October 16-18 | 2026

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Live on the Avenue
Solidarity Street Gallery isn't just something you see — it's something you hear, feel, and gather around. All weekend long, Payne Avenue comes alive with music, poetry, and story.
Hours
Friday | October 16 | 5-9 pm
Saturday | October 17 | 12-8 pm
Sunday | October 18 | 12-5 pm
Opening night rings in with a Dakota Welcome by our own, Eastside resident Crystal Norcoss, and the soulful, healing sound of Obsidian James as the Avenue lights up. Saturday builds from afternoon into evening — guitar, poetry and spoken word sets on Common Ground and Sacred Water, voices from our youth and community, and a powerhouse evening of music with Strong Buffalo and the Beautiful Buffalo Dreamers at Caydence. And on Sunday, we gather to close the weekend with an Climate Healing Circle hosted by Oyate Hotanin — with a climate storyteller inviting us to turn reflection into care for our shared home.
Come for an hour, stay for the day, wander block to block — every set is free, and every seat is yours!
Explore the Full Program Below
Friday | October 16
Oct 16
3:00 PM
- 8:00 PM
Community Gathering
Black Business Network | Food Truck Fridays
Celebrate and support Black-owned businesses, local makers, and entrepreneurs by enjoying food, shopping, and music together in one family-friendly setting
Parking Lot at 901 Payne Avenue
Oct 16
6:00 PM
- 6:15 PM
Welcome
Crystal Norcross | Dakota Opening
Dakota artist Crystal Norcross opens the festival with spoken words and song, on the homelands where these voices have always belonged. A blessing, a welcome, and a reminder of the ground we all share.
ArT @ 967 Payne | 967 Payne Avenue
Oct 16
6:30 PM
- 7:00 PM
Artist Talks
Tshab Her + Mama Suzanne | HMong Textile Art (paj ntaub)
Experience first-hand HMong stories, through contemporary textile art (paj ntaub) by Tshab Her and traditional textile art (paj ntaub) by Mama Suzanne.
ESAC (East Side Arts Council) | 977 Payne Avenue
Oct 16
7:00 PM
- 8:00 PM
Live Music
Obsidian James | Afro-Indigenous Soul
Sound that moves body and spirit — warm guitar, honeyed vocals, grooves you feel in your chest. Obsidian James doesn't just play to be heard; he plays to heal. Come join the circle!
ArT @ 967 Payne | 967 Payne Avenue
Saturday | October 17
Oct 17
12:00 PM
- 5:00 PM
Family Friendly Community Activity
Environmental Mini Fair
A lively gathering of the people and groups protecting and restoring our air, water, and land — with hands-on activities, take-home resources, and something for every age.
Behind the Old Swedish Bank Building | 965 Payne Avenue
Oct 17
1:30 PM
- 2:00 PM
Performing Arts
Louis Kaufman & Friends | Puppet Show
A reprise of the legendary community puppet show - originally created to lead the fight against the heavy pollution by Northern Iron Foundry - and today marking the shut-down of their facility
Around and Behind the Old Swedish Bank Building | 965 Payne Avenue
Oct 17
2:00 PM
- 2:45 PM
Live Music
Moshe Barron | Electric Guitar
St. Paul guitarist Moshe Barron returns with a sound that drifts easily from Midwest emo to jazz fusion and indie soundscapes. Expressive, alive, and full of collaborative energy!
ArT @ 967 Payne | 967 Payne Avenue
Oct 17
3:00 PM
- 5:00 PM
Poetry Reading
East Side Poets Collective | 'Common Ground - Sacred Waters'
Live readings by a dozen-plus poets from the East Side — plus possible surprise youth voices — asking what water asks of us: thirst, flood, justice, belonging, and hope.
Case Edgerton Studios | 580 Case Ave E | Doors 2 pm - Poetry 3 pm - Reception around 4 pm
Oct 17
5:30 PM
- 5:50 PM
Youth Leadership Inspiring Families and Communities
Emma Lu & Friends | EcoAlpha and Zero Waste Ambassadors
Emma Lu and her fellow changemakers remind us that the planet is worth fighting for — show us how to turn bright ideas into real environmental action, one household and habit at a time.
Caydence Record & Coffee | 900 Payne Avenue
Oct 17
6:00 PM
- 6:45 PM
Presentation
Kenneth Blumenfeld | Confessions of a Climatologist
Climate scientist Kenny Blumenfeld talks climate the way he never could at work — no charts, all candor. On evidence, public sentiment, sluggish policy, personal fascination. Come with questions.
Caydence Record & Coffee | 900 Payne Avenue
Oct 17
7:00 PM
- 8:00 PM
Live Music + Climate Storytelling
Beautiful Buffalo Dreamers | Modern Day Dakota Sound
Eclectic evening of tribal solidarity through music, poetry and spoken word, featuring Strong Buffalo, Scotti Clifford and members of Spirits Cry, as well as Climate Storyteller Ramatoulaye Bah
Caydence Record & Coffee | 900 Payne Avenue
Sunday | October 18
Oct 18
1:00 PM
- 1:45 PM
Live Music
Open
Please let us know if you are interested
ArT @ 967 Payne | 967 Payne Avenue
Oct 18
2:00 PM
- 4:00 PM
Community Experience
Oyate Hotanin (Voice of the People) | Climate Healing Circle
All are invited to our Society of Mother Earth Climate Circle. Through cycles of reflections, music and poetry, participants will connect with personal thoughts about climate change in a moving journey that engages the senses and prompts a path to our individual and collective healing, unlocking the potential to shift the stories we tell and reimagine the future we are building.
ArT @ 967 Payne | 967 Payne Avenue