What was Minnesota’s best in music, theater, dance and art in 2024?

In a year of big stadium shows and cool underplays, critics Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider pointed to two brat happenings on the concert scene. The worst venue in the metro was the site of a pick for top concert of the year. Read more about the top Twin Cities area concerts here.

Top-name producers aided Scrunchies, the Shackletons and Charlie Parr in this year’s efforts, but the rest did fine on their own. Read more about the top 10 Minnesota albums here.

Albums still matter in the digital music era. Jon Bream and Chris Riemenschneider each listed their 10 favorites, and they even agreed on a few. Read more about the top albums of 2024 here.

Rohan Preston’s slate of top shows leaned toward the new and fresh, and took note of trends in a field laboring to attract patrons while being fiscally responsible. The year also showcased grandness. Read more about the best Twin Cities area theater performances here.

The re-creation of a ‘90s era Black-owned gay bar, a visual art show that explored taste, sound, touch and hearing, and several Indigenous-focused shows were among Alicia Eler’s favorites in visual arts this year. Read more about the top Twin Cities art events here.

Moor Mother’s “The Great Bailout,” Daniil Trifonov’s Chopin Society recital and Richard Egarr and the SPCO’s Bach “Brandenburg” Concertos were among Rob Hubbard’s favorites in classical music this year. Read more about the top Twin Cities classical music events here.

It was a rough year for dance with the Cowles Center closing, Minnesota Dance Theatre pausing its performance company and James Sewell Ballet announcing it will sunset in March of 2025. Yet the dance community persevered, offering inspiring, thought-provoking works throughout the year and showing that dance is as vital as ever. Read more about Sheila Regan’s picks for the most notable Twin Cities area dance events here.