Holidazzle returns to its roots at Nicolett Mall after 2023 cancellation

NINA MOINI: We're going to stick with the holidays by talking about the Holidazzle. In about two weeks, the Holidazzle will be returning to its beginnings-- Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. The event started as a parade in 1992 that attracted more than 750,000 people downtown.

In 2016, it moved to Loring Park due to construction on Nicollet Mall. And since the pandemic, the event has really been on thin ice. Last year was altogether canceled.

Now, starting December 18, the city will be celebrating the holiday season back on Nicollet Mall. So joining me now to talk about the newest iteration of the Holidazzle is the CEO and President of the Minneapolis Downtown Council, Adam Duininck. Thanks for being here, Adam.

ADAM DUININCK: Thanks for having me, Nina. Appreciate it.

NINA MOINI: Well, the Holidazzle, many of us who grew up here have memories over the years of going there. Tell me about this decision to move the Holidazzle back to Nicollet Mall.

ADAM DUININCK: I'd say a couple of things. One, there is a significant amount of interest in having Holidazzle back in the downtown core. I started my job almost exactly a year ago, and there was already energy around let's bring this back to the downtown core where it's been.

And a couple of things happened last winter. There was a retail market, the Dayton's Market, and some of our pop-up markets that we helped to produce in City Center, and IDS, and some of the other buildings on Nicollet. Did really well, performed well. There was a lot of foot traffic. There's increased energy downtown.

And we talked to a bunch of our members. We talked to other downtown stakeholders. And we were able to both raise some resources and continue that energy.

And then the second thing I'd say is just the energy that happened on Nicollet this summer with the US Gymnastics Trials and the retail market that happened on Nicollet there, a really successful Taste of Minnesota downtown. And I think both the mayor, the city council, downtown observers, and the downtown council and our members said to ourselves, how can we continue to feed into this energy of bringing people down to Nicollet Avenue? And this just seemed like a great opportunity for Holidazzle.

NINA MOINI: And so last year was canceled due to a lack of funding, it sounds like. Can you explain where the funding came from this year, and how you were able to bring it back?

ADAM DUININCK: Yeah, I'd say it was partially a lack of funding. When I started, my predecessor said we probably could have produced the event, but it would have been financially challenging. But in the change of leadership, maybe now is a good time to rethink the event altogether.

And that's where I started talking to a bunch of business owners and other civic leaders around the city to drum up that support and interest. And our sponsors are some of our largest employers downtown, which we're really excited about-- folks like Target, and Xcel Energy, and some of the larger employers that have played such a big role in Downtown CenterPoint Energy, Sherman Associates and others. But there's all kinds of larger energy coming from a bigger group of people that are just excited to see the event put on and produced.

I guess the way I'd say it is, it wasn't just a funding shortage. It was also, let's rethink this Holidazzle festival. Let's have it maybe more of a street festival. Let's think about arts and entertainment and connecting to some of the other activities that are already happening downtown, but that are really driving the Renaissance downtown. That's the Fine Line, the Dakota, the Guthrie, the Minnesota Orchestra, the theater arts.

There's a couple of really big Timberwolves games, too. And so you think about the sports scene downtown-- the Timberwolves, the Minnesota Vikings and the Twins and the Lynx-- the teams that are really driving energy downtown. How can we link into some of those things that are already happening and take advantage of what we think could be the future of Nicollet Avenue, which is potentially the buses off and a little bit more of a park-like, outdoor feel? And really embracing that bold Norse sentiment that we really took on about 10 years ago when we hosted the Super Bowl.

NINA MOINI: And people might not know. You mentioned businesses, but Holidazzle began because small businesses in downtown were worried that they were going to lose business to Mall of America, which was being built at the time. I just learned that today.

We know that downtown Minneapolis, in general, some businesses have left since the pandemic. Less people are working, living down there. So how does this new format of Holidazzle mold the state of downtown or its future? Is this a jumping-off point?

ADAM DUININCK: Yeah, I'm glad you raised that. I'd say a couple of things. One, retail is part of why we're excited about doing Holidazzle on Nicollet. We've seen the Dayton's Market do really highly successful business the last couple of years, and they continue to grow and evolve.

