Join us for ten days full of outdoor activities, live music, art, dining experiences, and community conversations.

Schedule of Events:

January 23, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Steam Session & Afterparty
5:30?PM – 7:15?PM Malcolm Yards
Celebrate the launch of The Great Northern in true Minnesota style! Help us kick off another season of The Great Northern Sauna Village by attending its very first session of 2025!

The Great Northern Launch Party 2025
6:00?PM – 8:00?PM Malcolm Yards Market
We're kicking off The Great Northern in true Minnesota fashion! Enjoy guided sauna sessions, catch Prince's iconic Sign O'The Times concert projected onto the United Crushers building, and sip our signature cocktails around fire pits located on the Malcolm Yards patio.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sauna Session & Film Screening
7:00?PM – 8:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Celebrate the launch of The Great Northern in true Minnesota style! Catch a screening of Prince's iconic concert film Sign O' The Times while enjoying an invigorating sauna session. The film will be projected onto the United Crushers building and will be viewable from within the Great Northern Sauna Village.

January 24, 2025

The Great Northern Ice Bar
4:00?PM – 9:00?PM Union Depot
The Great Northern and Minnesota Ice are teaming up to bring you a 50-foot ice bar with a menu curated by Steady Pour—featuring specialty drinks from Minneapolis and St. Paul mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

Jeremy Dutcher: Motewolonuwok
7:00?PM – 8:30?PM Ice House
Indigenous Two-Spirit singer and composer Jeremy Dutcher (Tobique First Nation) makes his Minnesota debut at the Great Northern 2025 with a show at Ice House.

January 25, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Sessions
5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Mending Workshop: Stitching Together Community and Climate Action (Morning Session)
9:00?AM – 11:00?AM American Swedish Institute
This session is sold out. Join our waitlist and get notified if more space becomes available.

Join us for a hands-on mending circle with Curiosity Studio as part of The Great Northern's Climate Solution Series, where participants will build community, learn climate-resilient skills, and engage in dialogue to develop collective actions rooted in relationships.

Our Winter Weather Future: Understanding, Preparing For, and Navigating Winter In the Midst of Climate Change
9:45?AM – 10:45?AM American Swedish Institute
Join the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership (MCAP) to learn about what our future winters might look like, drawing from their MN CliMAT tool, and highlighting local efforts of how communities are already adapting to climate change.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Family Day
10:30?AM – 12:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Join us for a special sauna session that the entire family (5 years and up) can enjoy.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sound Bowl Sauna
10:30?AM – 12:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Sauna sound bowls is a new Thermaculture™ experience that combines the best practices of sauna steam aromatherapy with powerful sound bowl vibrations designed to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system.

Britt Wray and Leah Thomas in conversation
11:00?AM – 12:00?PM American Swedish Institute
Dr. Britt Wray, Director of CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry and author of Generation Dread: Finding Purpose in an Age of Climate Crisis, joins Leah Thomas, Founder of Intersectional Environmentalist, to discuss navigating climate anxiety by fostering hope through taking action and building meaningful community.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

Unraveling Textile Waste: Hidden Costs and Solutions
1:00?PM – 2:00?PM American Swedish Institute
This session will explore the hidden costs of textile production and disposal, examining environmental and health impacts, innovative recycling initiatives, and the role of waste management systems, with insights from experts on reimagining textiles, enhancing material reuse, and the benefits of second-hand markets.

Mending Workshop: Stitching Together Community and Climate Action (Afternoon Session)
2:00?PM – 4:00?PM American Swedish Institute
This session is sold out. Join our waitlist and get notified if more space becomes available.

Join us for a hands-on mending circle with Curiosity Studio as part of The Great Northern's Climate Solution Series, where participants will build community, learn climate-resilient skills, and engage in dialogue to develop collective actions rooted in relationships.

The Great Northern Ice Bar
2:00?PM – 9:00?PM Union Depot
The Great Northern and Minnesota Ice are teaming up to bring you a 50-foot ice bar with a menu curated by Steady Pour—featuring specialty drinks from Minneapolis and St. Paul mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

Emerging Climate Careers
3:30?PM – 4:30?PM American Swedish Institute
Are you interested in a career focused on climate action, clean energy, or sustainability? Join us for a series of “spark talks”—short presentations by experts in their field—that highlight a wide range of climate-related career options.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
4:30?PM – 6:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: BIPOC Community Steam
6:30?PM – 8:30?PM Malcolm Yards
The Great Northern invites members of the BIPOC community to a steam session focused on wellness, respite, and an embrace of the winter season.

Chasing Time - Film Screening
7:00?PM – 9:00?PM The Main Cinema
Thoughtfully helmed by acclaimed director Jeff Orlowski-Yang (Chasing Ice, Chasing Coral, The Social Dilemma) and first-time filmmaker Sarah Keo, Chasing Time is a meditative exploration of time and mortality, following James and his crew as they bring the decades-long project to a close, cataloging more than one million images in the process.

