Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster Returns Sept. 10-12 With Parade, Drone Show, Fireworks and Live Music
BURNSVILLE, MINNESOTA - One of Burnsville’s longest-running community traditions returns this week as the Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster brings three days of live music, family activities, food, fire trucks, and special nighttime shows to the city.
The 2026 Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster runs Thursday, Sept. 10 through Saturday, Sept. 12, with activities spread across Nicollet Commons Park, Civic Center Park and several other locations around Burnsville. The festival is free to enter and is organized as a community fundraiser by the Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. More than 100 volunteers help organize the event in partnership with the City of Burnsville, with proceeds helping support local and area nonprofit organizations.
This year's festival includes several major attractions, including the traditional Fire Truck and Community Parade, a 1,200-drone aerial show commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and honoring local heroes, and what organizers are billing as the largest fireworks show in festival history in recognition of America's 250th anniversary.
Live entertainment will include Free & Easy Band, Kat Perkins Country Roads and Femmes of Rock, along with multicultural performances and other local entertainment.
Festival Begins Thursday in Heart of the City
The celebration gets underway Thursday with activities centered around Nicollet Commons Park and the Ames Center plaza. A festival medallion hunt is scheduled throughout the day in Burnsville parks, while the main kickoff festivities begin at 5 p.m.
The Food Truck Festival and Festival Kickoff Block Party will run from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Nicollet Commons Park and the Ames Center plaza
Free & Easy Band will perform from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the Walser Nicollet Commons Park Stage.
A craft beer tasting is also scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on the Heart of the City parking deck.
While admission to the overall festival is free, some individual activities, food, beverages, bingo, and other attractions require payment.
Friday Brings Family Activities, Fire Trucks, and Country Music
The festival moves primarily to Civic Center Park on Friday, where activities begin at 5 p.m. Food vendors will operate from 5 to 11 p.m., while merchandise vendors, sensory-friendly areas, and a multi-faith prayer area will also be available.
A new Family Fun Zone will run from 5 to 8 p.m. and is designed for children ages 2 to young teens. Attractions include eight giant inflatables, a Ninja Anywhere obstacle course, petting zoo and National Guard climbing wall. Unlimited Family Fun Zone wristbands are $10 on Friday. Organizers are also offering a presale promotion allowing attendees to buy five wristbands and receive one free. Kidz Korner will also operate from 5 to 8 p.m.
Fire trucks, a tradition dating back to the festival's earliest days, will be on display from 6 to 10 p.m.
Entertainment on the Walser Auto Group Main Stage includes Old School 191 from 6 to 7 p.m., followed later in the evening by Kat Perkins Country Roads from 8 to 11 p.m. Organizers are promoting Friday as "Country Night," with Kat Perkins and her band performing country favorites ahead of one of the festival's most anticipated events.
1,200 Drones to Commemorate 25th Anniversary of 9/11
At approximately 9:30 p.m. Friday, 1,200 drones will take to the sky above Civic Center Park for a special aerial show honoring those affected by the Sept. 11 attacks and recognizing local heroes. The approximately 15-minute show comes exactly 25 years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Organizers are encouraging attendees to arrive earlier in the evening for the music and other festival activities, then stay in the park for the aerial presentation.
Free bus service between the Burnsville Transit Station and Civic Center Park will operate Friday from approximately 3:35 to 11:50 p.m.
Fire Truck and Community Parade Returns Saturday
Saturday's activities begin early, including a pickleball tournament at Red Oak Park from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. One of the signature events of the weekend, the Fire Truck (Fire Muster) and Community Parade, begins at 11 a.m. Saturday along East 130th Street. Fire trucks will lead the parade, followed by the community parade.
According to the parade map provided by organizers, which you can see below, the route begins near the intersection of East 130th Street and Portland Avenue, travels west along East 130th Street, and ends near Nicollet Avenue and Civic Center Park. Spectators can line portions of both sides of East 130th Street.
