Little Falls Dam Festival: History and Visitor Guide

Where the name comes from

Most town festivals are named for a season, a founder, or a crop. Little Falls named its summer party after the piece of infrastructure that built the place: the dam on the Mississippi. It is a fitting choice. The dam is why the town is here, and Maple Island Park — where the festival is held — looks straight out at the 1888 structure.

A newer tradition

The Dam Festival is not an old event dressed up as heritage; it started in 2005, launched by Richard John Lano, who had family ties to Little Falls. In under two decades it has become a fixture of the local June calendar, the weekend residents plan around and expats come home for.

What happens

The festival packs a lot into a summer weekend along the river. The pieces that anchor it:

• The parade — a morning procession through town, the traditional opening note of the weekend.
• The North Dam Market — more than 50 vendors set up at Maple Island Park.
• Food and family activities — food vendors, a beer garden, inflatables, kids' games, and music at the park.
• Fireworks over the Mississippi — the finale, launched over the river after dark.

The setting does a lot of the work. Fireworks are good anywhere; fireworks reflected off the Mississippi, over the dam that gives the festival its name, are better.

Make a weekend of it

The festival is the reason to come, but the town rewards a longer stay. Maple Island Park is covered in the parks guide; the Lindbergh house and the museums fill an afternoon; and Lindbergh State Park is minutes away for a hike. For the town's other signature event, see the Arts & Crafts Fair in September.