Hopkins Raspberry Festival

A sure sign of summer is raspberries. Get your fill in Hopkins at their Raspberry Festival mid-July!

We all love raspberries, so why not celebrate them?!? The 91st annual Hopkins Raspberry Festival begins July 16 and goes through July 20. There’s fun for all ages with so many events planned. 

Check out all the events that are planned for these fun-filled days:

Wednesday, July 16

• Hunt for the Golden Raspberry
• Kids’ fishing event
• Senior Day
• Raspberries, desserts, and pie-eating contest

Thursday, July 17

• Rockin Raspberry Bingo
• Coronation & Royal Ball
• The Sunset Series Concert

Friday, July 18

• Bingo, food, and pull tabs
• Urban Sketchers
• Live music
• Movie Nite at Maetzold Field featuring “Twelve”

Saturday, July 19

• Chalk art
• Marketplace fair
• Raspberry Breakfast for $3.91
• Men’s softball tournament
• Food, bean bag tournament, and live music
• Raspberry Festival of Bands
• Celebration of Community
• Hopkins Cruisers Big Wheels for Hot Meals
• Soap Box Derby
• Berry Fest Raffle
• Hopkins Cruisers Mainstreet Motor Show
• Raspberry Jam
• Hopkins Cruisers Annual Reunion Cruise
• Fireworks

Sunday, July 20

• Pickleball tournament
• Freight Fest
• Raspberry Run
• Pork Chops on a Stick and live music
• Grande Day Parade
• Pulled Pork Sandwich Lunch

More about Hopkins Raspberry Festival:

With enthusiasm, the Hopkins Raspberry Festival began during the depression as a way to boost business in Hopkins. Art Plankers, a pioneer Hopkins food merchant is credited with suggestion of “raspberries” for the theme. About 75 Hopkins businessmen and farmers were organized and July 21 was chosen as the day to hold the festival, to coincide with the peak of the raspberry-picking season.

Jim Markham, editor of the Hennepin County Review, got the word out. Minneapolis mayor Thomas Latimer issued a proclamation urging all citizens of Minneapolis to “motor to Hopkins Sunday to enjoy the hospitality of the Northwest’s greatest suburb, to enjoy the entertainment and to have some free raspberries and cream with the compliments of Hennepin County’s famous raspberry growers and the progressive businessmen of Hopkins.”

By all accounts, the day was a success for everyone, especially the raspberry growers, who were assigned places along the curbs to sell theirs wares. Perhaps sales went so well because the raspberry mixed with the local libations, or so Markham said: “We used to call it the big berry bust in those early days.” The Hopkins Raspberry Festival has become a Twin Cities institution, held the third weekend of July.

The raspberry fields are long gone, but the town has cause to celebrate anyway and so it does.