Minnesota Yacht Club Festival will return in 2025 with an added third day of music

ST. PAUL, Minn. — After a mostly successful launch last month at St. Paul’s Harriet Island Regional Park, the Minnesota Yacht Club Festival will sail again in 2025. It’s booked for the same weekend — July 18 through 20 — this time with a third day of music added on Sunday.

Promoters announced the news on social media Tuesday morning, but shared few details beyond the dates and an online link to book hotel rooms during the festival.

In a statement issued to the Pioneer Press, promoter/producer Tim Sweetwood said: “We were very happy with the inaugural festival this year. Our team has continued to work closely with St. Paul city officials and collectively determined expanding into a third day made a lot of sense. We are thrilled to return with an all-new lineup July 18-20, 2025, and will continue to highlight the arts and people of Minnesota.”

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gwen Stefani and Alanis Morissette headlined the first Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, which drew about 70,000 concertgoers across two days. It was the first major rock and pop music festival on Harriet Island since 2012’s River’s Edge Music Festival, which Live Nation promised would become an annual event, but bailed after losing money in its first year.

Austin, Texas, promoter C3 Presents staged the Yacht Club Festival, which faced a few obstacles, including on-site flooding in June and the last-minute cancellation of the Black Crowes “due to an illness in the band.” Some concertgoers complained about food and drink prices, and long lines, but in terms of getting in and around the site, the infrastructure and general vibe, C3’s experience in mounting festivals became quite clear by late afternoon on opening day.

While Live Nation owns 51% of C3, the company apparently is allowed to follow its own path. It has found success with similar festivals around the country, including Austin City Limits Music Festival, Voodoo Music + Arts Experience and the modern-day Lollapalooza.

In a Pioneer Press interview prior to the Yacht Club Festival, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter compared the event to the Frozen Four and the World Junior Hockey Championship and said: “I think when it comes to attracting winning events of national and global importance and significance, we’re doing as well as we ever have as a city and getting people to choose St. Paul.”

Concertgoers should expect a slow roll out of details over the next year, likely starting with early bird tickets going on sale later in 2024 and a lineup announced in the new year.