What to Do While Your Friends Are at CONvergence 2023

If you don’t attend CONvergence, you might be counting down the days until all of your geeky friends fall off the face of the earth for four days (or more, if they need time to prep and recover). Maybe you’re dreading a weekend with no one around, or maybe you’re looking forward to relaxing by yourself or meeting up with other people who aren’t going to the con.

Either way, there’s plenty to do around the Twin Cities on July 6–9! Here are just a few ideas.

The crowd at the last Wordplay festival. Madeleine Vasaly

Geek Out about Books

Wordplay Literary Festival

Friday, July 7 (5:00–9:00 p.m.)
Saturday, July 8 (10:00 a.m.–9:30 p.m.)

In and around the Open Book center
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415

The Loft Literary Center’s Wordplay festival, a “summertime celebration of readers, writers, and great books,” returns to Minneapolis. The theme this year is Narrative Power, and there will be discussions and readings by a long list of great authors, bookish vendors and exhibitors, kid-friendly activities, food and drink, and more. On Friday, there is a kickoff concert at the Hotel Emery featuring Wordplay authors in attendance and music by YHANTE, Rhino Shrine, and Carnage the Executioner. On Saturday from 10:00 to 7:00, the festival itself takes place in and around the Open Book building. And after festival close, there is a series of “Wordplay After Dark” events at other venues in Minneapolis that are free and do not require festival admission, including a Wordle tournament, a movie viewing with author discussion, and more.

Regular adult tickets for the festival are $20 in advance or $25 at the gate, with VIP ticket options available; admission for ages 17 and under is free. As noted above, Wordplay After Dark events are free for everyone. Tickets for the kickoff concert are $45 (includes one drink). Learn more on the Loft website.

Another Option: The Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair

If Wordplay isn’t enough book geekery for you, the Minnesota Antiquarian Book Fair might be up your alley. This annual event, happening Friday and Saturday at the University of St. Thomas’s Schoenecker Arena in St. Paul, is open to both serious collectors and casual newbies and features vendors selling books from a variety of historical eras. Admission is $7.

Enjoy Live Entertainment in the Park

Shakespeare in Our Parks: Much Ado about Nothing

Thursday, July 6 (7:00 p.m.)

Town Green Park
7991 Main Street
Maple Grove, MN 55369

Friday, July 7 (7:00 p.m.)

Como Lakeside Pavilion
1360 Lexington Parkway North
St. Paul, MN 55103

Saturday, July 8 (7:00 p.m.)

Lake of the Isles
2500 Lake of the Isles Parkway East
Minneapolis, MN 55405

Sunday, July 9 (4:00 p.m.)

Normandale Lake Bandshell
5901 W 84th Street
Bloomington, MN 55438

The Classical Actors Ensemble is back for its ninth summer of Shakespeare in Our Parks. This year the group is performing Much Ado about Nothing, Shakespeare’s romantic comedy in which gossip twists intrigue and passion for a returning prince, his soldiers, and their paramours. These events are free and are performed at different parks throughout the state. During CONvergence, you can catch the show in Maple Grove, St. Paul, Minneapolis, or Bloomington.

Check out the Classic Actors Ensemble website for the full list of performances, locations, and times. Don’t forget the bug spray!

Another Option: Music in the Parks: The Red Hot Django Peppers

The Music in the Parks series provides free live concerts at Minneapolis parks throughout the summer. At 7:30 on July 7, you can catch Red Hot Django Peppers and their international jazz music at the Lake Harriet Bandshell. Check out the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board website for more information and a complete schedule of Music in the Parks performances.

Twin Cities Geek contributor Robert Atendido and a fellow reenactor at the Stearns History Museum’s 2021 Living History weekend. Courtesy of Robert Atendido

Experience History

“At War and At Home: The World War II Experience”

Friday, July 7 (10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. and 6:30–10:00 p.m.)
Saturday, July 8 (11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)

Stearns History Museum
235 33rd Avenue South
St. Cloud, MN 56301

The Stearns History Museum’s fourth annual World War II Living History weekend aims to give a hands-on experience of what life was like during the war through exhibits, displays of vintage military vehicles and examples of field encampments, trivia challenges, scavenger hunts, and other activities. This year the experience will focus on the liberation of Europe in 1945, and there will be a swing dance with live music on Saturday night.

Admission is $10, or $5 for members. Admission to the dance is separate and also costs $10. Learn more here on Twin Cities Geek or on the museum website.

Another Option: Minneapolis Riverfront Walking Tour

The Minnesota Historical Society leads a walking tour of the historic St. Anthony Falls district on July 8 from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. The guide will share what life was like on the riverfront in past eras, how the area has changed, and what historic preservation and new development has been done in recent years. Admission is $14 (MNHS members get 20% off).

And in case you change your mind about CONvergence, note that for the first time ever, the convention is offering one-day passes this year—or, if you buy a full-weekend adult registration at the last minute, you can get $10 off using the code TWINCITIESGEEK.