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How to celebrate Prince this weekend in the Twin Cities

by Maia Jacobson

April 19, 2018

This weekend marks two years since we lost Prince — and Minnesota is coming together to celebrate his life and the legacy that he left behind. Here is a list of some of the Prince-related events happening this weekend. While you're cruising around town, listen to our new stream Purple Current, which will be all-Prince from Friday through Sunday.

Celebration 2018

This is the big one, put on by Paisley Park and stretching the whole weekend. Each day has five hours of event programming with guest speakers and special performances by Sheila E and fDeluxe. Most of the events will take place at Paisley Park, except for the PRINCE: Live on the Big Screen concert on Friday at Target Center. Admission for that concert is included in the Celebration 2018 ticket, and tickets for the concert alone are also available separately.

Erotic City

A dance party dedicated to Prince in the First Avenue Mainroom on Saturday night would be an extremely fitting way to celebrate. The night will feature Lenka Paris, DJ Shannon Blowtorch, DJ Espada, Roy Freedom, and DJ Smitty. Doors open at 8 p.m. and ticket information can be found on the First Avenue website.

Baby You're a Star: A Kids Dance Party at First Ave

Fans can come back on Sunday morning with their kids to dance more as DJ Jake Rudh of Transmission and DJ Smitty hold forth in the Mainroom from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Kids under 12 get in free with their adult, and adults must be accompanied by children under 18. Tickets can be found on the First Ave website.

Liv Warfield & Friends: The Purple Jam! Celebration 2018 After Party

Head over to the Dakota Jazz club late Saturday night for the Celebration 2018 after party with Prince collaborator Liv Warfield. The event begins at 11:30 p.m. and ticket information can be found on the Dakota's website.

Love 2 the 9's: An Intimate Evening Celebrating the Music of Prince

Crooner's Lounge is hosting an evening with Tommy Barbarella, Sonny Thompson, Michael Bland, Jeremy Ylvisaker, and Julius Collins as they celebrate Prince's music. The Saturday night event begins at 7 p.m. and while tickets are extremely limited, you can still find some on the Crooner's website.

Morris Mills Live with Gayle Chapman & Maya McClean: "Where it all Began"

39 years after Prince's debut performance at the Capri Theater, the theater is hosting an event to celebrate: Morris Mills will be joined by Gayle Chapman, who accompanied Prince at that show, and later Prince collaborator Maya McClean. Ticket information can be found on Eventbrite's website. The Capri is also offering tours throughout the weekend.

Prince from Minneapolis: Guided tour exploring his roots

Lead by Prince's cousin Charles "Chazz" Smith and historian Kristen Zschomler, this 2-3-hour tour explores Minneapolis's neighborhoods, his family and friends, and the music scene. There are several dates throughout this week and more ticketing information can be found on the Eventbrite website.

Prince Tribute Crawl

Commemorate Prince by "painting his hometown purple!" with the biggest charity pub crawl in Minnesota. Several different locations are currently confirmed and it all begins at 2 p.m. on Saturday at The Shout House. More ticket information can be found at the Eventbrite website.

Prince Drag Brunch: Celebration Weekend

If you're not up for a late night, how about a mid-morning brunch hosted by Flip Phone? This sold-out event debuted last year, and returns is this year by popular demand. This year's Union Rooftop brunch is set to feature Vincent the Destroyer, Damien D'Luxe, Mikko Blaze Bordeaux, Julia Starr, and Sasha R Cassadine.

Purple Path 5K

On Sunday morning, you can run in Prince's steps (or maybe more like along his bike path) with the mayor of Chanhassen.

Clean Water Land & Legacy Amendment
This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.