July 14 Sister Cities Day Event Celebrate Minneapolis’ International Connections

The July 14 festivities are open to the public and will include dancing, music, ice cream, and a 10th anniversary celebration with Bosaso, Somalia

The annual Sister Cities Day celebration – featuring an afternoon of entertainment to honor the City of Minneapolis’ international connections – will take place on Sunday, July 14, from 12:30-5pm, at Nicollet Island Pavilion. This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. The afternoon festivities will include musicians and performers representing nine of Minneapolis’ 12 sister cities, as well as informational displays and crafts for people of all ages. In addition, complimentary make-your-own ice cream sundaes and other refreshments will be available while supplies last. This is a rain or shine event.

This year’s celebration will be highlighted by the recognition of the 10th anniversary of Minneapolis’ sister city relationship with Bosaso, Somalia. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will be on hand to mark the special occasion. 

“Sister Cities are about fostering citizen-to-citizen diplomacy, and Minneapolis is blessed to have 12 strong relationships with peer cities from around the world,” said Meet Minneapolis President and CEO Melvin Tennant. “This Sunday’s event will offer a unique opportunity for our community to experience local cultural talent representing many of our global connections.”  

Performances* include: 

12:30 pm  Harisen Daiko (Ibaraki City, Japan) 

12:50 pm  Hong De Wu Guan Lion Dance (Harbin, China) 

  1:00 pm  Mexico Lindo Ballet Folklorico (Cuernavaca, Mexico) 

  1:30 pm  Songs of Hope (International Children’s Performing Arts Group) 

  2:00 pm  Official remarks to recognize the 10th anniversary of Minneapolis’ Sister City relationship with Bosaso, Somalia; followed by a ceremonial cake-cutting  

  2:10 pm  Hiddosoor (Bosaso, Somalia) 

  2:40 pm  Rafiki USA (Eldoret, Kenya) 

  3:00 pm  Amir ElSaffar and Hamid Alsaadi (Najaf, Iraq) 

  3:30 pm   Raices de Chile (Santiago, Chile) 

  4:00 pm  Said Abdelli (Tours, France) 

  4:30 pm  Tj 2 + 2 (Tjärnblom duo) - Cheryl Paschke, nyckelharpa and Joe Alfano, guitar & mandolin; plus Swedish dancers Adi & Christina Press (Uppsala, Sweden)

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*Performance times subject to change. 

This event is sponsored by Meet Minneapolis in partnership with its sister city organizations. Meet Minneapolis supports these relationships on behalf of the City of Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Sister Cities program was established in 1961 with the signing of the first Sister City agreement between Minneapolis and Santiago, Chile. Today, it includes Winnipeg, Canada; Santiago, Chile; Harbin, China; Kuopio, Finland; Tours, France; Najaf, Iraq; Ibaraki City, Japan; Eldoret, Kenya; Cuernavaca, Mexico; Novosibirsk, Russia; Bosaso, Somalia; and Uppsala, Sweden.