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Basilica Block Party foreshadows 2024 return

The venerable multi-day outdoor music fest has been on hiatus for the last two years while organizers reimaged and retooled.

MINNEAPOLIS — Editor's note: The video above first aired on Feb. 2, 2024.

In a not-so-subtle social media post Tuesday, organizers of the venerable Basilica Block Party music fest foreshadowed a 2024 return after an extended hiatus. 

The post on X (Twitter) promised a "Big Announcement" on Thursday, Feb. 15, exciting news "that's been brewing for the past two years." 

The Basilica Block Party started back in 1995 as a vehicle to pay for the structural reconstruction and restoration of the historic Basilica of St. Mary on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. The merger of church and beer-soaked music party seemed unlikely at first but proved to be a huge hit, drawing thousands and generating revenue for the beloved basilica. 

Eventually, the fest fell victim to competition from more and more outdoor summer music events and changing musical tastes. It was linked to Cities 97, a Twin Cities radio station that was itself struggling with its format and identity, and some felt the lineup of artists was not as compelling as a result. COVID restrictions scuttled the fest in 2020, and after a lukewarm return in 2021 organizers decided not to hold the Basilica Block Party in both 2022 and 2023, calling it a hiatus "to rethink what the event could be and how to make it better for the future."  

KARE 11 will share Thursday's announcement, and what we anticipate will be details of the 2024 return of the Basilica Block Party. 

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