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Dan Israel will perform tonight in Mears Park // photo by Steve Cohen

You know it’s officially summer in the city when our beautiful outdoor parks begin their annual tradition of hosting live music, movies, and more. Minnesota’s temperamental landscape allows for a mere few months of blissful, summer evenings and St. Paul takes full advantage via multiple series of events, perfect for a post-work wind down, early evening date with your sweetie, or simply an excuse to picnic with the fam.

Tonight, head to picturesque Mears Park for the kick off of the Music in Mears series with three great bands including The Annie Lawlwer Band, Crossing Guards, and Dan Israel and the Cultivators. Music starts at 6pm and runs until around 9pm. Check the schedule to pencil in other performances throughout the summer each Thursday evening featuring rocking’ local acts including Communist Daughter, Joey Ryan and the Inks, The Idle Hands, Zoo Animal, The New Standards, The Goondas, Maudlin, Mayda, Kill the Vultures, No Bird Sing, Honey Dogs, Charlie Parr, and oh-so-many more.

For a more classic style of music, keep your eyes peeled on St. Paul Parks n’ Rec’s yearly Music in the Parks series, which kicked off in May and runs through August. Hosted in various amphitheaters and lush locales including Como Lakeside Pavilion, Phalen Amphitheater, Mears Park, Raspberry Isaland, and Rice Park, Music in the Park offers a wide variety of acts from traditional jazz to big band to chorus to folk to classical and much more. Tonight, catch Red Rock Swing Band at Como’s Lakeside Pavilion, or make a plan this Sunday to venture out to Rice Park, Phalen, or Como for the pop-rock stylings of Blue Stratum, the swinging’ jazz sounds of South Side Big Band, or the eclectic music of Calhoun Isles Community Band. With multiple performances at multiple venues almost daily, your summer will surely be filled with sweet sounds and sunny skies. Our recommendation? Pack a picnic and make the most of it!

Also check the schedule for Comcast’s movies in the park at various locations, kicking off Friday, June 8th with Howl’s Moving Castle at McDonough Park and resuming in mid-July with films such as The Muppets, The Adventures of Tin-Tin, Kung Fu Panda 2, Back to the Future (all three installments!) and, um, Justin Bieber: Never Say Never.