George and Laura round up the week of July 15, 2026 in the Twin Cities — farmers markets, festivals, ballgames, new restaurants, the vegan scene, and a real cannabis-policy update from Minnesota OCM.
Mill City Farmers Market Saturdays 8 a.m.–1 p.m. at 704 S. 2nd St. (July 18 & 25), plus the Minneapolis Farmers Market Lyndale satellite schedule.
Minnesota Yacht Club Festival July 17–19 at Harriet Island Regional Park, St. Paul — ~30 artists across two stages.
Minnehaha Falls Art Fair July 17–19; Loring Park Art Festival July 25–26 with 140+ visual artists.
First Avenue: Lucero (Wed July 22), United We Dance (Fri July 24), Off Campus Night (Sat July 25), Audrey Hobert (Mon July 27), Hot In Herre (Fri July 31).
Minnesota Lynx home dates July 15 & 18 at Target Center; St. Paul Saints vs. Louisville Bats July 17–19 at CHS Field; Twins vs. Athletics July 24–26; Minnesota United vs. Vancouver July 25 and friendly vs. Liberia July 26.
Asia Village at Northtown Mall (grand opening June 13) and Arch and River from the B'beri Desserts team opening at Water Works Pavilion — French bistronomie meets Afro-Caribbean.
Vegan roundup: J. Selby's, Herbivorous Butcher, Reverie, Hard Times, Trio Plant-Based, Hello Pizza, The Herbalist.
Cannabis: Minnesota OCM petition window open through 4 p.m. July 31, 2026; Walz's 2026 cannabis omnibus takes effect Aug. 1; additional license availability pulled forward to July 1, 2027.
Mill City Farmers Market
Minneapolis Farmers Market
Minnesota Yacht Club Festival
MplsArt Summer Art Fest Guide
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine — Summer Art Fairs
First Avenue Shows
Minnesota Lynx Schedule
St. Paul Saints Schedule
Minnesota Twins Schedule
Minnesota United Schedule
New Twin Cities Restaurant Openings 2026
Minnesota Office of Cannabis Management
MN OCM Cannabis Policy Changes 2026 (PDF)George: —and I'm telling you, Laura, I walked over the Stone Arch Bridge this morning and it was already warm at seven. SEVEN in the morning.
Laura: George, you say that every July like it's breaking news.
George: Ope, I do, don't I.
Laura: You do. It's mid-July in the Cities. It's supposed to be warm.
George: Fair, fair. But there's something about that first walk when the river's just... glassy, you know?
Laura: Okay, I'll give you glassy. That part's nice.
George: See? See, you get it.
Laura: I get it. I'm just not gonna be poetic about humidity at 7 a.m.
George: Deal.
Laura: So what are we doing today, George?
George: Okay so — patio weather, farmers market weather, ballgame weather. Basically the whole reason we live here.
Laura: The two weeks we earn all winter.
George: Right? Right.
Laura: Speaking of — Mill City is going this Saturday, right? The 18th?
George: Yep, Mill City Farmers Market, eight to one, right there by the museum on South Second. And then again the 25th.
Laura: That's my move. Get there by nine, before it's shoulder-to-shoulder.
George: Nine's smart. Ten and you're just... shuffling.
Laura: Shuffling is generous.
George: And the Lyndale market's rolling all week too — the main Minneapolis Farmers Market has that whole satellite schedule going.
Laura: Which I love, honestly. You don't have to drive across town anymore to get a good tomato.
George: The tomatoes are almost there, Laura. Almost.
Laura: Almost. Not yet. Don't oversell it.
George: I'm not overselling — I'm... previewing.
Laura: Previewing. Sure.
George: Okay, okay.
Laura: While we're on food — did you get over to Asia Village yet?
George: Up at Northtown? Not yet. I know it opened last month, June 13th, big grand opening, like a dozen vendors under one roof.
Laura: A dozen. It's a lot to work through.
George: I'm gonna admit — I don't actually know which stall to hit first. I've been kind of paralyzed.
Laura: George Giebel, defeated by a food hall.
George: Humbled by a food hall.
Laura: My take? Go with somebody, split three things, don't try to be a hero.
George: That's good advice for life, honestly.
Laura: Put it on a shirt.
George: And then the other opening I keep hearing about — Arch and River. Down at Water Works, right on the riverfront.
Laura: Yes! From the B'beri Desserts folks.
George: Which is such a cool local story, right? They start as a dessert brand, and now they're doing a whole bistronomie thing — French technique, Afro-Caribbean flavors, in that Water Works Pavilion.
Laura: That's a Minneapolis story. That's somebody building it up piece by piece.
George: Real founders. Real neighborhood. Right on the river.
Laura: And Water Works... I mean, the location alone. You walk out, you're right there at the Stone Arch.
George: Which brings us BACK to the Stone Arch, which —
Laura: George. No. We are not doing another Stone Arch monologue.
George: I wasn't! I wasn't gonna.
Laura: You were absolutely gonna.
George: I was absolutely gonna.
Laura: Moving on.
George: Moving on. Okay — vegan scene. Because this is the week for it.
Laura: Patio weather, plant-based food, easy.
George: J. Selby's over on the St. Paul side, that's a whole afternoon.
Laura: The Dilla is the move. I don't make the rules.
George: You kinda do, though.
Laura: I kinda do.
George: Herbivorous Butcher in Northeast — that's still my go-to for like, a cookout haul.
Laura: For sure. Load up before you head to somebody's backyard.
George: And then Reverie, Hard Times, Trio Plant-Based —
Laura: Trio's brunch on a Sunday morning, especially if you can sit outside? Perfect.
George: Perfect.
Laura: Hello Pizza too. And The Herbalist. There's a lot r...
