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Special Events
- Winter Pop Up Events
- Environmental Fun Fair
- Summer Concert Series
- Wet N Wild
- Nickel Jamboree
- Pumpkin Night in the Park
- Winter lights
- Winterfest
Winter Recreation Pop-up Events
Fridley Recreation invites you and your family to get outside this winter and enjoy our parks! These events are free and no registration is required.
Skating, Sledding and S’mores!
Join us for an afternoon of fun at Commons Park! Use free skates on the ice rink, sled down the giant hill, and make a s’more over the fire! The warming house will be open for you to warm up, make a fun winter craft, and there will be music playing to keep the party festive (dancing is optional)! Join a friend from the Mississippi Library for story time in the warming house at 3 p.m.
Sat. 2/25 2-4pm All ages Commons Park (meet by the Warming House) FREE
April Fool’s Scavenger Hunt
It’s a perfect day for silly jokes and tricks! Join us for an exciting day at the Nature Center as we decode clues, explore the trails and find one of many jokes hidden on the trails. Find all of the hidden jokes and win a prize!
Sat. 4/1 2-4pm All ages Springbrook Nature Center FREE
Environmental Fun Fair
Mark your calendars! The 2023 Environmental Fun Fair will be on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the Springbrook Nature Center! A variety of outdoor and environmental exhibitors will be present to help us appreciate our wonderful natural world.
This FREE event will also include an interactive nature hike, food trucks and activities for the whole family.
More Environmental Fun Fair Information!
Summer Concert Series
Save the date! Our popular free, summer concert series kicks off at the Civic Campus Plaza on June 6, 2023 with a local favorite, the Mr. Winky Band! Concerts will be held at the Civic Campus and Springbrook Nature Center on Tuesdays from 7-8pm, June 6 through August 22. Concerts feature a variety of genres, and at Civic Campus—food trucks and games on the plaza! Keep an eye out for the complete line up to be announced soon!
Games with Recreation's Rec N Roll Mobile
Join us before and during the concerts at the Fridley Civic Campus to enjoy fun and games provided by Fridley Recreation! We'll have bag toss, giant Jenga, giant Tic Tac Toe, ladder golf, chalk and more!
Wet N Wild
Get ready for an afternoon of water fun at Commons Park! There will be a giant slip ‘n slide, lots of sprinklers, water toys, water balloons and more. Back by popular demand, the Fridley Fire Department will bring out an engine and hose to really get you soaked! Wear a swimsuit and sunscreen and bring a towel. Registration is required.
Save the date of Wednesday, July 12, 2023! Registration will be available in early Summer.
Nickel Jamboree
Come one, Come all for carnival games, puppet shows, face painting, hayrides, popcorn and beverages! This is a family-friendly event.
Activities will range from 10 ‐ 50 cents, so bring your change for an afternoon of fun! ($5 punch passes can be purchased at the event﴿. No need to sign up in advance.
We look forward to having you join us on Wednesday, August 9, 2023!
Pumpkin Night in the Park
Event Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
Visit our event page for more information!
About
Pumpkin Night in the Park is a family-friendly community event! Some highlights include:
- More than 1,000 carved and lit pumpkins
- Campfires
- Costumed characters
- DJ dance
- Food trucks
The Fridley Winter Lights Contest is back!
Thank you to all the participants for entering and brightening the holiday season in Fridley. Our judges have gone out, and the winters have been crowned. Now it's time for you to see the lights yourself! WE encourage you to take the full tour which will take approximately 1.5-2 hours depending on how long you admire the lights
Navigate the Tour
Option one: We have added all the houses on our tour to a Google map route. This is an excellent option for those who are looking to do the entire Winter Lights Tour. The route starts at the Mississippi Library (410 Mississippi Street NE). Start your route there. The most direct route cas been selected for you. Avoid taking alternative routes Google proposes if you wish to stay on the most efficient route.
Option two: Esri Webapp has all addresses marked with directions attached for you to follow. Click the yellow dot attached to the address for a link with the direct route to the house you wish to visit. This is a quick and easy way to make your own route or go directly to our category winners and bright spots.
Option three: All addresses are on the physical/digital copy of the winter lights map. You can visit all category winners and bright spots throughout the city.
Download the 2022 Winter Lights Map (PDF)
Category Winners
Best and Brightest: 61 Talmadge Way
Brightest Neighborhood: 2, 3 and 9
Most Unique: 6300 Monroe Street
Largest Inflatable: 200 Liberty Street
*Bright Spots: 9, 15, 17 and 19
*Previous Best and Brightest: 4 and 10
*Bright Spots and Previous Best and Brightest are houses with light displays that went above and beyond but did not win a category or were winners of the Best and Brightest category in previous years. If you are short on time or only want to see houses the judges declared as a bright spot in Fridley, make sure to check these out!
Winter Lights Bingo Card
For those of you looking for a way to make the light tour extra exciting, we have winter light bingo cards for you! Bring these with you on your tour and mark a box when you see certain winter light displays. Hard copies are available at Fridley City Hall
- Bingo Card One (PDF)
- Bingo Card Two (PDF)
- Bingo Card Three (PDF)
Game options:
- Five in a row
- Four corners
- Blackout
- Postage Stamp
Winterfest 2023: Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 11 a.m. - 2 p.m
Springbrook Nature Center, 100 85th Avenue NE
Bring on winter! Enjoy an exciting winter day in nature with the entire family! We have a variety of fun outdoor winter activities, and you can warm inside with our community partners, storytime and crafts! Winter gear collected during our gear drive will be available at no charge during the event as supplies last.
2023 Winterfest Map
Activities will include:
Medallion Hunt ($100 prize!) | Storytime with Anoka County Library (inside) |
Ice Bowling | Campfires & S'mores |
Kicksleds | Crafts (inside) with NSCA and ECFE |
Snowshoeing | Candy Cane Hunt |
Fat Tire Biking | Donated winter gear available for free! |
Snow Painting | Zumba in the snow! |
Snowball Launcher | Explore a Fridley Fire Truck! |
Hot Chocolate | Micro Sledding Hill |
Community partners that will be present include: Fridley Lions, Boy Scout Troop #167, North Suburban Center for the Arts, Fridley ECFE, Coon Creek Watershed District, Anoka County Library, and Fridley Recycling. Fridley Fire Dept. will be present with a fire engine to explore, fun giveaways, and a presentation on Winter Fire Safety! We are thankful for our community partnerships and support!
Scheduled Activities:
11:30 a.m.: Warm up inside with Storytime presented by Anoka County Library
11:30 a.m.: Zumba in the snow, outside amphitheater
12:15 p.m.: Zumba in the snow, outside amphitheater
12:30 p.m.: Warm up inside with Storytime presented by Anoka County Library
1:15 p.m.: Winter Fire Safety Presentation inside with Fridley Fire Dept.
Moore Lake Ice Fishing Events:
Join us on January 16 at Moore Lake for some ice fishing fun as we get ready for Winterfest! Instructor and Fishing for All owner, Evan Griggs, will teach basic ice safety and ice fishing skills for the whole family. All equipment is provided. Dress for the weather. Registration required for this one-hour session costs $5. Parent/guardian must be present. No fishing license required. Follow this link to register for ice fishing.