours from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., January 16 through February 7, 2027. The program has a limit of 20 shanties, up to 17 of them chosen through an open call, and the organization says that number hasn't changed since the pandemic began. The event is free, and donations are welcome. Artist stipends go up by $200 for 2027, to $2,700 for new shanty ideas and $2,200 for returning projects.
The 2027 materials don't say where on the lake the village will sit. Art Shanty's visitor page from its last edition put the access ramps and village path at the patio in front of Bread & Pickle. That's the same patio that closed on October 11. If the layout repeats, winter's biggest event on the lake will start from the spot where the summer season ended. The organization hasn't confirmed that yet.
The second weekend of the shanty run adds an event at the shore. The Linden Hills Neighborhood Council calendar lists the Lake Harriet Winter Kite Festival for Saturday, January 23, 2027, from noon to 4 p.m. at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. The listing promises free s'mores, kites for sale, food trucks and a kids' DJ, and says Art Shanty Projects will be on the lake. The 2026 festival, set for January 24, was canceled because of extreme cold, so the 2027 date depends on the weather too.
Two other events elsewhere on the Chain of Lakes round out the winter calendar. The City of Lakes Loppet Winter Festival is set for February 6–7, 2027, with cross-country skiing, fat-bike, skijor, snowshoe and Kubb events. The Luminary Loppet follows on Saturday, February 13, 2027, at Lake of the Isles. Organizers plan more than 1,200 luminaries, ice sculptures, fire dancers, hot cocoa, s'mores, food trucks, and a beer and live-music party.
What isn't on the calendar yet
Outdoor skating is the one familiar winter activity here that still has no dates. The MPRB lists Linden Hills and Lake of the Isles among its outdoor rink sites. Its rink page still says the 2025–26 season ended February 15, 2026, and gives no opening dates for 2026–27.
Bread & Pickle's website says the concession will be back in 2027. Until then, the dated events at Lake Harriet are the paving through mid-November, the streetcar runs from 2330 West 42nd Street through December 6, the two Linden Hills events on December 5 and 17, the shanties on the ice from January 16, and the kite festival at the Bandshell on January 23.
Owners near the lake's northwest corner are dealing with two years of parkway work along with this calendar of events. If a sale or purchase near the parkway is coming up, timing it around the 2027 paving phase and the winter events calendar is worth a conversation. The Debbie McNally Group can help you work through the timing and logistics. Schedule a private consultation.
