Minnesota Yacht Club Festival brought second year festival to the twin cities

The Minnesota Yacht Club Festival brought acts together that Minnesotan’s loved. The festival’s second year in the twin cities was a great success, with over 40,000 people in attendance. There were loads of surprise performers, lots of hometown love, and nostalgic acts that brought crowds together (Thnks fr th mmrs, Fall Out Boy!)

Boasting no over lapping performances, festival attendees were able to enjoy every set of the day they paid for. The weekend was full of high- energy, fist pumping performances and mostly perfect Minnesota weather.

Although his set was cut short due to a thunderstorm, Hozier played some old favorites, spoke out about against all the hatred going on in the world and said to “be kind to one another, because we’re all we’ve got.” He dedicated his song Nina Cried Power to all the women that have spoken out for unity and justice, before him. It was truly magical watching Hozier serenade the crowd with “Jackie and Wilson” as the rain came down.

Green Day rocked our socks off, kicking things off with ‘American Idiot’, and ‘Holiday.’ Billie Joe Armstrong and the rest of the band were able to transport the band to the 2000’s with the strum of their guitars and the incredible drumming skills of Tre Cool. They were exuberantlyy happy to be in the Twin Cities, and the crowd was going wild. It was so nostalgic, but mostly beautiful to watch music bring everyone together like that.

Local acts Raffaella and Mike Kota were huge highlights of the afternoons, kicking things off on Friday and Saturday. Kicking things off at a festival can sometimes be a challenge, but both of these artists stepped up to the plate and nailed it.

Mike Kota with her down-to-earth stage presence and incredible melodic vocals, shouted out that it was one of the biggest shows they’ve ever played. The crowd was visibly so excited to root for them, and every where I looked people were looking them up on socials and Spotify, quickly converting to fans.

Raffaella’s bouncy and energetic stage presence was beloved as well, and set the tone for the rest of the day. She played hits like “Blond” and “Bardot.” Raffaella is witty and charming, and fans loved bopping along to her songs. Her set had folks hipping and hopping, even in the blazing sun. We caught up with Raffaella for a quick portrait session as well!

Another noteworthy moment from the festival was The Alabama Shakes’ set. Brittany Howard’s vocals are some of the most impressive pipes of our generation and they did not disappoint. It was such a great reunion for the band, who announced new tour dates in 2025 for the first time in 8 years. Festival goers appreciated every moment with the band and screamed along to “Hold On” and “Always Alright.” Brittany took the time to thank the crowd, expressing lots of gratitude for us being there with her. Brittany told a story of being born n a junk yard, and how hard she’s worked to get here. She explained how much it meant to her to be able to be here with us, in Minnesota at this awesome festival after years and years of her career. “It’s feeling really good to sing these songs to you,” she said.

Other highlights that we’d be remiss to not mention: The Beaches! The all female, Canadian band absolutely killed their performances of hits like “Blame Brett’ and “Last Girls at The Party.” Each band member, (Leandra, Eliza, Jordan, and Kylie) work in perfect harmony to create the rockstar energy they bring to the stage. They have fans of all ages, and alot of fans that came for Green Day were clearly leaving converted Beaches fans. They kept the energy punchy and bold, asking the audience when they took the stage,”Are you guys ready to get wet?” Jordan Miller, front woman and singer, has a confident and clearly cool-girl vibe about her and did a great job keeping the audience captivated.

All in all, our review of Minnesota Yacht Club is full of high praise. This festival, although in its early years and a freshman on the scene, should be on your radar for next year. There was a whole in the market in the upper midwest, and the Minnesota Yacht Club has filled it perfectly. It’s deeming to be a great festival as far as midwest music fests go, and at the price point, location, and no overlapping set times, you’re getting a screaming deal. See you next year, Yacht Club!