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Mayor to declare Oct. 13 Prince Day in St. Paul

by Hanna Bubser

October 11, 2016

When it comes to Prince, Oct. 13 is going to be painted in purple. This Thursday morning, before the Xcel Energy Center opens its doors to the masses of devoted Prince fans eager to see the tribute concert, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is set to officially declare the day Prince Day in the city, and he's encouraging the population to wear purple to honor the late artist — who played the venue himself in 2004.

This is not the first time that Prince Day has been declared. Back in June, Gov. Dayton declared June 7 (Prince's birthday) Prince Day in the state of Minnesota. In addition to Prince, Minnesota and its municipalities have honored many other artists with official days. A few of these include Replacements Day (Sept. 12, 2014), Janet Jackson Day (Nov. 1, 2015), Stevie Wonder Day (March 29, 2015), Beyoncé Day (May 23, 2016), and Adele Day (July 5, 2016).

Along with the news of the impending declaration comes word that several more artists have been added to the tribute concert lineup. These include Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls); Prince's ex-wife Mayte Garcia with Maya and Nandy McClean (known as the Twinz); Portuguese Fado singer Ana Moura; and New Power Generation members Marva King, Shelby J, Elisa Fiorello Dease, and Kip Blackshire. Also included in the lineup is DJ Dudley and saxophonist Michael Phillips.

The Xcel Energy Center is also hosting an outdoor pre-show party to be held before the tribute concert, starting at 4 p.m. on Thursday, which is free and open to the public — look for The Current van! Click here for more information about local tributes to Prince taking place this week, and tune in to our Local Current stream of Minnesota music for a Prince A-Z marathon starting Thursday at 10 a.m.

Hanna Bubser is a student at Hamline University.

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