The Week Ahead: Sept. 9-15

The Week Ahead is our hand-picked event guide to the next seven days in Sioux Falls and slightly beyond. For guaranteed placement or to promote your event ahead of time, email [email protected] about a featured event listing.

Sept. 9: College Night at Frontier Climbing and Fitness

College students, here’s your chance to try out Frontier Climbing and Fitness — it’s hosting a College Night this week where students climb free from 4 to 9 p.m. That includes 50 climbing routes, over 45-foot-high walls and three bouldering areas. Think you’ve got what it takes? No registration is required, and to enter as a free college student, a valid student I.D. must be presented.

Sept. 9: Monarch Migration event

Want to watch an event that happens only once a year? Head to Arrowhead Park with Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation to watch the annual monarch butterfly migration. You’ll be able to watch the butterflies make their trek south, as well as participate in a monarch-tagging citizen science project and learn about butterfly behavior. The event begins at 5:30 p.m., and registration is required at $5 per participant. You can register here.

Sept. 11: Germanfest

Even though it might not feel like fall weather quite yet, a signature autumn kickoff event is taking place this weekend. Germanfest, which will be at Fawick Park, is returning with even more food, drink and entertainment. The event will be hosting some of its classic favorites like the Stein holding competition and the dachshund race. Germanfest will take place from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Fawick and the Avera IT parking lot across the street. Admission is free.

Sept. 11: Sidewalk Arts Festival

Another iconic downtown event is also happening this weekend. The Sidewalk Arts Festival is back, with over 200 vendors selling their art and homemade goods. The event, which is a fundraiser for the Washington Pavilion and one of Sioux Falls’ staple events, will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the streets surrounding the Washington Pavilion. Expect food, live music and, of course, art from across the country. Admission is free.

Sept. 12: Loop the Lake race

Spend one of the last weekends of nice weather out on Lake Lorraine with the inaugural Loop the Lake race, hosted by Flow and Paddle and Friessen Development. The race will go around Lake Lorraine, and participants can race on either a stand-up paddleboard or kayak. Teams of four to six can compete on supersized Megalodon paddleboards. The race will start at 2 p.m., but advance registration and check-in is required. If you’d just like to watch the race, there also will be food vendors as well as live music from Link West. After the race, Flow and Paddle will have discounts on rentals so all can enjoy the lake.

Sept. 14: Dog Yoga

Like dogs? Like wellness? Try out dog yoga next week with Sioux Falls Parks & Rec. You can bring your dog if you like, but it’s not required, and the dogs themselves can either participate with you for bonding time or play by themselves. The class will begin at 10 a.m.  at Family Park, and all ages and skill levels are welcome. Registration is required, and you can do that here.