Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Morris Day and the Time highlight Taste of Minnesota music lineup
MINNEAPOLIS — Some local music legends will headline this year's Taste of Minnesota, festival organizers announced Thursday.
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who along with Prince helped define the "Minneapolis sound," as well as their former band Morris Day and the Time, will play the second day of the downtown Minneapolis festival, July 7. Jam and Lewis were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
Sounds of Blackness and the Johnny Holm Band will also take the stage that day.
The lineup for the first day (July 6) includes Koo Koo, Sophia Eris, The Wallflowers, Martina McBride and a "surprise guest to be announced later," organizers said.
A majority of this year's acts are local.
The free event will return to downtown Minneapolis for a second year this summer. It will once again take place along Nicollet Mall, though organizers promise more than double the number of food vendors as last year. TV personality and chef Andrew Zimmern is back as the event's food ambassador, curating culinary options for attendees.
Last year's musical acts included Big Boi from Outkast, Third Eye Blind and Motion City Soundtrack.
The event was formerly held in St. Paul and had been missing from summer activities for eight years before relocating to downtown Minneapolis last year.
Tens of thousands attended the rebooted event last year, though it was not without its issues. Large crowds meant long lines and some vendors ran out of food before the night was over. The event began without water stations, leading to some attendees needing medical attention due to the heat and humidity, though some stations were eventually brought in.