The Minnesota sports teams and The Minnesota Star Tribune and Minneapolis Foundation came together to launch a Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame that's going to be at Dayton's Building. And that will be a great attraction and something fun to try out here in November and December. So there's a couple of things happening down there.

But to your broader question of retail downtown, retail is really driven by people being there. So it's either people living there, visiting, or coming into the office. We've seen a decline in people come to the office, but we've actually continued to see an uptick in people wanting to live downtown.

The residential number of people that live in the five neighborhoods around downtown is about 60,000. And if that number continues to grow-- and we hope that it does if we can convert some buildings into housing and continue to see what's happening, for example, with the Northstar Center and the Groove Lofts that are set to open here in the next month-- people are moving into the core. And if people live there, there's going to be that demand for retail.

And will we compete with the Mall of America someday? We have a lot of work to do to get there. But North Loop has a pretty thriving retail environment. And I think that there's opportunity in other parts of downtown, too-- for example, Mill District and Elliot Park and even the core, if we have people there. And that's why putting these events on are so important, because it gives people a reason to come downtown.

NINA MOINI: Sure.

ADAM DUININCK: It gives families a connection. And hopefully it showcases our city in what I believe is one of our best seasons. I love seeing snow on the ground. I love seeing the lights and embracing that winter mentality.

NINA MOINI: All right. Nicollet Mall, you mentioned, I used to work along Nicollet Mall when I was working at Channel 4. And it was around 2015 where they were redoing Nicollet Mall, and it took years.

And just last week, the Downtown Council revealed their 2035 strategic plan that includes making more changes to Nicollet Mall. And I thought to myself, didn't they just redo Nicollet Mall? And now wanting to turn it into a pedestrian-only area where before there were buses. Why do you think this is the right direction to go, and what do you say to residents who are concerned? Why do we keep spending money on Nicollet Mall?

ADAM DUININCK: Yeah, I think there's an opportunity to be both a bridge the Downtown Council can serve from the public and the private investments that would happen there. I also think that what we see as an opportunity on Nicollet is to do two things. It's to connect Loring Park and the Convention Center directly to the river in a meaningful way.

This is Minnesota's Main Street, Nicollet Avenue. There's a lot of important streets downtown, don't get me wrong-- Hennepin Avenue, Washington Avenue. But Nicollet Avenue is really particularly special in terms of our history and in terms of the importance to our city and to our state. It could be that connection.

It could also, if it's done well, be a parkland, be a green space, which would be right out the front door of a number of office spaces that are already pretty good destinations, pretty important places of employment. But imagine Target or Xcel Energy or US Bank having a parkland right outside their office building, and what that can do for the downtown real estate scene, as well-- which we know has been hard hit by some big changes in what's going to happen with the future of work in commercial real estate.

So I think that the vision that we're trying to cast is there's more energy momentum now than there's ever been to explore moving the buses to a different location. Just taking the buses off of Nicollet isn't going to create a vibrant downtown, a vibrant Nicollet Avenue. What it's going to take to do that is a significant amount of resources, time, energy, creativity, artists working with business people, making it a full downtown experience. And I think that's what Nicollet Mall is capable of. I'm really excited about the future of it.

NINA MOINI: And before we go, we just have about a minute left, but we know a lot of downtowns have been struggling. Certainly Minneapolis isn't the only one since the pandemic. People do have concerns still about coming downtown some of the time. What would be your pitch to folks to come down there and ensure they're going to have a good time?

ADAM DUININCK: I'm a big believer in the old saying, "don't tell me how safe it is, show me." "Don't tell me what a great experience you're going to have, show me." And to that I would say, if you're thinking about coming downtown, bring your family, meet your friends down here. Come down before a show or stay after dinner and experience downtown.

It is as exciting and vibrant as it's ever been. Big cities are always going to have a little bit of a public safety challenging component. But I think the work we're doing is really setting the course for turning that around in Minneapolis.

NINA MOINI: Thank you, Adam. I'm hearing the music, so that means we got to go. But I appreciate your time. Best of luck with this event.

ADAM DUININCK: Thanks for having me.

NINA MOINI: That's Adam Duininck, CEO and President of the Minneapolis Downtown Council. That's it for us this afternoon. Thank you so much for listening to Minnesota Now. We'll see you right back here tomorrow.