January 26, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Sessions
5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

HOTTEA: A Public Art Opening
5:00?PM – 7:00?PM 730 East Lake Street
TITLE TBD by installation artist Eric Rieger (aka HOTTEA) debuts during The Great Northern 2025. Join us on Sat, Jan 25, at 5 pm for a special unveiling event. Gather around cozy fire pits, enjoy food and drinks from Lake Street restaurants and vendors, enjoy music by a local DJ, and hear from the artist himself. Come celebrate the heart and soul of East Lake Street!

Planetary Health
9:45?AM – 10:45?AM American Swedish Institute
Explore the five domains of the planetary health framework and how they can help transform all sectors to ensure a future that works for all, especially for those experiencing the first and worst impacts of climate change.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sound Bowl Sauna
10:30?AM – 12:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Sauna sound bowls is a new Thermaculture™ experience that combines the best practices of sauna steam aromatherapy with powerful sound bowl vibrations designed to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Forest Bathing
11:00?AM – 2:00?PM Prospect Park
Enjoy a rejuvenating forest bathing session led by the founders of Northern Minnesota wellness retreat, Silvae Spiritus, at Prospect Park in Minneapolis. Follow this up with a healing sauna session at The Great Northern Sauna Village.

Live Podcast: Vibe Check
11:00?AM – 12:00?PM American Swedish Institute
Vibe Check hosts, Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford, help the audience make sense of the post-election and inauguration moment, exploring its implications for our time and for climate advocacy, action, and future.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Reclaiming Manoomin / Psin: State-Level Efforts to Establish Legal Rights for Wild Rice
1:00?PM – 2:00?PM American Swedish Institute
This panel discussion will spotlight a new campaign launching in Minnesota during the 2025 legislative session, focusing on recognition of legal rights for manoomin / psin (wild rice) during the upcoming legislative session. Presented with Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light.

The Great Northern Ice Bar
2:00?PM – 7:00?PM Union Depot
The Great Northern and Minnesota Ice are teaming up to bring you a 50-foot ice bar with a menu curated by Steady Pour—featuring specialty drinks from Minneapolis and St. Paul mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

Equitable Decarbonization of Buildings in the Midwest
2:15?PM – 3:15?PM American Swedish Institute
Join us for an essential panel discussion on the "Equitable Decarbonization of Buildings in the Midwest," where we explore how the Inflation Reduction Act presents unique opportunities to reduce carbon emissions in the region. Presented in partnership with Fresh Energy.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
2:30?PM – 4:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Closing Happy Hour & Climate Work Action
3:30?PM – 5:00?PM American Swedish Institute
Unwind with refreshments, connect with fellow attendees, and explore actionable next steps to keep the momentum going. The Great Northern will provide information on ways to get involved and turn insights from our sessions into real impact.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
4:30?PM – 6:00?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
4:30?PM – 6:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sound Bowl Sauna
6:30?PM – 8:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Sauna sound bowls is a new Thermaculture™ experience that combines the best practices of sauna steam aromatherapy with powerful sound bowl vibrations designed to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system.

January 29, 2025

Mack Lecture: James Thornton, ClientEarth
7:00?PM – 9:00?PM Walker Art Center
This winter, leading environmentalist and founder of ClientEarth, James Thornton, comes to the Walker. An innovator of legal strategies to address climate change and environmental degradation, Thornton will discuss new ways to think about and tackle global environmental challenges. A short, moderated dialogue and Q&A follows Thornton's presentation.

January 30, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Sessions
5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Role of Sci-Fi + Imagination in Climate Solutions (virtual)
12:00?PM – 1:00?PM Virtual
This session will explore the themes of the upcoming Cli-Fi anthology, Metamorphosis, published in partnership with GRIST, featuring global contributors. We'll discuss the imaginative possibilities of a new world, with insights from authors and curators, and consider how these ideas resonate locally, particularly in Minneapolis.

The Great Northern Ice Bar
4:00?PM – 9:00?PM Union Depot
The Great Northern and Minnesota Ice are teaming up to bring you a 50-foot ice bar with a menu curated by Steady Pour—featuring specialty drinks from Minneapolis and St. Paul mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
4:00?PM – 5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
4:00?PM – 5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Mary Prescott: Mother Tongue
6:00?PM – 7:30?PM Public Functionary
Join us for an evening of film, food, and conversation with Minnesota composer Mary Prescott at the premiere of Mother Tongue, a new work commissioned by The Great Northern.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Twin Cities Pride Steam
7:00?PM – 9:00?PM Malcolm Yards
The Great Northern and Twin Cities Pride invites members of the queer community to a steam session focused on wellbeing, togetherness, and an embrace of the winter season.

