Weekend Getaway: Lake Harriet outdoor summer concerts

Concert goers can sit on the hill or in the bandshell seating for the show

Nothing beats a summer evening of relaxing in front of a beautiful lake as music washes over you like a gentle wave. In Minneapolis, you don't always need to pay the big bucks to enjoy a live outdoor concert. At Lake Harriet, one of the city's premier lakes, the music is free. Better yet, you can get your daily music  fix every day of the summer.

The award-winning Lake Harriet bandshell on the lake's north shore is a picturesque backdrop for live outdoor music every night this summer. The daily shows run through Labor Day and features a diverse repetoire of tunes by indie bands, local orchestra, New Orleans bluegrass, swing bands, independent artists, Big Band, folk, rock, Jazz, Latin, and kids performances. The bandshell is on the shoreline within throwing distance of  Lake Harriet, so pack a picnic, throw a blanket or chair into the car, and bliss-out on the grassy hill for an evening in this Weekend Getaway.

A close-up shot of the bandshell with the scenic Lake Harriet as a backdrop

Music at Lake Harriet has been a static fixture in the area for over 100 years. But the bandshell that many enjoy today endured a tumultuous past ravaged by fires and windstorms.

The original bandshell, auditorium included, was built in 1888 but burned to the ground on June 22, 1891. The building was replaced the same year with a pagoda-shape bandshell, but was destroyed yet again by a fire on March 6, 1903. In 1904, the bandshell rose again above the lake with two towering wings that extended over the water. Unfortunately, a severe windstorm in 1925 crushed the bandshell and killed two, a mother and daughter.

The city of Minneapolis constructed a temporary structure until the current bandshell, with its trademark cedar shake siding and 30 x 25 foot windows, was built in the mid 1980s. Over the years, tight city budgets threatened turning the bandshell into a shell of its former glory years. Read the full story of how a volunteer business partnership collaborated with the city's Park and Rec Board in a renovation project that saved the ailing bandshell from extinction.

A view of the Lake Harriet bandshell from a nearby park

The Lake Harriet bandshell is now one of the city's most identifiable landmarks and enjoyed by thousands every year. The bandshell is located at 4135 Lake Harriet Parkway in Minneapolis, Minn., 55410.

View the 2009 Concerts at Lake Harriet for the rest of the summer through September 11, 2009. Concert show times are 7:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday, and 2 and 5:30 p.m. on Sunday.