There has been a change this year to the route's end. Instead of continuing farther along Nicollet Avenue, the parade will end near Nicollet Avenue and Civic Center Park, with participants directed south on Nicollet Avenue toward 134th Street after the route concludes.
Fire Muster Tradition Dates Back More Than Four Decades
Fire trucks have been at the center of Burnsville's community celebration since its beginning. The festival traces its roots to the late 1970s, when Burnsville resident and fire equipment collector Roger Jackson and friends displayed Jackson's collection of fire trucks at what was then Diamond Head Mall. The summertime displays included a short equipment parade along Nicollet Avenue.
When residents and business leaders began discussing a citywide community celebration, Jackson proposed a fire muster modeled after similar gatherings popular in New England. City officials supported the concept, and the Burnsville Fire Muster & Community Celebration officially began in 1980. Its founding leadership included Jackson as president, Glen McKee as vice president of community activities, Dan Hendrickson as vice president of fire activities, and Kirk Detlefsen as secretary and treasurer. Susan Flecker, Liz Manning, Dennis Pearson, and Edward Carducci served as directors.
The event eventually grew to feature firefighting equipment from throughout the Midwest, ranging from horse-drawn hand pumpers dating to around 1900 to modern firefighting apparatus. One of the festival's biggest milestones came in 2004, when its Fire Truck Parade was recognized by Guinness World Records as the largest parade of fire trucks, with more than 120 trucks.
More than four decades after the celebration began, fire apparatus remain a major part of the weekend, with displays on Friday and Saturday, as well as Saturday morning's parade.
Saturday Packed With Activities at Civic Center Park
Following the parade, Civic Center Park will remain busy throughout the afternoon and evening. Food vendors open at 11 a.m., with the Fire Truck Display and Family Fun Zone beginning at noon. Saturday's Family Fun Zone will operate from noon to 8 p.m., with unlimited wristbands priced at $20.
Kidz Korner runs from noon to 4 p.m., including Baby Crawl Races from 1 to 1:30 p.m. and Big Wheel Races from 2 to 3 p.m.Other Saturday activities include a Market Garden Tour from 1 to 3 p.m., bingo, sensory-friendly zones, a multi-faith prayer area, and a K9 officers demonstration at the Burnsville Ice Center from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m.
The Zombie Garage Zone at the Burnsville Lions Skate Park will operate from 4 to 8 p.m. Burnsville Community Education Theatre will present selections from Beetlejuice and Frozen from 6:30 to 7:10 p.m.
Multicultural music and performances are also planned Saturday afternoon on the main stage.
Femmes of Rock Headlines Saturday Night
Saturday night shifts toward rock music when Femmes of Rock takes the Walser Auto Group Main Stage. The group is scheduled to perform beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m., bringing a mix of classic rock, electric strings, and live performance to Civic Center Park.
The concert will pause for another major attraction at approximately 9:30 p.m.
Festival Plans Largest Fireworks Show in its History
Saturday night's fireworks display will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States, with organizers calling it the largest fireworks show ever presented at the Burnsville Festival.
The show is scheduled for approximately 9:30 to 9:50 p.m. at Civic Center Park, after which the evening's entertainment will continue until approximately 11 p.m.
Free bus service will operate Saturday between the Burnsville Transit Station and Civic Center Park from approximately 10 a.m. until 11:40 p.m.
New Curfew for Unsupervised Minors
Festival organizers are also implementing a new policy for unsupervised minors during the 2026 event. Beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, anyone age 17 or younger must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to remain at the festival. Minors without a parent or guardian present will be required to leave.
Burnsville police officers will inform minors of the curfew policy and enforce it, which begins at 8 p.m., according to festival information. One guardian may be responsible for up to four minors, unless all minors are immediate family members. The Family Fun Zone will also close at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Additional event details and the full schedule are available through Burnsville Festival and Fire Muster
Written by: Will Wight