January 31, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Sessions
5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Ice Bar
4:00?PM – 9:00?PM Union Depot
The Great Northern and Minnesota Ice are teaming up to bring you a 50-foot ice bar with a menu curated by Steady Pour—featuring specialty drinks from Minneapolis and St. Paul mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

Expanding Landscapes & Impossible Futures
5:00?PM – 6:00?PM Schwartz School of the Arts at Augsburg University
Augsburg University's Schwartz School of the Arts hosts an evening of narrative, performing, and visual arts that explore the impact of climate change on our physical and psychological worlds.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
5:30?PM – 6:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Floresta: Soundbath
6:00?PM – 7:15?PM Public Functionary
Inspired by trees' underground communication network, composers/performers Angélica Negrón, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Raquel Acevedo Klein collaborate in an evening of live unfolding soundscapes using voices, violin, plants, flowers, bells, synths, accordion, water, found objects, and mechanical percussion. Floresta also features technology from MIDI Sprout, which will be used during the performance to translate plant biodata into music.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
7:00?PM – 8:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

February 1, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Sessions
5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Winter Run & Sauna Steam
9:00?AM – 12:00?PM Malcolm Yards
The Great Northern has teamed up with Fleet Feet to present a 5k winter run. Participants will complete their experience with a healing thermaculture session.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
12:30?PM – 1:30?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Ice Bar
2:00?PM – 9:00?PM Union Depot
The Great Northern and Minnesota Ice are teaming up to bring you a 50-foot ice bar with a menu curated by Steady Pour—featuring specialty drinks from Minneapolis and St. Paul mixologists, breweries, and distilleries.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
2:30?PM – 4:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Floresta: Soundbath
3:00?PM – 4:15?PM Public Functionary
Inspired by trees' underground communication network, composers/performers Angélica Negrón, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Raquel Acevedo Klein collaborate in an evening of live unfolding soundscapes using voices, violin, plants, flowers, bells, synths, accordion, water, found objects, and mechanical percussion. Floresta also features technology from MIDI Sprout, which will be used during the performance to translate plant biodata into music.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
4:30?PM – 6:00?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

Floresta: Soundbath
5:00?PM – 6:15?PM Public Functionary
Inspired by trees' underground communication network, composers/performers Angélica Negrón, Darian Donovan Thomas, and Raquel Acevedo Klein collaborate in an evening of live unfolding soundscapes using voices, violin, plants, flowers, bells, synths, accordion, water, found objects, and mechanical percussion. Floresta also features technology from MIDI Sprout, which will be used during the performance to translate plant biodata into music.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sound Bowl Sauna
6:30?PM – 8:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Sauna sound bowls is a new Thermaculture™ experience that combines the best practices of sauna steam aromatherapy with powerful sound bowl vibrations designed to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system.

The Last of the Sea Women - Film Screening
7:00?PM – 8:00?PM The Main Cinema
In The Last of the Sea Women, an extraordinary band of feisty grandmother warriors wage a spirited battle against vast oceanic threats. Peering into what drives haenyeo young and old, this moving documentary zeroes in on their tight-knit friendships, savvy independence, and infectious sense of empowerment, unfolding into an uplifting tale of women taking on world powers to protect their beloved ocean and inspiring a new generation.

February 2, 2025

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Sessions
5:30?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Family Day
10:30?AM – 12:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Join us for a special sauna session that the entire family (5 years and up) can enjoy.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sound Bowl Sauna
10:30?AM – 11:30?AM Malcolm Yards
Sauna sound bowls is a new Thermaculture™ experience that combines the best practices of sauna steam aromatherapy with powerful sound bowl vibrations designed to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
12:30?PM – 2:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Learning from Place: Bdote
1:00?PM – 3:00?PM Thomas C. Savage Visitor Center at Fort Snelling State Park
Expand your understanding of the Twin Cities with a guided walk of sites with deep significance to Dakota people. Led by Dakota community members, participants will be encouraged to reconsider their relationship to land, water, sky, and all life—including other humans—through stories and perspectives that are often left out of our state's history.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
2:30?PM – 4:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: German Aufguss
4:30?PM – 6:00?PM Malcolm Yards
In this guided sauna session, sauna guides pour essential oils onto hot stones, creating waves of soothing and aromatic steam. The session is enhanced with rhythmic towel movements, infusing the air with fragrance and intensifying the heat.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
4:30?PM – 6:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

K'ooben Pop-up
5:00?PM – 8:00?PM Glass House
This pop-up by food collective K'óoben brings together some of Minnesota's most celebrated chefs and mixologists for an unforgettable culinary experience.

Midwinter Melt
5:00?PM – 8:00?PM Silverwood Park
Play and explore with The Great Northern at Silverwood Park! Indoor and outdoor activities include a live show of Brains On!, kicksledding, illuminated fat tire biking, luminary trails, and campfires for making s'mores.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Sound Bowl Sauna
6:30?PM – 8:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Sauna sound bowls is a new Thermaculture experience that combines the best practices of sauna steam aromatherapy with powerful sound bowl vibrations designed to activate the body's parasympathetic nervous system.

The Great Northern Sauna Village: Open Steam Session
6:30?PM – 8:00?PM Malcolm Yards
Visit our pop-up sauna village in the heart of Minneapolis. Our Community Steam sessions are a self-guided sauna experience. Book 60- to 90-minute sessions and explore various traditional wood-fired saunas, including barrel, backyard, and mobile units, just steps away from the Malcolm Yards food hall.

Date: January 23, 2025 - February 2, 2025

Location: Various Venues in Minneapolis, MN USA

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