Art in Bloom at Mia — free night

Art in Bloom opens this weekend at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, with floral installations filling the museum from Thursday, April 23, through Sunday, April 26. (new.artsmia.org) The 2026 festival is free and open to the public, and Mia says more than 100 florists are creating floral interpretations of works from the museum’s permanent collection. FOX 9’s weekend guide lists the event as running April 23–26 with guided tours and family activities. (new.artsmia.org) (fox9.com) Mia’s posted festival hours include a late night on Thursday, when the museum stays open until 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday closes at 5 p.m. The museum’s visit page says admission remains free during the festival. (new.artsmia.org 1) (new.artsmia.org 2) At Mia, Art in Bloom works by pairing fresh flower arrangements with specific artworks, so visitors move through the galleries seeing paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts reimagined in flowers. The museum says the 2026 edition includes more than 160 floral interpretations across the building. (new.artsmia.org) This year’s event is larger than the four-day gallery display alone. Mia says 2026 is the first year Art in Bloom has expanded into monthlong April programming, with added workshops, family events, public tours, and other activities. (new.artsmia.org 1) (new.artsmia.org 2) The festival is presented by the Friends of the Institute, which Mia describes as one of the nation’s oldest and most active museum volunteer organizations. Mia says Art in Bloom is the Friends’ largest annual fundraiser, with proceeds supporting Friends operations and school bus grants that bring students to the museum. (new.artsmia.org) Some pieces of the weekend are already filling up. Mia’s Art in Bloom Daily Public Tours page says guided public tours have reached capacity, though tickets are not required to visit the museum during the festival. (new.artsmia.org) Visitors planning to drive should expect event pricing and tight parking. Mia says festival parking is $25 in the ramp, $20 in surface lots, and $30 for valet, and it warns that lots and the ramp are expected to fill early. (new.artsmia.org) The museum’s floral centerpiece this year draws on *Presentation Vase Decorated with Birds and Flowers*, a Japanese cloisonné enamel vase from the early 20th century that Mia says was once owned by James J. Hill. By Sunday evening, the flowers come down, and the galleries go back to looking like Mia again. (new.artsmia.org)