‘Hennepin Open Streets’ brings Uptown’s community to life

‘Hennepin Open Streets’ brings Uptown’s community to life Image by Henry Creel Luncha Libre wrestlers with Rudos Promotions wrestle in the middle of Hennepin Avenue during Open Streets Hennepin, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. ‘Hennepin Open Streets’ brings Uptown’s community to life Hennepin Avenue closes its streets to cars and opens to the public, featuring local artists, businesses and advocacy groups who came together to celebrate community and inspire change. Categories: Arts & Entertainment Culture Marquee by Ava Gilhoi Published October 13, 2026 On Sunday, Oct. 11, Hennepin Ave closed its streets to cars and opened them to the people.  Small businesses, entertainment, non-profits, social justice organizations and artists gathered to represent the community in the South Uptown neighborhood, resulting in an entertaining, educational and enriching experience, free for all to attend.  West 26th Street to West 34th Street has featured theaters, bookstores, restaurants and gathering spaces for years, cultivating a rich, diverse community culture.  Among the local businesses given an opportunity to shine at Open Streets were Magers & Quinn Booksellers, Queermunity and the Granada Theater. Local artists Whisper Walker and Eli Olson said they have built community through Queermunity, an event venue, cafe and gathering space for queer people.  “I really like to go there, and that’s usually where I meet other artists, and, you know, just doing these events,” Walker said. “It’s how I connect with the art community.”  Max Musicant, founder and principal of the Musicant Group and co-chair of the Urban Land Institute of Minnesota, has big plans for the future of the neighborhood.  “Uptown’s story is not one of decline. It is a story of abundance. The lakes, the people and the creative energy are all here,” Musicant said in a panel.  People walk on Hennepin Avenue during Open Streets Hennepin, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Image by Henry Creel) The organization sees increased housing opportunities as the future of Uptown, with apartments planned for the area intended for mixed-income individuals. Doran Companies will be responsible for the development, set to open in the fall of 2027.  Doran Companies CEO Anne Behrendt agrees the area is up-and-coming.  “Uptown has always been one of Minneapolis’ most dynamic neighborhoods,” Behrendt said during an interview with Kare 11. “We’re proud to be part of its next chapter.” Amy Reher, owner of the Granada Theater, said she has high hopes for the community, despite setbacks from a business perspective following the pandemic and Operation Metro Surge. “I believe that there is a strong community with great intentions that is really trying to put its best foot forward,” Reher said. “I fully believe that Doran getting the apartments going and bringing more people to specifically this two-block radius is going to be a huge help for having more of a core population here.”  Community gatherings such as Open Streets bring people together with different perspectives to engage with issues affecting their neighborhoods. Beyond the food, art and entertainment, the event created space for conversation and connection. In addition to small businesses, social justice movements scattered the streets, welcoming questions and concerns.  The Revolutionary Communists of America had a booth lined with books and pamphlets. Enno McCourt, a communist activist, discussed problems that the community has faced recently, including Minneapolis Public Schools’ proposed school closures and ICE operations.  On the north side of the event, Dave Logsdon, president of Veterans for Peace, discussed how most people have similar values but have different methodologies to achieve their goals.  “Most of the people are pretty supportive of a lot of things we’re on board with,” Logsdon said. “You can see it with ‘ICE Out.’ That brought a lot of people together.”  The New Justice Project was another community-based organization attending. Their mission, as stated on their website, is “to empower those directly affected by systemic racism and drive collective liberation.” Tyenae Neal, a representative of the project, explained some of their goals, including a minimum wage increase, a municipal wealth tax, just-cause eviction policies and municipal grocery stores.  “We fight for our rights,” Neal said. “We have a Black mass meeting where we come together, we feed, we talk about the issues we are experiencing and then we work together and come up with different strategies on how to fight back and make things happen on our own instead of waiting for somebody else to do it.”  Although the booths and businesses along Hennepin Avenue represented different interests, backgrounds and approaches to change, they shared a common thread: a desire to build a stronger community.  Whether through art, small business ownership or grassroots organizing, each participant offered a different perspective on what makes Uptown unique.  For one Sunday, a busy street became a gathering place, reminding attendees that a neighborhood is about more than the buildings lining its sidewalks; it’s about the people who fill them with life. 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