MINNEAPOLIS — Downtown Minneapolis will be without one of its iconic holiday gatherings this year after officials announced the cancellation of the Holidazzle.
The mpls downtown council said the amount of funding they received wouldn't be enough to "ensure the beloved holiday tradition will deliver the magical experience the community expects and deserves while keeping it free and accessible," according to a press release.
Officials say this is a "one-season decision," adding that it won't impact plans for 2024.
“After careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Holidazzle for 2023,” said Steve Cramer, president & CEO of the mpls downtown council in a release. “This decision comes after exhausting all possible avenues to make this happen. Holidazzle is a treasured annual event for our community, and we did everything we could to make it possible this holiday season. In the end, we did not have enough funding to produce the event at a level that the community expects and deserves. This is a one-season decision, and we will refocus our energy on Holidazzle 2024 and beyond.”
Cramer and Vice President of External Relations Leah Wong spoke to the media Wednesday and said there will be a number of other activities downtown in the winter.
"We'll see Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire over on Hennepin. The Minnesota Orchestra has an incredible lineup and some specific programming targeting families," said Wong. "Plus we have a number of restaurants and hotel specials that will be happening throughout downtown. So certainly there will be moments for folks that connect downtown. But it is not lost on us that this event will be one that our community misses."
"We simply ran short of resources after this wonderful year of activities throughout downtown," said Cramer. "So our intention is to kind of bring it back in some form and 2024."
Yoom Nguyen co-owns Lotus Restaurant in Loring Park. His family has been in the area for decades.
"It helps out a lot," said Nguyen. "Those big conventions and big festivals, they help out tremendously. It's been a family tradition around here for a long time."
In the same block as Nguyen's restaurant, Lakes & Legends Brewing Company president and Co-founder Derrick Taylor was trying to wrap his mind around how his business would make up for the absent winter crowds.
"I started to think about what that meant for us and the neighborhood and where from here we pivot," said Taylor. "We already have seven craft markets programmed with the Minneapolis craft market. We're already looking to add more dates to that calendar."
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