In 2025, I’ve had the honor of photographing art and cultural events in south central and southeastern Minnesota, specifically those funded partly by the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC). Minnesota’s voter-supported allocation of taxpayer dollars to arts programming is one of the things that makes me most proud to be a Minnesotan. Being out and seeing community members come together for these events only adds to my belief in the importance of this funding.
Anyway, it was my SEMAC freelance photography gig that took me to Red Wing, Minnesota to photograph my first music festival: Big Turn Music Fest. “Big Turn” refers to the bend the Mississippi River takes near Red Wing. Big Turn takes place every February in downtown Red Wing. It was started by Sam Brown, the force behind the Mid West Music Fest (MWMF).
For two nights, hundreds of fans donning festival wristbands stroll through the charming Red Wing downtown, popping in and out of the 15 venues to catch snippets of the more than 100 musical performances. This year, headliners included Dessa, jazz great Tyreek McDole, and Minnesota folk darlings Charlie Parr and Jeremy Messersmith. Venues included the Elks Club, VFW, Sheldon Theater, St. James Hotel, churches, bars, and downtown businesses (including a bike shop, coffee shop, and children’s boutique). I even stopped at a new apartment lobby to catch a couple of songs while being sold on a lovely new apartment space.
I hate to admit this, but I am decidedly not a music festival fan. The idea of standing for hours outside in the elements, engulfed by substance-induced fans, listening to music at a volume beyond my comfort level has never appealed to me. So, I was admittedly nervous about agreeing to photograph this event. Plus, I’d never actually done any concert photography.
However, the Big Turn Music Fest was my ideal festival experience: It was delightful to stroll down a vibrant small city downtown in the light snow with a diverse range of Minnesota music fans taking in charming ukelele folk tunes in an ambiently lit church, or to lightly bounce around in a dive bar with fellow Millennial hipsters to music I’d never heard before, but definitely enjoyed.
I left promptly at 9 pm to weather the snowy roads home. But, there’s a strong possibility I’ll be back next year!
