The651.com

Last year, the party startin’ peeps at Red Bull threw a massive boat party in St. Paul on the Mississippi with some of the hottest DJ names in town (and of course, all the Red Bull vodkas you could slam). Though we don’t get any yacht rocking this year, we do get in on the Red Bull Flugtag craze for the first time since its 1992 debut in Austria.

Red Bull Flugtag

By this point you may be asking, “What the heck is Flugtag?” Apparently “flugtag” is German for “airshow” or “flying day,” but is better known as Red Bull’s annual event in which competitors fly wacky, homemade flying machines off a 30-foot deck into a body of water – in this case, launching from Harriet Island on the banks of the Mississippi River. The international event are judged on three categories – distance, creativity, and showmanship. With that in mind, expect more entertainment value than actual skill in the crafts, but you never know – a new world record could be set. (11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. Free. Harriet Island, 200 Dr. Justus Ohage Blvd., St. Paul. www.redbullflugtagusa.com)

Millions Billions & Tendercakes

To gear up for Saturday’s big event, Red Bull is also hosting a couple of dance parties in the Capital City. That’s right – dance parties in St. Paul! On Friday night, DJs Millions Billions and Tendercakes are hopping aboard the Red Bull Scenic Cruiser and taking their monthly Let’s Dance night to St. Peazy for a special Flugtag Edition at Half Time Rec. The Red Bull-sponsored night features drink specials (Red Bull vodkas, anyone?) and “surprises.” (10 p.m. Free. 21-plus. 1013 Front Ave., St. Paul. 651-488-8245.)

Let's Dance

Then post-Flugtag, Millions Billions is joined by DJ Jonathan Ackerman on Saturday night for the official Flugtag afterparty at Alary’s. (10 p.m. Free. 21-plus. 139 E. 7th St., St. Paul. 651-224-7717.)

With all this coolness happening, hipsters are going to get schooled in St. Paul this weekend!

On tap this weekend in St. Paul: a new residency from DJ Jonathan Ackerman, First Friday Happy Hour in Lowertown, a men’s fashion show, and Mark Mallman at the Turf Club.

Jonathan Ackerman

THURSDAY: DJ Jonathan Ackerman at Barrio Lowertown
Prolific beatmaker Jonathan Ackerman hops over the river for his first weekly residency – at the newly-minted Barrio Lowertown, natch. The hip Mexican fusion bar and eatery should provide the perfect backdrop for Ackerman’s eclectic sound, alternately hard-rocking and gently-grooving. While you’re there, take advantage of the night’s drink specials: $3 Barrio margaritas and $4 Red Bull vodkas. (9 p.m.-1 a.m. Free. 235 6th St. E., St. Paul. 651-222-3250.)

Artists' Quarter

FRIDAY: Lowertown First Friday Happy Hour
Every first Friday of the month, St. Paul’s independent art galleries and studios join forces for the First Friday open studio. Afterward, a bunch of Lowertown clubs and bars get into the mix with an evening happy hour. This month, the Artists’ Quarter will open early just for us Friday from 4 to 6 p.m. Enjoy live jazz music from McNally Smith College of Music students and free pizza compliments of Wild Tymes. The Artists’ Quarter is located in the basement of the Hamm Building. As usual, you can expect two-for-ones on select tap beers at The Blackdog Wine Bar & Cafe, The Bulldog Lowertown, Rumours/Innuendo, Senor Wong, Station 4, and Trattoria da Vinci. Just say “FIRST FRIDAY” to receive your discount. (6-9 p.m. Free. Various locations. Click HERE for more info.)

Also recommended: The 8hz label releases its first compilation with a lineup including many of the featured bands: Me and My Arrow, Fort Wilson Riot, Economy Team, Buildings, Phantom Tales, and Speed’s The Name. (9 p.m. $5. 21-plus. 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul. 651-647-0486.)

SATURDAY:

A look from Flirt boutique

Hunting Opener Party at Flirt
To celebrate the men being out of town for hunting opening, lingerie boutique Flirt is hosting a cheekily-named Hunting Opener Party. Indulge in champagne, cupcakes and 20 percent off one item, and sample products from Sunrider skin care and cosmetics. (3-7 p.m. 177 Snelling Av. N., St. Paul.)

A Ben Sherman look at Details

Men’s Fall Fashion Mingle
One of the very few all-men’s boutiques in the Twin Cities, Details Style Lab hosts a Men’s Fall Fashion Mingle. Male models will don the latest in fall and winter fashions, including looks from Ben Sherman, Skunk Funk, Cloth Logic, Bertigo, and the popular Bjorn Borg underwear line. (10-11:30 p.m. at Rumours & Innuendo, 213 4th St. E., St. Paul. 11:30 p.m.-1 a.m. at Camp Bar, 490 N. Robert St., St. Paul.)

Mark Mallman

Mark Mallman at Turf Club
Mark Mallman blows the lid off Turf Club with his madmen piano stylings. Boasting “the fastest piano in the Midwest,” Mallman should be up to his usual antics, which have included driving a motorbike onstage and playing from inside a refrigerator box for hours on end. He’s sure to dip mainly from his latest release, September’s The Invincible Criminal, as well as his catalog from over the past ten years. The Alpha Centauri and Total Babe open. (9 p.m. $6. 21-plus. 1601 University Av. W., St. Paul. 651-647-0486.)