Downtown Minneapolis sparkles for crowds on 4th of July weekend

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Huge crowds and no major problems are putting a positive spotlight on downtown Minneapolis for a second straight weekend.

A week after Taylor Swift and Pride, a lot of people are enjoying Taste of Minnesota.

On this long holiday weekend, downtown Minneapolis is a sparkler.

Taste of Minnesota has drawn about 100,000 people to a six-block area on and around Nicollet.

"Really good," said a visitor from Omaha. "Some great local vendors, great vibes, great art."

The food comes from more than 20 trucks and carts, including Nibbles, which has sold hot dogs in the streets of downtown since 1982.

Owner Blaine McCutchan saw some lean years since 2020, but he’s excited about events like this bringing people downtown again.

"This year, even just from this spring on, business has tripled," McCutchan said. "It’s been a great business environment for us. Taste of Minnesota has reconnected these communities that have been scattered."

Disbelievers are still avoiding the area out of safety concerns, but a lot of the people in this crowd came from the suburbs or even further — like Tammy and Darshan from Redwood Falls.

"It’s fun," Darshan said. "Good to see people."

They had no hesitation coming downtown.

"This is an event in the middle of the day that is very well populated," Tammy said. "I feel more comfortable."

Car thefts are still an issue, but the truth is most crime is down in Minneapolis and specifically in downtown, including gun violence.

And Minneapolis Downtown Council CEO Steve Cramer says a couple consecutive great weekends will help change perceptions.

"We’ve had this sort of three years of accumulated negativity and it’s hard to overcome that unless you have a whole series of very positive experiences downtown," Cramer said. "And that’s the trajectory we’re on right now."

The crowd downtown all weekend definitely enjoyed it, and downtown has more chances to prove itself this month with TC Fest and the Aquatennial coming up over the next couple weeks.