Explore West St. Paul Days 2023 Schedule

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West St. Paul’s annual celebration, Explore West St. Paul Days, is coming June 8-10. More than a celebration, it’s an opportunity to explore your city.

• Changes: In addition to moving earlier in the summer, the parade moves to Saturday morning and the fireworks move to Friday night.
• New: This year’s event adds a second concert and an arts/environmental fair, along with other tweaks—including a dunk tank at the city open house.
• Explore: You can literally explore West St. Paul with a community bike ride and fairy door map.

“What a stellar weekend. … Loved seeing friends, meeting new neighbors, and seeing so much fun happen within our community.”

Council Member Wendy Berry after last year’s event

History: Explore West St. Paul Days started in 2022, re-launching and rebranding the historic West St. Paul Days events.

Explore West St. Paul Days Schedule

Officially, Explore West St. Paul Days events run June 8-10, but there’s also an extra event on June 11. Here’s the list of events:

Thursday, June 8

• 5-8 p.m. – City Open House at City Hall (1650 Humboldt Ave.)
  Free food and music, plus a chance to connect with city departments and local organizations.
  • Root beer floats from the Rotary Club and tacos from the Village Market.
  • Vehicle extrication demo by South Metro Fire.
  • Live music by Janelle Burrell Trio.
  • Dunk tank with a lineup of city leaders.

Friday, June 9

• 5:30-9:45 p.m. – Concert & Food Trucks at the Sports Complex (1650 Oakdale Ave.)
  • 5:30 – K-9 Demo – Events kick off with a West St. Paul Police Department K-9 demo.
  • 5:30 – Food Trucks – Line up includes California Dip & Eat, O’Cheeze, and The Sizzling Wagon.
  • 6 p.m. – Good for Gary Concert – A Twin Cities cover band with a seven-piece line up, Good for Gary specializes in playing current and past dance hits, focusing on the newest top 40 songs.
  • 9:45 p.m. – Fireworks – Launched from the soccer fields, best viewing sites will be the baseball fields or parking lots at the Sports Complex.

Saturday, June 10

• 10:30 a.m. – Parade along Charlton Ave.
  The parade runs along Charlton Avenue again, starting near Garlough and heading to Harmon Park (the reverse of last year’s route).
  • There is a sensory-friendly quiet zone from Langer Circle to Emerson Avenue.
  • The city has promised more candy this year.
  • By moving to June, this year’s parade will include a marching band.
• Noon-3:30 p.m. – Art and Environmental Fair at Harmon Park (230 Bernard St. W.)
  With the parade ending at Harmon Park, you’re just in time for a fair with nearly two dozen booths and VB & J’s food truck. Look for maps and an activity from Explore the Doors, the recent fairy door project, plus environmental displays such as the Minnesota DNR Wetland Program and Citizen’s Climate Lobby and art vendors such as Saudade Home Co. with environmentally conscious candles and KarlieDesignCreation with wire wrapped jewelry and accessories.
• 1-2:30 – Spring Giveaway Event at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church (1575 Charlton Ave.)
  “Like a huge rummage sale, except everything is free.” See the FAQ and registration for more details.
• 2-6 p.m. – El Destino Market & Clothesline Laundromat Event at 1834 Oakdale Ave.
  Afternoon event with free washes, $2 tacos, special performances (watch the video!), and drawings for $700 worth of laundry coupons.
• 2-6 p.m. – ROCC Climbers Kids Connection at the Sports Complex (1650 Oakdale Ave.)
  The Residents of Color Collective (ROCC) is hosting an event for kids with art, dancing, poetry, food giveaways, games, and more.
• 6-10 p.m. – Concert & Food Trucks at the Sports Complex (1650 Oakdale Ave.)
  • Pre-concert party with beer tent and food trucks, line up including Asian Invasion, Neza Tacos, and Thai Thai Street Food.
  • 7 – PopROCKS Concert – A high-energy Midwest band that’s played around the world, PopROCKS has three vocalists, costume changes, special effects‚—it’s an experience.

Sunday, June 11

• 8:30 a.m. – West St. Paul Rider starting at Garlough Park (1740 Charlton Ave.)
  A free community bike ride with a 4-mile short route through West St. Paul and a 20-mile long route that runs along the Mississippi River. Get more info and register.

All Days

• Citywide Garage Sale
  There are also garage sales happening all across the city. See the map to find sales near you.

Explore Your City

“We laughed, danced, ate, rode bikes, talked about history, and made room for new traditions too,” said Council Member Lisa Eng-Sarne about last year’s event.

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(Photos by Sam Amundson)