The final weekend of February arrives in the Twin Cities with a familiar tension: winter still clings to the sidewalks, but the cultural calendar has begun its spring crescendo.
From February 27 through March 1, 2026, Minneapolis and St. Paul offer a cross-section of touring Broadway, arena-scale spectacle, intimate club shows, international cinema, and rare comedy pairings. The breadth is not accidental. It reflects a metro whose arts infrastructure, from nonprofit theaters to historic music halls, remains one of the most concentrated in the Midwest.
What follows is a verified, venue-by-venue guide to the weekend ahead.
Alex Sampson at 7th St Entry
The America’s Got Talent standout performs Saturday, February 28, inside the 7th St Entry, the intimate room attached to First Avenue that has launched generations of touring artists. Doors open at 7:00 PM, with the show beginning at 8:00 PM. The setting favors close-range vocals and crowd interaction, a contrast to arena pop and a reminder of Minneapolis’ club lineage.
Ladies of Soul, Vol. 3 at Dakota
Two shows, 6:30 PM and 9:00 PM Saturday, spotlight Solorah the Essence, Ashley Commodore, and Monique Blakey in tribute to Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and Mary J. Blige. The Dakota’s supper-club acoustics and seated format elevate this beyond a conventional tribute night, leaning into jazz phrasing and soul reinterpretation.
Ray Volpe with BARELY ALIVE at The Fillmore Minneapolis
Friday night, February 27, the Forever, Volpetron tour lands in the North Loop. The 18+ show begins at 9:00 PM and centers on high-BPM dubstep and bass drops engineered for large-format sound systems. The Fillmore’s lighting grid and open floor amplify the genre’s immersive design.
The Nadas at The Cedar Cultural Center
Saturday at 8:00 PM, the Iowa-rooted folk-Americana band performs a seated show with opener Emma Butterworth. The Cedar, long known for global and roots programming, offers a quieter counterpoint to the weekend’s arena energy.
Theater and Stage
Kimberly Akimbo at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
The 2023 Tony Award winner for Best Musical continues its national tour with a full weekend residency in St. Paul. Performances run Friday at 7:30 PM, Saturday at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, and Sunday at 1:30 PM and 7:00 PM. The musical blends adolescent humor with unexpected poignancy, anchoring the Ordway’s Broadway calendar.
Disney On Ice: Road Trip Adventures at Target Center
The touring arena production continues through Sunday. Saturday alone features three shows at 10:30 AM, 2:30 PM, and 6:30 PM. Mickey, Minnie, and characters from Frozen and Moana lead a family-focused spectacle that pairs figure skating with projection mapping and arena-scale choreography.
The Glass Menagerie by Theater Latté Da
The company presents a cinematic staging of Tennessee Williams’ classic Saturday evening at the Minneapolis Theater. Known for bold reinterpretations, Theater Latté Da emphasizes atmosphere and close emotional framing.
Comedy and Film
Steve Martin and Martin Short at Orpheum Theatre
The comedy legends bring Dukes of Funnytown! to downtown Minneapolis for two Saturday performances at 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM. The show combines stand-up, musical interludes with the Steep Canyon Rangers, and the duo’s signature mock rivalry. It is a rare pairing of performers whose combined careers span half a century of American comedy.
17th Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis / St. Paul at The Main Cinema
Running through March 1 in partnership with the MSP Film Society, the festival features 16 films, including 10 contemporary works and six classics. The riverfront Main Cinema remains a cornerstone of the metro’s arthouse circuit.
Omnifest at Science Museum of Minnesota
The annual giant-screen festival continues on the museum’s 90-foot convertible dome screen. Rotating immersive documentaries emphasize scale and visual depth, drawing audiences beyond traditional multiplex experiences.
Nightlife and Cultural Traditions
Broadway Rave at Fine Line
Saturday at 9:00 PM, show tunes become dance-floor anthems in a themed party devoted exclusively to musical theater hits.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show at The Parkway Theater
A late-night screening at 11:30 PM Saturday includes a live shadow cast, preserving the interactive tradition that has defined the cult classic for decades.
Martenitsa Bulgarian Dance Party at Granada Theater
This Uptown celebration honors the Bulgarian spring custom of Martenitsa with live music and traditional dance, extending the weekend’s cultural range beyond English-language programming.
A Metro in Motion
The final days of February offer a telling snapshot of the Twin Cities’ artistic ecosystem. Broadway touring companies share the calendar with immigrant cultural traditions. Arena ice shows coexist with Shakespeare and dubstep. Historic theaters, nonprofit film houses, and club stages operate within miles of one another.
In a single weekend, a family can spend Saturday morning at Disney On Ice, catch a matinee of Kimberly Akimbo, and close the night at a Bulgarian dance party or a sold-out comedy show at the Orpheum. That density of choice is not incidental. It is infrastructure, built over decades, and it continues to define Minneapolis and St. Paul as one of the country’s most active regional arts markets.
For residents and visitors alike, the message is simple: step inside. The curtain is already up.