MINNEAPOLIS — Along Grand Avenue in St. Paul, vendors and local businesses took to the street for the return of the annual Grand Old Day festival, the largest free festival in the Midwest.
"We love grand old days, it's amazing to showcase businesses on Grand Avenue," said Em Que Viet Co-owner, Maria Nguyen.
The event kicked off with a two-mile Fun Run and a parade - stretching from Dale Street to Fairview Avenue.
Megan Ryan - vice president of marketing and communications with the St. Paul Area Chamber says the event has been a long-time coming.
"We are so excited to bring Grand Old Day back," she said. "A lot of people missed it, a lot of sponsors, volunteers, and a lot of hard work went into this."
This is the first time the event has been held in three years - following the pandemic.
"We're happy we survived it and a lot of other festivals haven't been able to do it," said Ryan. "We feel amazing to be a part of this event, when we first opened it was in July and I think that year they skipped it," said Le.
While vendors were looking forward to the large crowd, organizers were hoping to continue bringing people to Grand Ave. - even after the festival ends.
"We are excited to welcome new businesses to Grand, Justin Sutherland just opened a business here and we hope for more diversity and a space at the table for everyone," said Ryan.
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