Editor’s note: The City of Eden Prairie announced on Thursday, July 24, that the PeopleFest! Party on Sunday, July 27 will move to the Central Middle School (CMS) Performing Arts Center due to forecasted extreme heat. CMS is located at 8025 School Road.
From an inclusive day of play to music performances, Eden Prairie is gearing up for its annual PeopleFest! celebration, which honors the diversity of the people living in the community.
PeopleFest!, which started in 2018, will take place from Saturday, July 26, to Monday, Aug. 4, with a variety of events designed to bring Eden Prairie residents together to celebrate through shared experiences and cultural learning.
The festival’s signature event, the PeopleFest! Party, will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday, July 27, at the Central Middle School Performing Arts Center (moved from Staring Lake Amphitheatre). It will feature live music and dance performances, art demonstrations and booths promoting cultural and community organizations in Eden Prairie. An assortment of food trucks will also be on site.
Lori Brink, Eden Prairie’s recreation services manager, said all events are free. Some events, including discussion panels and a field trip to the Bell Museum in Minneapolis, require pre-registration.
This year, PeopleFest! features two panels: one on supporting the LGBTQ community and another on holidays across different religions.
The week includes events for all ages, with a library story stroll and a movie night geared toward families.
Brink said that while many of the week’s events are outdoors, they will take place rain or shine. In case of inclement weather, PeopleFest! events will move to a school district building.
Weather updates are available at edenprairie.org/updates.
Brink said PeopleFest! is an opportunity for the community to come together to celebrate their differences.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for all segments of our community, all ages in our community, all abilities to come together and celebrate,” Brink said. “I think we find common ground when we seek out that cultural learning, or learning about people of different backgrounds or traditions or orientations or faith, and so we try to infuse that learning throughout the week.”
More to read: Kaleidoscope Teens, set to perform at the PeopleFest! Party, channel resilience and mental health awareness into their debut album.
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