Nicollet Mall will be aglow with festive window displays and pop-up shops this holiday season.

‍Holidays on Nicollet starts on Nov. 24, with the opening of four pop-up shops featuring about 70 vendors total and a variety of wares, including clothing, jewelry and gifts. From then on, the shops will be open every Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until early January.

Where you can find the holiday pop-up shops along Nicollet:

  • 50 S. 6th St.
  • City Center
  • IDS Center
  • U.S. Bancorp Center

Local artists will create holiday scenes in 10 storefront windows lining Nicollet, using vintage figurines from the former Dayton’s department store. The displays will be unveiled on Nov. 25 and stay up through the holidays.

These buildings will have window displays:

  • 60 South 6th
  • City Center (two locations)
  • Gaviidae Common
  • IDS Center
  • Meet Minneapolis Visitor Information Center
  • U.S. Bancorp Center
  • Young Quinlan Building

“We are excited to unveil a collection of unique holiday experiences you can only enjoy downtown,” Downtown Council President and CEO Steve Cramer said in a statement. “Holidays on Nicollet activities are not only unique to downtown but help support local small businesses and artists. It includes great locations to visit, browse and shop, and add to the experiences of dining, shows, games and performances you are enjoying downtown this holiday season.”

Minneapolis Downtown Council's Holidays on Nicollet map.

Hennepin Theatre Trust owns 34 figurines featured in eighth-floor holiday displays at Dayton’s throughout the course of 26 years, and it’s loaning 10 of them to the Minneapolis Downtown Council for the window displays.

“This holiday season, there’s no place more magical than downtown Minneapolis,” Hennepin Theatre Trust President & CEO Todd Duesing said in a statement. “We’re proud to lend these classic figurines and partner with the mpls downtown council and local businesses to bring the quintessential memories of Dayton’s Holiday Show back downtown in a new format, while advancing the vibrancy of our city.”

Holidays on Nicollet is an extension of Minneapolis’ “vibrant storefront” work. The Downtown Council is producing it in partnership with Hennepin Theatre Trust and the city’s Arts & Cultural Affairs Department, with support from Meet Minneapolis, the Minnesota Orchestra, Dayton’s and Ryan Companies.

“We are thrilled to be supporting this project that is re-animating historic Nicollet Mall during the holiday season,” Arts & Cultural Affairs Department Director Ben Johnson said in a statement. “So many people have treasured memories about coming to Downtown, and we want to capture this energy again. I am also excited to see the unique work of the Minneapolis-based artists that are providing their talents in creating these special holiday windows for everyone to enjoy.”

These Minneapolis artists are lending their talents to the displays:

  • Alexandra Beaumont
  • Jerry and Cyrus Carlson
  • Heather Cole
  • Rachel Coyne
  • Dusty Dembley
  • Betsey Giles
  • Kada Goalen
  • Modern Day Me (Jared Hanks and Simone Alexa)
  • Stacie Kammerling
  • Wil Natzel

Plus, the Dayton's Project is bringing back its Winter Maker's Market and Santa Bear window display for the third year. The market opens on Nov. 16, runs through Dec. 30 and features 78 Minnesota vendors.

There's also a market inside the Nordic Village cabins on the Four Seasons hotel's rooftop that's open from noon to 4 p.m. on weekends throughout November, December and January.

Nearly 500 events are scheduled to take place downtown between Thanksgiving and the New Year, according to the Downtown Council.

Of course, there’s no Holidazzle in Loring Park this year. Since the Downtown Council announced its cancellation, many people have expressed support for bringing it back to Nicollet Mall, so here’s hoping that it happens next year.