ABOUT
The Midway Music and Arts Fest (MMAF) a three-day celebration of the rich and diverse arts community in St. Paul’s Hamline Midway neighborhood, taking place October 2-4. The festival will showcase local artists working across disciplines, from music and visual arts to performance, literary arts, arts and crafts, and more. Events will be staged throughout the neighborhood in locations ranging from established music venues like Turf Club and Sundin Hall at Hamline University to local businesses including Elsa’s House of Sleep, Fluid Ink Tattoos and Piercing, and Mamas Market and Deli.
The vision for the MMAF emerged from neighborhood conversations in the basement of Bethlehem Lutheran in The Midway, where neighbors gathered to organize community support in response to the impacts of Operation Metro Surge and the ongoing challenges facing Midway residents. Inspired by the civic spirit and generosity of Midway residents, a group of artists began discussing ways to use the arts to create joy, connect neighbors, and reflect the diversity of our neighbors’ stories. The MMAF was born from these conversations.
Hamline Midway Coalition (HMC) is supporting the festival through funding from the City of Saint Paul's Commercial Corridor Organization Assistance Program. Since 2025, HMC has used that funding to activate commercial stretches of University and Snelling Avenues through creative placemaking initiatives, including community storytelling and pop-up music and art events.
We’re looking for more neighbors to get involved! Whether you’re an artist, performer, or writer who would like to share your vision and story with neighbors, a business interested in sponsoring or hosting events, or you’d like to volunteer over the course of the weekend, we’d love to hear from you!
Fill out an interest form here to get involved and learn about sponsorship opportunities here.
Meet Our Team
Pat Dougherty, Entertainment Coordinator
Commonly known as "Doc." Pat Dougherty is an event curator, musician, and the host of Desert Islands on KFAI. As a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, they have toured the country with multiple bands, including ELLE PF, Fairfax AK, and most recently Sawtooth Witch. As a Midway resident, Doc has helped organize festivals and events around the Twin Cities, greater Minnesota, and throughout the Midwest for several years.
https://www.facebook.com/pat.dougherty/
https://www.instagram.com/sawtoothwitch/
https://kfai.org/program/desert-islands/
https://www.patreon.com/DesertIslands
Molly Westfield, Vendor Coordinator
Molly has been a Saint Paul resident for most of her life. Currently living in the Summit Hill neighborhood, Molly spends her time collecting art mediums and hobbies with her two cats, Finn and Raisin. She has a small business called Westfield Crochet, where she makes and sells crocheted stuffed animals. Molly has extensive experience being a vendor at craft markets and is excited to finally break into the vendor organizing space. She aims to encourage artists who want to vend to take the next step and sell their art. Her mission is to make vending more accessible to all artists, whether they have been established for years or just starting out.
Nuni Delpin, Visual Arts Coordinator
Originally from Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico, Nuni has lived in the Midway for a little over 3 years. She studied Environmental Design in Architecture, where she found her passion for community-based work in El Taller Comunitario. This community-oriented workshop bridged a socioeconomic gap between underserved neighborhoods and architectural services, providing free services. Her work in this workshop led her to form part of multiple community organizations and initiatives, learning that communities can sustain themselves through what they call the "3 As" in organizing circles in Puerto Rico: Autogestión (Self-management), Autodetermininación (Self-determination), and Autosuficiencia (Self-sufficiency). Since moving to MN about 12 years ago, she sought out a sense of community that made her feel at home, which she found in the Midway. During Operation Metro Surge, she crossed paths with many local artists looking to meet the moment amidst community crisis. From those meetings, artists came together with ideas of organizing an Arts Fest for the Midway that showcased local artists and local organizations that make the Midway stronger. Nowadays, you will find her in community meetings, crafting, making floral arrangements, and curating spaces and art installations with upcycled materials.
Erin Landers, Performing Arts Coordinator
Erin is a choreographer, dancer, mime, teacher, and Midway resident of two years. A transplant from California and New York, she now lives in the neighborhood with her husband, and presents her artistic work throughout the Twin Cities and nationally. She is also actively involved in community mutual aid projects. She loves activating public spaces with art, and is excited to be a part of the inaugural Midway Music and Arts Festival team.
Jennifer Filardo, Literary Arts Co-Lead
Jennifer is a writer, instructor, and bookmaker who has called St. Paul home for over 25 years. You can spot her devouring spicy spring rolls at On's Thai Kitchen, catching a show at the Turf Club, or attending events at the CWP House on Hamline's campus. She is honored to be part of the Festival and this vibrant community that protects, nurtures, and celebrates each other.
Heather Quinn, Literary Arts Co-Lead
Heather moved to the Midway in the fall of 2019 with their husband and two children. They fell in love with the neighborhood the following spring after seeing the way that neighbors came together in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, when hundreds of neighbors cleaned up damage to local businesses and mutual aid groups organized to feed neighbors when local grocery stores closed their doors. They are a writer, photographer, and videographer whose work has appeared in TriQuarterly, Fourth Genre, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. They are the 2025 recipient of the Waterston Desert Writing Prize and a past recipient of fellowships and support from the McKnight Foundation, Tin House, the Loft Literary Center, and Art Omi. Their work can be found at heatherfquinn.com.