Polish Celebration Makes Twin Cities Debut

It’s tough to pronounce, difficult to explain, and unknown to even most Polish Americans. However, Dyngus Day (pronounced Ding-us Day) has become a cultural phenomenon in the Buffalo, N.Y., area, turning that city, for one day, into the center of the polka universe. Each year, more than 40 separate venues in the city host events with live polka music, a Dyngus Day parade draws spectators in the tens of thousands, and the city is bedecked in red and white, the colors of the Polish flag. Other celebrations have followed suit in South Bend, Indiana; Cleveland; and Chicago. Since the Twin Cities area itself is home to a sizeable Polish American population, it was inevitable that Dyngus Day fever would come westward.

The area’s first Dyngus Day Bash is being held on Easter Monday, April 22, at 612Brew, 945 Broadway, St. NE. The event is a partnering between the locally owned craft brewer and The Main Squeeze, one of the Twin Cities’ more progressive polka bands. Polka music and dancing, outstanding Polish food (provided by local food truck, iPierogi), and some of the best brews Northeast has to offer. The Main Squeeze will play 5-10 pm.