Highland Park's Peak Summer Window: A Resident's Guide to Late July Through Early August
The stretch of Highland Park summer that matters most is shorter than people think. From roughly July 18 through August 9, three of the neighborhood's signature events overlap, the Ford Parkway food row settles into its warm-weather rhythm, and the sidewalks around Snelling and Montreal feel busier than at any other point in the year. If you live here, this is the window worth blocking on the calendar.
Everything else in summer is pleasant. This is the concentrated version.
The neighborhood tends to talk about summer events as if they're spread evenly across June, July, and August. Look at the actual dates and a different pattern emerges. Circus Juventas, the Highland Tower open house, and the run-up to the Great River Race stack almost on top of each other.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| July 18–19 | Highland Tower Open House | 782 Snelling Ave S |
| July 23 – August 9 | Circus Juventas summer show, Whimsy | 1270 Montreal Ave |
| August 29 | 16th Annual Great River Race | Hidden Falls Regional Park |
| September 10 | Music at the Bridge | Highland Bridge Civic Plaza |
Four anchors, all within a mile and a half of each other, all free or modestly ticketed. Nothing in this neighborhood asks less of a summer weekend.
The Highland Water Tower opens to the public exactly twice a year, and in 2026 the summer weekend is July 18 and 19, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 782 Snelling Avenue South, where visitors can climb 151 steps to the top for panoramic views of the surrounding area. That's it for the summer view. The next chance is October, when the leaves have turned and the sightlines look nothing like they do in July.
A few things worth knowing before you go. The tower was designed by Clarence Wigington, a city of Saint Paul architect from 1915–1949 who also designed the Saint Paul Public Safety Building and the Como Park Pavilion, and completed in 1928 with facings of Kasota and Bedford stone and a riveted steel-plate tank with a capacity of 200,000 gallons. Wigington was the nation's first African-American municipal architect. If you have out-of-town guests visiting that weekend, this is the one item on the itinerary they cannot get anywhere else.
Practical note for anyone with kids or knees: the stairway is a narrow spiral, single-file, and once you commit you're committed. Bring water. Go early on Saturday if you want the tank room to yourself.
Five days after the tower closes, the Circus Juventas big top opens its 2026 summer show. The production, Whimsy, is set in a historic chocolate shop in a cobblestone alley in old Philadelphia, where a young chocolatier named Valrhona is on the verge of discovering her family's rich history of confectionary magic when her treasured family recipe book mysteriously vanishes. The performance run is July 23 through August 9, with tech and dress rehearsals July 20–22.
Two things about Circus Juventas that longtime Highland residents already know but newer neighbors sometimes miss. First, this is not a children's show in the polite sense. Since 1995, the annual summer show has featured the company's most advanced troupe in a large-scale, professionally produced showcase that culminates in approximately 20 performances that sell out quickly, blending circus, dance, and theater. Second, it does sell out. If you're planning to invite family or friends, book before the tower weekend, not after.
For groups that want the treatment, there is a Blaze Balcony option: a private suite above the Big Top with seating for 12 and space for up to 6 additional standing guests, access up to an hour before showtime, three reserved front-row parking spots, and a curated charcuterie spread from local favorite Platter to Plate along with wine, beer, soft drinks, and seasonal snacks. It's the closest thing Highland Park has to a corporate box.
The Ford Parkway food row has quietly filled in over the last two years, and the peak-summer window is when the patios are actually usable. A few specifics.
Altera. The newer small-plates room on Ford Parkway occupies the former Agra Culture space and has been drawing steady coverage since it opened. The Highland District Council's Community Development Committee reviewed the Altera Restaurant proposal at its October 15, 2024 meeting, which gives you a sense of how recently this addition to the block arrived. Small plates, cocktail-forward, better on a warm weeknight than a Saturday at 8.
Ichiddo Ramen. At 2073 Ford Parkway, open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The tonkotsu is the right thing to eat before a Circus Juventas evening show, provided you leave yourself twenty minutes to walk it off before you sit down for aerial work.
Neither is a destination restaurant. Both are what neighborhood dining is supposed to be: reliable, close, staffed by people who recognize you by the second visit.
If you only do one lesser-known thing this summer, make it the Great River Race.
The 16th Annual Great River Race takes place August 29, 2026 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hidden Falls Regional Park, 1313 Hidden Falls Drive. It's a family-friendly paddling event on the Mississippi River that supports youth education programs, featuring a competitive race along with activities and opportunities for spectators to participate.
Hidden Falls sits at the base of the bluff below Highland Bridge, close enough that most residents can walk or bike down and back without moving a car. The morning light on the river at that hour is the argument. You don't need to paddle to get the payoff.
There's also a longer-term reason Hidden Falls is worth paying attention to. The city has been planning to "daylight" Hidden Falls Creek, identified as a priority in the City's adopted Great River Passage plan, as part of the Ford Site stormwater work. The park you know today is not the park your kids will inherit.
The peak window closes on August 9 with the final Circus Juventas performance, but the neighborhood has one more communal evening built in before fall takes over. Music at the Bridge on September 10, 2026 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Highland Bridge Civic Plaza, 2019 Bohland Avenue, is hosted by the Highland District Council and features live entertainment, food trucks, games, and beer and wine for purchase, drawing approximately 400 attendees.
It's the event most likely to introduce you to neighbors you've walked past for two years without meeting. The plaza sits at the north edge of the Highland Bridge development, and if you haven't walked that ground recently, the site has changed. St. Paul's Planning Commission got a reality check on Highland Bridge at its May 1 meeting, and city staff and developers said the long-planned redevelopment of the former Ford assembly site finally has fresh momentum, with streets, utilities, and new buildings all moving again. The civic plaza on the north end near Ford Parkway is the section closest to being finished.
Here's how a Highland Park household might actually spend the three weeks.
Five commitments across seven weeks. None of them requires a car for more than ten minutes. That's the argument for living in a neighborhood this compact: the good stuff is walkable, and it clusters.
Peak-summer weekends are also when Highland Park is at its most legible to people who don't live here yet. Friends visit from other parts of the metro, a cousin comes in from out of state, a coworker mentions they've been thinking about the west side of St. Paul. If any of those conversations turn into a real question about the neighborhood, I'd be glad to sit down and talk through what's actually changing on the ground, from the Ford Parkway retail row to what's happening block by block at Highland Bridge.
For a longer conversation about Highland Park as a place to live, sell, or invest, reach out to Natasha Cejudo. Let's connect — start the conversation.
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Natasha prides herself on an honest, transparent, and comprehensive approach based on mutual understanding and clear communication. She is patient, insightful, attentive, and responsive; her professionalism, humor, and candid approach make her a joy to work with. If you are considering a move this year or next, she would welcome a conversation with you!