Annual Events
Lake Minnetonka Events: Your Year-Round Guide
From golf on a frozen Wayzata Bay to Fourth of July fireworks over Excelsior Bay, these are the Lake Minnetonka events locals plan their year around.
See This Week’s EventsTell Us About an Event
Lake Minnetonka events run all year, not just in summer. Below are the big annual festivals and traditions around the lake, listed in the order they come up. Organizers usually confirm exact dates a few months ahead, so we show the 2027 date where it’s announced and last year’s date as a guide where it isn’t. For live music, trivia and everything else happening this week, check our events calendar.
The lake towns go all out for the holidays, with tree lightings, Christmas markets and a craft beer festival to kick things off.
🍺
Sat., Nov. 7, 2026 · 3–6 p.m.
Gale Woods Farm, Minnetrista
Unlimited sampling from Minnesota-only craft breweries, grilled brats and live music, all on a working farm. A ticketed fundraiser for the Mound-Westonka Rotary.
🎄
Fri., Nov. 20, 2026 · 5–7 p.m.
Lake Street, Wayzata
Wayzata’s holiday kickoff, one week earlier than usual this year: the Wayzata Firefighters’ Parade of Lights, the town lighting ceremony, horse-drawn wagon rides, hot cider and a Toys for Tots drive. Free.
🎁
Thanksgiving weekend
Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt
Downtown Excelsior
A German-style open-air Christmas market with handmade gifts, holiday treats and thousands of twinkling lights, run by a volunteer nonprofit.
🎅
Late Nov. through December
Christmas in Excelsior
Water Street, Excelsior
Kicks off on Small Business Saturday with a tree lighting, Santa and carolers at the Veterans Memorial, then Santa visits and wagon rides on December Saturdays.
When the lake freezes, the fun moves onto the ice.
🥶
Late January
Lake Minnetonka/Mound Polar Plunge
Surfside Park, Mound
Brave the ice water for a good cause. This plunge benefits Special Olympics Minnesota and has raised more than half a million dollars. The 2026 plunge was Jan. 31.
⛳
Sat., Feb. 6, 2027
Wayzata Chilly Open
Wayzata Bay, Wayzata
Golf on a frozen Lake Minnetonka. Costumed teams play nine-hole ice courses with tennis balls and hockey sticks, plus a chili cook-off. Depends on safe ice, so check before you go.
Peak season on the lake: art fairs, fireworks, beach festivals and free concerts nearly every week.
Mid-June
Excelsior Art on the Lake
Water Street, Excelsior
More than 130 juried artists line Water Street for two days, with live music, local food and lake views. Free admission. The 2026 show was June 13–14.
Late June
Wayzata Art Experience
Lake Street, Wayzata
About 150 artists, food trucks, live music, free sailboat rides and a Saturday night Boat Light Parade on Wayzata Bay. Free. The 2026 event was June 27–28.
Sun., July 4, 2027
Fourth of July in Excelsior
Excelsior Commons, Excelsior
A Firecracker Run in the morning, a kids parade, live music, and the only public fireworks show on Lake Minnetonka, launched from a barge in Excelsior Bay around 9:50 p.m.
Third weekend of July
Spirit of the Lakes Festival
Surfside Park, Mound
A beach party on Cooks Bay with a boat-in movie, Grand Parade, arts and crafts fair, the Lake Minnetonka Wakesurf Open and fireworks. The 2026 festival was July 16–18.
🎶 Free Summer Concerts by the Lake
Bring a lawn chair. From June through August, Excelsior hosts Concerts in the Commons on Wednesday nights, the Wayzata Rotary puts on Music by the Lake at the Wayzata Depot, and Wayzata’s Sunday Music in the Park plays on the Great Lawn. Find this week’s shows on our events calendar.
Where to See Fireworks on Lake Minnetonka
The Fourth of July show in Excelsior is the only public fireworks display on Lake Minnetonka. Watch from the Excelsior Commons or anchor in Excelsior Bay. After the Chamber stepped back in 2025, the Excelsior Morning Rotary took over the show, which is funded by donations at excelsiorfireworks.com. Mound’s Spirit of the Lakes Festival also ends with fireworks over Cooks Bay in July. Private clubs and lakeshore homes often set off their own displays around the holiday, but those aren’t public events.
Festival season wraps up with some of the lake’s oldest traditions.
Weekend after Labor Day
James J. Hill Days
Lake Street, Wayzata
Wayzata’s biggest festival since 1975: a carnival, dachshund races, live music, a marketplace and the Grand Parade. The 2026 festival was Sept. 11–13.
Mid-September
Excelsior Apple Days
Water Street, Excelsior
A lakeside tradition since 1935 celebrating the area’s apple-growing roots, with a fun run, pie baking and pie-eating contests, a street dance and a beer garden. 2026: Sept. 18–20.
🎡
Late September
The Incredible Festival
Our Lady of the Lake, Mound
A three-day community and family festival in Mound that’s been going for more than 45 years. The 2026 festival was Sept. 25–27.
Know an Event We’re Missing?
If you run or love a Lake Minnetonka event that belongs on this list, let us know. You can also follow along for our weekly event roundups.
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