The lawn chairs came out of the garage as usual this June. What changed is where residents pointed them. With Kelley Park under construction for a new amphitheater, the Apple Valley Arts Foundation's Music in Kelley Park series has spent the summer of 2026 bouncing between three venues, and the route it traces reads like an accidental tour of the city's newer dining rooms and older gathering spots. If you have been going to these concerts for years, this is the summer to pay attention. If you moved in last fall and heard the concerts were "in the park," you have already missed a few.
The thesis for the season is simple. The rebuild forced the series to borrow rooms from neighbors, and each borrowed room comes with a different pre-show plan. Getting the schedule right is half of it. Knowing what to eat within a five-minute walk is the other half.
Why the park is quiet on Friday nights
Kelley Park sits at 6855 Fortino St, ringed by townhomes and topped by the small clock tower that has become the neighborhood's default meeting point. Under normal conditions, the bandstand there hosts free Friday-night concerts from June through August, presented by the Apple Valley Arts Foundation and sponsored by local businesses. This year, the bandstand is being replaced with a permanent amphitheater. The construction fencing went up in spring, and the Foundation announced that concerts would relocate for the duration.
The city and the Foundation both point to the same plan: concerts move to Bogart's Entertainment Center from June 19 through July 31, jump to Splash Valley Water Park for one night on August 7, and return to Kelley Park on September 26 for a grand re-opening celebration concert. That last date is the one to circle.
The Friday-night map, June through August
Here is the season at a glance, with the venue and walkable food nearby.
| Date | Venue | Address | Notable act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fridays, June 19 to July 31 | Bogart's Entertainment Center | 14917 Garrett Ave | Riverside Hitmen, Alex Rossi, Michael Monroe (July 24), and more |
| Friday, Aug. 7 | Splash Valley Water Park | 14421 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd | Power of Ten |
| Saturday, Sept. 26 | Kelley Park (re-opening) | 6855 Fortino St | Urban Classic: Earth Wind and Fire tribute |
A note on show times. The Bogart's shows run 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Fridays and skip July 3 for the Freedom Days holiday. The Splash Valley night runs 6 to 8 p.m. The September re-opening runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. Admission is free at every stop, and food trucks and local restaurant vendors sell food and drinks on site.
Bogart's stretch: use the extra hour
Bogart's is at Garrett Ave, and the surrounding blocks have quietly turned into the densest food corridor in Apple Valley. If you are used to grabbing something quick at the Kelley Park concerts, treat the Bogart's dates as an excuse to sit down somewhere first.
Two blocks over, at 14889 Florence Trail, is Revolve Hall. It opened at the end of 2024 in the building that used to house Pizzeria Social and Curiouser Coffee, and it is the project of Tony Donatell's Wondrous Collective, the same group behind restaurants in Eagan, Farmington, and Savage. Under one roof you can order from five concepts:
- Curiouser Coffee & Conservatory, which expanded its brunch menu and added light cocktails like mimosas and martinis
- Square Cut Pizza, serving both Detroit-style deep dish and tavern-style, an extension of the group's Farmington location
- Whiskey Inferno, a steak and craft-cocktail concept originally from Savage
- Wanderer Bar, the outdoor patio bar added for summer
- Plus one additional counter concept rotating through the hall
Directly next door at 14883 Florence Trail is Brick & Bourbon, which keeps a kitchen open until 10 p.m. weekdays and midnight on Fridays. Between the two buildings you can eat dinner, hear the show at Bogart's a short walk away, and end the night with a drink without moving your car. That is a new pattern for Apple Valley Friday nights. Before Revolve Hall, the standard concert-night meal was a food-truck tray on a picnic blanket.
The lineup at Bogart's this year leans toward local bands the Foundation has booked before. The Riverside Hitmen open the run as a horn-driven party band. Alex Rossi plays acoustic work later in June. Michael Monroe returns July 24 with his blend of folk and jazzy reggae, a summer regular for more than a decade. The Lonesome Losers close out the Bogart's stretch with a yacht-rock tribute set on August 8.
The August 7 detour to Splash Valley
For one Friday, the concert moves to Splash Valley Water Park at 14421 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd. Power of Ten headlines, a ten-piece group that pulls from Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, and Otis Redding, and that has opened for national touring acts like REO Speedwagon and Cheap Trick.
The pitch here is different from the other dates. Splash Valley is an outdoor water park with a wave pool and slides, and the concert night bundles swimming, live music, and food into a single evening. For families with kids old enough to swim independently, this is the one date to plan around. Bring towels and cash for the food vendors. The show runs 6 to 8 p.m., so you can get a couple of hours in the water before the band starts.
September 26 does the heavy lifting
The season closes with a stack of events on the same Saturday, all in the same square mile. The Kelley Park grand re-opening concert runs 6 to 7:30 p.m. with an Urban Classic Earth Wind and Fire tribute. Earlier the same day, the city's Fall Food Truck Festival takes over the surrounding area with music, activities, and food trucks selling into the evening.
Anyone who has watched Kelley Park through the winter fencing has been curious about the new amphitheater. September 26 is the first night residents get to sit inside it. If you have been putting off checking out the rebuild, this is the date. The clock tower and the splash pad remain in place. The change is a proper permanent stage where the old bandstand stood.
Same-day tip: the Saint Paul Farmers' Market runs Saturdays 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Apple Valley Municipal Center parking lot through October 31. Pick up produce in the morning, come back for the food trucks in the afternoon, stay for the concert in the evening. That is a full-day Kelley Park routine that did not exist five years ago.
For anyone new to the routine
A few practicals that veterans of the series already know, and that are easy to miss if this is your first summer here.
Chairs and blankets. The Bogart's shows have some seating on site, but most people bring their own. A lightweight camp chair is the standard piece of gear.
Weather. Concerts may move indoors due to weather. The Foundation posts updates on its website and the city's event calendar the day of the show.
Food strategy. Food trucks and local restaurants sell on site at every date, and drinks including adult beverages are usually available. If lines look long when you arrive, walk two blocks to Revolve Hall or Brick & Bourbon and come back after eating.
Freedom Days. The Friday, July 3 concert is skipped so the Freedom Days lineup can take over the holiday weekend, closing with the parade and fireworks on July 4. Different event, different route through town, same lawn chairs.
Night to Unite. August 4 is a Tuesday, not a concert night, but block parties across the city that evening tend to eat into Friday attendance the week after. If the August 7 Splash Valley show feels lighter than expected, that is why.
Why this summer matters for anyone thinking about the neighborhood
The concert series has always been a soft measure of how Apple Valley works at ground level. When the Foundation had to move it, three different venues within a mile of Kelley Park raised their hands and said yes. Bogart's opened its calendar. Splash Valley reworked a Friday night. A privately built food hall a block away, Revolve Hall, is set up to catch the pre-show and after-show traffic that the old Kelley Park routine never had a place to send. The rebuild is not just about a nicer stage. It is about a town center that finally has enough sit-down options to keep people around after the last song.
For residents who have watched the Cedar corridor change over the past few years, this summer is a good measuring stick. Come to a Bogart's Friday, walk over to Florence Trail, and see how much of the evening happens without ever getting back in the car. Then come back September 26 and see what the park itself looks like on its second opening night.
If you are curious what a home in walking distance of Kelley Park is worth this year, or you are thinking about a move within Apple Valley and want a read on how the town center is shifting, The Kent Group is happy to talk it through. Start with a free home value estimate and we can go from there.
