Entertainment and sports continue to be a draw for downtown St. Paul – the Twin Cities.

After about 20 years of operating the downtown skyway system, Metro Optics Doctors recently moved its eyeglass store to Roseville. St. Paul’s Winter Carnival’s signature daytime parade, the King Boreas Day Parade, will leave West Seventh Street and move to Grand Avenue on Jan. 25.

On a brighter note, M—the Minnesota Museum of American Art—recently tripled its gallery space in the Pioneer-Endicott building. with a new wing for $14 million. Downtown event organizers A’Bulae plan to unveil a contemporary luxury speakeasy-style wedding space – Le VENERÉ – in the former 413 building in Vacuta next May.

“We’ve actually taken over the former 413 Wacouta event space and are showcasing and renovating it into our new location,” said Kayla Unmacht, director of sales and marketing for A’Bulae.

Mickey’s Diner And Park Square Theater reopened. Alliance Bank, Redpath, St. Paul’s Foundation, Greater MSP Coalition and Ruam Mit Thai and Lao Cuisine recently confirmed their intention to remain downtown, although they have moved their headquarters to new locations.

Lucille’s NA Bottle Store has opened at the 7th location, the Union Depot transit hub on 4th Street is now fully leased, and the new 1881 Restaurant and Bar at the Lake Elmo Inn is attracting customers along with new Storyline Books and Chu’s toy store. Chew-Bob. Amtrak’s new Borealis line, which runs from Union Depot to Chicago, served 100,000 passengers in 22 weeks, several months ahead of schedule.

The Winter Carnival puzzle competition, which features competitors from around the world, is moving from the Landmark Center to Union Depot to accommodate more people.

Galtier Towers, Landmark Towers and the former Ecolab tower on Wabasha Street, now called Stella, are in the process of being converted into multifamily housing.

Downtown continues to draw crowds to CHS Field, the Ordway Performing Arts Center and the Xcel Energy Center, which St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and other key stakeholders I hope to see it completely renovated if government bond financing takes place in the coming years. Craig Leipold, owner of the Minnesota Wild, recently stated that he I hope to expand the project will include a new Roy Wilkins Auditorium, an expanded convention center, a new RiverCentre parking ramp and a 650-room convention center hotel.

The Science Museum of Minnesota, which has its own ramp next to the RiverCentre ramp, also has discussed the possibility of renovating and expanding the building with state officials.

Ramsey County didn’t give up on the long-awaited RiversEdge project along Kellogg Boulevard that will fill vacant land that once housed West Publishing, and the county is seeking matching state funds to kick off the project with a new park overlooking the Mississippi River.

When will the World Junior Hockey Championship take place? will arrive in the Twin Cities on December 26, 2025.The 29 games will be played at the Xcel Energy Center and the smaller 3M Arena in Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis. The international hockey competition, which typically alternates between Europe and Canada, is expected to draw about 250,000 fans to the two cities.