09/14/2026
The St. Joseph Lions Club would Love to see you at this FREE EVENT! We will be conducting eye exams for kids and collecting used eye glasses.
Minnesota Family Festival to Bring Free Music, Games and Family Activities to Waite Park Sept. 20
WAITE PARK, Minn. — Families from across Minnesota are invited to The Park Event Center on Sunday, Sept. 20, for Minnesota Family Festival, a free community celebration filled with live music, games, inflatables, interactive activities and experiences for children and families.
Admission and parking are free, with games and festival activities included at no charge.
Opening ceremonies begin at 9:30 AM with a St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting led by Chamber President Julie Lunning and the Chamber’s official Top Hat Ambassadors. The Waite Park American Legion Honor Guard will present the colors at 9:40 AM. Doors officially open at 9:45 AM, when Maddie Moore will perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” and continue with a musical set to start the festival.
Festival activities will run from 10 AM to 3 PM, with music concluding by 4 PM.
Live music will be featured throughout the day, including selections from the Minnesota Family Festival Soundtrack, a collection of familiar patriotic, folk, gospel and community songs shared across generations.
Aksel Krafnick will perform from 11 AM to noon, including “Home on the Range” and “Clementine.” Minnesota singer-songwriter Charlie Roth will perform from 1:30 to 2:30 PM, including “Red River Valley.” From 2:30 to 3 PM, Kathy Kampa will lead young children and their families in singing and dancing, featuring “She’ll Be Coming ’Round the Mountain.”
Beyond the stage, the festival will be filled with opportunities to play. Planned attractions include a giant Zorb Ball race, inflatable jousting, bounce houses and additional inflatable games.
More than 20 businesses, nonprofits, public agencies and community organizations are helping bring Minnesota Family Festival to life. Leading support comes from the St. Joseph Lions Club, Funtastic FunInflatable Party Rentals, Sentry Bank, Granite City Jump and Central Minnesota Council, Scouting America. The St. Joseph Lions Club will offer free eye exams and collect used eyeglass frames, while Scouting will bring an inflatable archery experience.
Other sponsors and participating organizations include JD Home Healthcare, Traut Companies, St. Cloud Honda, St. Cloud Youth Hockey, Amy Hedtke State Farm, St. Joseph Rod and Gun Club, Northcrest Kids Activity Center, Nurture to Play, Bravo Burrito, YMCA, Waite Park Police, the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, Aslan Health, St. Cloud Friends of the Library, Dee Chen Kung Fu and the St. Cloud Chess Club.
The festival will extend outdoors, where families can get an up-close look at a Waite Park Fire Department truck, a Waite Park squad car and a large Traut Companies truck.
Food will be available for purchase throughout the event, with a breakfast menu in the morning and a separate lunch menu later in the day.
Minnesota Family Festival was created to bring families together for a day centered on fun, music, play and community. Rather than simply gathering organizations under one roof, the festival is designed around participation, with businesses, nonprofits, public agencies and community groups helping create experiences children and families can enjoy together.
Minnesota Family Festival
Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026
The Park Event Center, Waite Park
Opening ceremonies: 9:30 AM
Doors open: 9:45 AM
Festival activities: 10 AM–3 PM
Music concludes by 4 PM
Free admission, parking, games and festival activities
More information is available at
Minnesota Family Festival, find ways to get involved through sponsorship, booth applications, volunteering, Main Stage auditions, and more.
