There are a lot of great events that take place Downtown in the twin cities of Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota – but here is the list of our Top 5 favorite yearly events.
Fargo Film Festival
In November of 1999, a group of film lovers, moviemakers, and educators, along with tourism specialists, theatre volunteers, and staff members, gathered at the newly restored Fargo Theatre to discuss the possibility of a Fargo Film Festival, as well as the selection of the Fargo Theatre as a site for the 2000 Library of Congress Film Preservation Tour. In March of 2000, with a great deal of guidance and insight from the passionate, movie-obsessed professor Ted Larson, the theatre celebrated the rich history of film with selections from the prestigious Library of Congress collection. Actor Janet Leigh attended our week-long celebration and proved a most elegant guest. The success of the Library of Congress tour fueled the fire for the annual Fargo Film Festival.
The festival takes place at a variety of downtown locations in the Fargo-Moorhead community. The Fargo Theatre is the festival’s home base and provides the venue for the majority of screenings.
For more information visit fargofilmfestival.org
Fargo Marathon
In May 2002, Fargo hosted the Scheels All Sports Run for the Children Half Marathon, and with 300 runners, it was considered a huge race. No one knew there were so many people eager to run in Fargo. After three years of the Half Marathon, they asked runners if they would support a full marathon in this place we call home. “Ya, Sure. You Betcha” was all they needed to hear, and in 2005, they made the jump to a full marathon.
The inaugural event in 2005 brought in over 2,400 participants! They thought that was a big as we would ever get but in the years to follow, the numbers continued to grow. In 2010, they hit their goal of over 20,000 people, and in 2014 they had over 24,000!
For more information visit fargomarathon.com
Fargo-Moorhead St. Patrick’s Parade
Since 1996, Fargo-Moorhead has celebrated St. Patrick’s day with a parade on the Saturday before the holiday downtown. The parade is a family-friendly event to celebrate all that is Irish.
They invite family clans, businesses, organizations, and anyone who can respectfully represent the fun of the day. Over 10,000 attendees of all ages come to enjoy a festive entourage of bands, equestrians, Irish dancers, bagpipes, civic clubs, and multicultural groups.
For more information visit downtownfargo.com/st-patricks-parade/
Red River Market
The Red River Market was established by a group of volunteers in the spring of 2015 because of two key issues: the lack of a centrally located, accessible place to access locally grown food, and the lack of shared public space in the Fargo Moorhead community. Since 2015, the Red River Market has grown from 800 to 8,000 weekly attendees.
The Red River Market is North Dakota’s largest farmers’ market representing over 90 local farmers and makers. The Red River Market has grown into a weekly community tradition with free community programming including live music and cultural performances, educational cooking demonstrations, and children’s activities in a welcoming community space. The Red River Market currently hosts 21 public market events per year with over 120,000 total attendees.
For more information visit redriver.market
Downtown Fargo Street Fair
The annual Downtown Fargo Street Fair takes place in mid-July each year! Vendors from across the country have travel to Fargo to set up shop for this favorite summer event.
The Downtown Fargo Street Fair is North Dakota’s largest free outdoor event. This three day event features original works by regional and national artists and crafters. The Downtown Fargo Street Fair is a juried show and the artists and crafters are chosen based on the quality and uniqueness of their products.
For more information visit downtownfargo.com
These are our Top 5. What are yours?