Food trucks, craft beer and a Twin Cities funk institution are featured at Nicollet Commons Park this evening as Burnsville kicks off a busy weekend. The Burnsville Festival Kickoff Block Party runs from 5 to 8:30 p.m., with food trucks open the full stretch and craft beer tasting from 6 to 8 p.m.
The evening's headline act is Free & Easy Band, performing from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., according to a City of Burnsville, Minnesota Facebook post announcing the party. The long-running Twin Cities funk, soul and R&B stage band was inducted into the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in 2008, per the Rotary Club of Wayzata.
A Three-Day Festival Just Getting Started
Tonight's block party is only the opening act. It launches the broader Burnsville Festival & Fire Muster, running Sept. 10 through 12, an annual event featuring a community carnival, live music stages, a fire truck parade, a 1,200-drone light show and fireworks, according to Limitless Media News. The outlet reports the tradition dates back to 1980, making this year's kickoff the start of a well-worn suburban ritual rather than a standalone party.
Friday night brings a 1,200-drone light show commemorating the anniversary of 9/11, honoring those affected by the September 11 attacks and recognizing local heroes, the outlet reports, with Kat Perkins & Country Roads performing on the mainstage, according to Experience Burnsville. Saturday closes the weekend with what organizers describe as the largest fireworks show in festival history, held in honor of America's 250th birthday, paired with the fire truck parade and a performance by electric rock-violin act Femmes of Rock.
New Security Screening and a Curfew for Minors
Attendees heading to this year's festival will notice tighter security than in past years. Organizers implemented perimeter fencing, bag checks with metal detectors at three designated entry points, and an 8 p.m. curfew requiring attendees 17 and under to be accompanied by a parent or guardian, according to the Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster. The additions are listed in this year's festival rules.
Construction at Burnsville City Hall has also reshaped one long-standing festival tradition. The festival's fire truck water cannon demonstrations were canceled this year due to the ongoing municipal work, though displays of fire apparatus remain set up at Civic Center Park, per the same event listing. The signature fire truck parade has deeper roots: collector's displays and a short parade began in the late 1970s, while the official fire muster celebration began in 1980, according to Limitless Media News. The parade set a Guinness World Record in 2004 for the longest fire truck parade in the world at the time.
Getting There and the Park's Backstory
Nicollet Commons Park, tonight's host site, was built as the central town-square focal point of Burnsville's 54-acre Heart of the City downtown redevelopment district, initiated in 1999, according to the City of Burnsville. The district includes retail, housing, offices and the Ames Center, and the park has hosted community gatherings before, including a Rockin' Lunch Hour series.
For anyone worried about parking during the busy weekend, the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority is offering free shuttle bus service connecting the Burnsville Transit Station directly to Civic Center Park, according to the festival's event listing. Burnsville, Minnesota, is hosting the festival.
