Chill Out: The Great Northern Launch Party
Thu, Jan 25, 6–8 pm
Surly Brewing & O’Shaughnessy Distillery
Tickets: Donation-based
Join us at Surly Brewing and O’Shaughnessy Distillery for The Great Northern's kick off party. From 6-7 pm, enjoy special menus at both venues while DJ Cassieopia lures us into the Surly courtyard to experience her live set accompanying new video art by festival artists past, present and future: Alec Soth, Nicholas Galanin, Jaida Grey Eagle, Chris Larson and Finn Ryan. At 7 pm, Dance Church founder Kate Wallich will get attendees' blood pumping with a fun warmup session, leading into a high energy set by hyperpop artist SYM1.
Festive winter dress encouraged! Members of the Fashion Week Minnesota team will be in attendance and looking to find the most stylish outfits that celebrate our cold, creative winters. A few lucky winners will be chosen and win prizes.
Specialty food and beverages:
Pork Adobo (Surly Food Hall): Doubling down on local excellence, this dish includes sustainable pork from Iowa’s Berkwood Farms and heirloom corn tortillas from Nixta in Minneapolis. Berkwood Farms is a coalition of 60 independent family farms dedicated to humane, earth-friendly practices, while Gustavo and Kate Romero’s Nixta makes world-class tortillas right here in Minnesota.
O'Shaughnessy's Container Bar will be open and serving specialty hot toddies and Irish coffee. The Whiskey Lounge Bar will have walk-up service for all other cocktails.
- Irish Coffee (Jan 25 is National Irish Coffee Day!): Warm up with this comforting blend of Keeper’s Heart Irish + American Whiskey, freshly brewed coffee, local maple syrup, and topped with lightly-whipped cream and freshly grated nutmeg
- Neoclassical Hot Toddy: Keeper's Heart Irish + American, Orange Zest, Irish Breakfast Tea, Lemon
- Chill Out Chocolate Mousse Cake: Chocolate Cake layered with Rich Chocolate Mousse, Keeper's Heart Bourbon Whipped Cream
- $5 mini whiskey tours at 6:15, 6:45, 7:15, and 7:45
Green travel made easy! Metro Transit is offering free rides on bus and METRO lines in partnership with The Great Northern Thu, Jan 25 from 3-11 pm. Download your pass here.
About the Artists
Unsubscribed from reality as we know it, SYM1 (pronounced sim-ONE or si-MOAN) is a Minneapolis-based pop artist, producer, and vocalist using hyperpop and alternative aesthetics to inspire a renaissance of the early 2000s rave culture.
Cassieopia is a community organizer and leader with a strong lineage stemming from one of the first Black families to settle in Saint Paul, Minnesota, in the Rondo neighborhood. She has DJ’d as well as played her beats live at events all across the Twin Cities on stages such as First Avenue/7th Street Entry, the Walker Arts Center, Guthrie Theater, and one of the Midwest's largest music jubilee’s, SoundSet music festival, on the Last of The Record Buyers Stage. As an advocate for local artists, she understands the importance of providing opportunities for marginalized BIPOC artists and communities. From the beginning of her career until now, she continues to use DJing not only to uplift the vibe of any room, but also as a tool toward causes that aid in social justice.
Kate Wallich is a dancer, choreographer, educator, and the founder of Dance Church, who believes in the combined power of artists and the public. Named one of Dance Magazine’s ‘25 to Watch’, her large-scale performance works have been commissioned and presented by world-renowned arts institutions; The Joyce Theater, Mass Moca, Seattle Theater Group, Walker Art Center, On the Boards and Velocity Dance Center amongst many others.
Accommodations generously provided by Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot. 
