Rondo Days is an annual festival held the 3rd Saturday in July in Saint Paul, Minnesota, that commemorates the Rondo neighborhood, an African-American community that was split in two by the construction of Interstate 94 in the mid-1960s. The festival has grown since its inception in 1983, by co-founders Floyd G. Smaller and Marvin R. Anderson, to become the largest African American sponsored festival in Minnesota.[1]
History
The construction of Highway 94 through St. Paul in the 1960s destroyed several neighborhoods including Rondo - the backbone of the black community in the Twin Cities. Every June, Rondo days celebrate that community via an annual multi-cultural reunion, started in 1983.[2][3]
With officials scrapping the 2020 festival caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 37th was deferred to 2021.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9c/Pathways_to_Power_-_Rondo_Days_Parade_%2842838648384%29.jpg/220px-Pathways_to_Power_-_Rondo_Days_Parade_%2842838648384%29.jpg)
Festivities
The Rondo Days Grande Parade begins promptly at 10AM, on the 3rd Saturday of July, at St. Claver Church and ending near the MLK Rec Center Park.[4] There is live music and food, and a drill team contest with participants from around the region.[5][6] Other activities have included pony rides, a bike clinic, and petting zoo. Community partners include churches, sports teams, schools and others.[7][2][3]