Weekend Best Bets: March 24–26

Your weekend to-do list for the metro area

Friday, March 24

From China with Love

What: Gao Hong’s Chinglish
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: The O’Shaughnessy, 2004 Randolph Ave., St. Paul
The pipa is a hollow-bodied Chinese lute. Gao Hong plucks its four strings and uses a video backdrop to tell her story of cultural crossing: confusing “Mountain Dew” with “mildew”; moving from China to America and marrying an English-speaking husband; and conjuring an emotional response from an immigration officer with her love letters. Learn more

Contagiously Danceable

What: Unset
When: 7:30 p.m.
Where: The Southern Theater, 1420 S. Washington Ave., Minneapolis
Have you ever let loose in public, improvising a dance move before a makeshift audience? Context is everything, so if you were just in the food court at the mall, you remember this moment with regret. But at Southern Theater, if you’re chosen to co-create choreography with the company on stage, your impromptu jig will define an evening of performance. Learn more


Saturday, March 25

A Musical Mélange

What: Red Bull Sound Select
When: 9 p.m.
Where: Icehouse, 2528 Nicollet Ave., Minneapolis
Artist development program Red Bull Sound Select brings its second show to the Twin Cities, pairing Minneapolis’s own ’80s-pop, funk-flavored, recent Tickle Torture collaborator Velvet Negroni with Brooklyn’s Nina Simone-voiced, ’90s R&B-reviving serpentwithfeet as openers to the electronically soulful sound of California’s Francis and the Lights. Learn more

Chase That Leprechaun

What: Chanhassen St. Paddy’s Half Marathon
When: 8:30 a.m.
Where: Chanhassen High School, 2200 Lyman Blvd., Chanhassen
St. Patrick’s Day was last weekend, but get out your green again to run or walk off that beer weight, support this year’s charity, meal program Loaves and Fishes, and come away with a finisher medal. Kids ages eight and younger can run the Kids Dash, starting 15 minutes before the 5k. If you’d prefer sedentary community, volunteer on the sidelines. Learn more


Sunday, March 26

Seasonal Shopping

What: March Mania Stop & Shop
When: Noon­–4 p.m.
Where: North St. Paul American Legion Post 39, 2678 7th Ave. E., St. Paul
Ready to start spring with some deals? More than 40 vendors—including local artisans, upcyclers, resellers, and sales representatives—bring crafts, clothes, jewelry, books, kitchenware, and other items to St. Paul for a full day of shopping, featuring music by DJ E and free shopping bags for the first 25 attendees, four of which will contain prizes. Learn more

Oysters Springing Open

What: Spring Oyster Pop-up
When: 3–9 p.m.
Where: Grand Café, 3804 Grand Ave. S., Minneapolis
You can prepare an oyster many ways. Round out your week by letting St. Louis Park’s The Fish Guys show you some of those ways with a fresh assortment of mollusks, plus hors d’oeuvres from Grain & Anchor and a full bar with champagne and local beers to complement the clammed, melty meats. Make an evening of it with friends and live music. Learn more