For Immediate Release

Minneapolis (Dec. 11, 2024) – A new musical based on Minneapolis’ native son, Prince’s, iconic film leads the news of an exciting 2025 in a city known for its dynamic, multi-disciplinary arts scene. Here are our top 10 new things to know about Minneapolis in 2025:

1. The pre-Broadway run of the first-ever “Purple Rain the Musical” will draw fans to Minneapolis’ State Theatre starting in October 2025, in the dearly beloved superstar’s favorite (and hometown) city. Additionally, people from around the world flock to his home and studios, Paisley Park, for tours and their annual event to remember and honor Prince’s legacy, Celebration 2025, June 5-9, 2025.
   
   
2. Minneapolis and Saint Paul will host one of international hockey’s premier events, the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship. The tournament features the best national under-20 hockey teams from around the world. The championship includes 29 games over the course of 10 days from Dec. 26, 2025, to Jan. 5, 2026.
   
   
3. The Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia) will host the Midwest debut of “Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys,” on view from March 9 to July 13, 2025. This groundbreaking exhibition marks the first major showcase of the Dean Collection, owned by renowned musicians and cultural icons Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys. “Giants” highlights nearly 100 significant works by Black diasporic artists, including Gordon Parks, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Lorna Simpson, Amy Sherald and more.
   
   
4. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) will gain new nonstop flights on Delta including a first-ever route to/from Copenhagen and a nonstop to/from Rome in May 2025. Also in May, Discover Airlines will take over the nonstop flights between MSP and Frankfurt, Germany, from Lufthansa.
   
   
5. After a $40 million renovation, the rebranded Sheraton Minneapolis Downtown Convention Center will reopen in April 2025. Renovations include all the hotel’s 321 guestrooms and suites, added public spaces, redesigned meeting and events spaces (including the iconic rooftop dome), and refreshed pool and fitness center. The hotel is just steps away from the skyway-connected Minneapolis Convention Center.
   
   
6. Minneapolis Parks and Recreation will add to their award-winning system with the new River Hub at Graco Park, a 4,000 square foot community facility next to the Mississippi River, It includes a performance space that opens to an outdoor stage. The “Net Zero,” ultra-low energy structure consumes only as much power as can be generated onsite by clean, renewable resources including rooftop solar panels and a geothermal energy system.
   
   Also expected by the end of 2025 is a new 20-acre regional park at the city’s Upper Harbor site in North Minneapolis.
   
   
7. MSP’s 50,000 sq. ft. expansion of Concourse G, in Terminal 1, will be completed in early 2025. At that time, the airport will unveil the final element -- a new 45-foot hanging sculpture, “The Dreams We Carry,” by internationally renowned artist Kipp Kobayashi.
   
   
8. Northeast Minneapolis Arts Association (NEMAA) celebrates 30 years of its biggest art crawl, Art-a-Whirl, May 16-18, 2025. Visitors and residents alike can connect with artists, enjoy demonstrations and interactive activities, listen to live music, and enjoy local restaurants and breweries. This annual public event is free and features over 1,600 NEMAA member artists, galleries and businesses across 100 locations.
   
   
9. The North American Tour launch of Broadway’s Parade, winner of the 2023 Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical, starts in Minneapolis Jan. 21-26, 2025, at Hennepin Arts’ historic Orpheum Theatre.
   
   
10. The coming year marks significant anniversaries for two of Minneapolis’ renowned music venues:

• First Avenue, one of the longest running, independently owned and operated clubs in the United States, which was made famous by Prince and “Purple Rain,” celebrates 55 years on April 3.
• The Minnesota Orchestra’s home, Orchestra Hall, marks 50 years on Nicollet Mall with the 2024-2025 season.
  

To immerse yourself in more about Minneapolis, go here. Or, learn more about Minneapolis’ Cultural Districts, that highlight the rich sense of cultural and/or linguistic identity rooted in communities significantly populated by people of color, Indigenous people and/or immigrants.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Kristen Montag, Senior PR Manager, o 612-767-8038, c 651-335-5754, KristenM@minneapolis.org

Kathy McCarthy, Senior PR Director, o 612-767-8048, c 612-508-9720, KathyM@minneapolis.org