Nicollet Island Pavilion

This is a truly beautiful venue. We were here for a wedding and the setting, with the mighty Mississippi behind it, was special. All of the guests seemed to enjoy the deck down at the river.
As others have pointed out, it was quite warm inside. But the evening’s festivities (and libations) quickly distracted us all from such petty concerns.
The building is beautiful and was a great backdrop for a wonderful evening. Some venues feel cramped. This one, with its soaring ceilings felt comfortable and — more importantly — appropriate for the occasion.
The park setting around the venue is a great place to spend an afternoon. I hope to return soon for more exploring.

Nice place to visit. They have a large building for the event I attended. They have a very nice patio outside that looks out to, what I believe is, the St. Anthony falls. My only qualm about it is that they need AC in the building. All we had were fans blowing air around.
Funny, the only other thing that stands out from the visit is that I had ordered a beer and my wife a gin & tonic. I was surprised by the price at the cash bar. $ 14 was a bit too much to spend on that.

I recently visited the Nicollet Island Pavillion for a wedding. It’s beautifully located next to the Mississippi, and the grounds are well-​kept. The outdoor patio space by the river is wonderful, especially in the early evening.
The indoor venue is large (I believe the capacity is 600+) and well-​appointed. It did get very hot during the reception, and I’m not sure if that was a product of no air-​conditioning or conservative AC use. Either way, I’d double check that for summer events.

Very impressed with the space and what the designers can do with it. The walls are exposed brick with that goes up to the length of the roof. No worries about it being cold, they have the doors/​windows insulated and an extensive powerful heating system. The building is right on the river, which was pretty cool to see out the windows but decided to admire the view from afar since the weather wasn’t cooperating that night. I attended a company meeting during the daytime and it was just an empty hall with round tables and a stage setup in the front. It seemed to be a typical setup for a venue with no decorations at all; after all it was just for a company meeting. After returning in the evening to my company’s kickoff party/​celebration it was a totally night 180 (night and day difference). They made ample use of the space and everything was decorated and well done. Huge Kudos to the staff and the decorator (s)!
The lighted up sculptures which adorned the pathway was a nice touch as well. I didn’t complain with the valet parking either. There was a huge outdoor tent set up right behind the building which was very spacious and had a big ice sculpture between the bars. The bartenders were very friendly and knowledgeable when it came to the spirits. They had some specialty drinks (fire/​ice) which was poured through an ice sculpture and dripped into your glass, very nice!
It was an amazing event and a great space. Can’t wait to go back again for another cool fancy event.

I just attended an event at the Nicollet Island Pavilion on a quintessential spring night in Minnesota. Looking out from the Pavilion, you can see the waters of the Mississippi and the lights of Downtown Minneapolis. It’s truly a gorgeous place to hold an event. I could imagine that it’s also a gorgeous place to take wedding photos after a reception. Hint-​hint.
There’s plenty of space and plenty of versatility within that space. It has an old-​school feel with exposed brick wall and a built-​in bar area and a basement area as well. The staff were helpful and accommodating, and it’s fully capable of supporting complex staging/​AV.
Downsides:
–Only one restroom for each sex. When you have 600 people in the space (it holds 660) and you’re holding a cocktail event… one woman’s restroom ain’t enough, honey.
–Minimal parking available (it’s also pay-​parking with a max of 6 hours – though the rates are fairly cheap).