Owámni Falling Water Festival

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Event Information
Acknowledgement and Contact Info

Event Information

The 2025 Owámni Falling Water Festival will take place on Saturday, October 18, from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM. This year the festival will span both sides of the Mississippi River, offering a celebration of Indigenous culture, music, food, and history.

Musical performances will include Jackie Bird, Laura Hugo, and Blue Dog, along with appearances by the Twin Cities Intertribal Dancers and the Bear Runner drumming group.

The festival will highlight the cultural and historical significance of Owámniyomni, the Dakota name for the falls, meaning “turbulent water.” The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is proud to partner with Owámniyomni Okhódayapi, the nonprofit organization that will begin transforming five acres along the riverfront in the coming years. The event is generously funded by a grant from the Saint Anthony Falls Heritage Board.

Attendees will find Indigenous-owned food vendors, arts and crafts vendors, nonprofit partner booths, and opportunities to participate in traditional games such as lacrosse, the plum stone game, and the moccasin game.

As guests walk across the newly reopened Stone Arch Bridge, they will also be able to listen to the newly installed Owámniyomni Audio Tour, offering stories and historical context about the falls and their importance.

4 Layered Earth Woman
Baked & Beaded
Beane-Doh
Charging Bear Creations
City of Minneapolis Arts & Culture
City of Minneapolis Elections & Voter Services
Corn Silk Daughter E
End Blood Quantum
FayeMarie Jewelry
Gatherings Cafe
Girls on the Run MN
Hennepin County Library
Hennepin County Outreach & Support
KRF Craft
Kwe Beadwork
Little Free Library
Make Voting a Tradition/NACDI
Marlena Myles Art
MIA
MisiZiibi
MPRB Planning
Native Government Center
O + T Bakery & Crafts
Owámniyomni Okhódayapi
Samreth Creations
Steven StandingCloud Graphics
Tony Drews
Twin Cities Native Lacrosse
Two Rivers Gallery
Wakan Tipi
Water over Nickle

11:30 am Jackie Bird
1 pm Laura Hugo
2 pm Bear Runner & Twin Cities Intertribal Dancers
2:30 pm Bluedog

Emcees: Deanna StandingCloud & Trish Cook

Fry Bread Factory
Steven D’s
Tatanka Truck
Trickster Tacos
Wild Harvest Lemonade

Parking

The Owámni Falling Water Festival will be accessible from either side of the Mississippi River, with events taking place at both Mill Ruins Park and Father Hennepin Bluff Park. There is no dedicated parking facility for event attendees.

Mill Ruins Park:

Meter parking will be available on the neighboring streets including S 2nd Street, Portland Ave, S 5th Ave, and S 1st Ave.
Parking ramps in the area include the Riverfront Municipal Parking Ramp and Mill Quarter Parking Ramp
The Mill Ruins parking lot, and the Saint Anthony Falls Visitor Center lot will both be closed during the event.

Father Hennepin Park:

Meter Parking will be available on SE Main St (west of SE 3rd St), 2nd St SE, and 3rd Ave SE.
The nearest parking ramp is located at 201 2nd St SE at the St. Anthony Ramp

Metro Transit

Mill Ruins Park (102 Portland Ave)

Bus routes 3, 7, 10, 17, 18, 22, 645
Light Rail green & blue routes (US Bank or Government Plaza stops)

Father Hennepin Bluff Park (420 SE Main St)

Bus routes 6, 10, 17

Use the Metro Transit trip-planner.

Acknowledgement and Contact Info

As part of Parks for All, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board is exploring how to integrate acknowledgement of land and Indigenous peoples into our work, procedures and spaces. We collectively acknowledge that the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board system is located on the traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This land holds great historical, spiritual and personal significance for its original stewards, the Native nations and peoples of this region.

Indigenous Statement Parks for All [PDF]