The county board has approved special lighting for holidays and other annual events. The county administrator has approved special lighting requests marked with an asterisk (*).

Upcoming lighting schedule

July 2021

• July 22 – FRAXA (Fragile X Syndrome) Research Foundation (turquoise*)

• July 27 – 107th Anniversary of the Iglesia ni Cristo, Church of Christ - (red, green, white*)

August 2021

• August 1 – 35W Bridge 14th Anniversary Memorial (red, white, blue)
• August 5 – Light it Up Green for Muscular Dystrophy Awareness (green*)
• August 6 – COVID Awareness Day (yellow*)
• August 7 – PVNH (Periventricular nodular heterotopia) Disorder Awareness Day (pink*)
• August 31 – National Overdose Awareness Day (purple*)

September 2021

• September 1 – Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (turquoise*)
• September 6 – Labor Day (red, white, blue)
• September 11 – Patriot’s Day (red, white, blue)
• September 18 – World Marrow Donor Day (green, blue*)
• September 19 – Minnesota Women of Today (blue*)
• September 25 – Gophers homecoming game (maroon, gold)
• September 26 – Vikings home opener (purple, gold*)
• September 30 – International Recovery Day (purple*)

October 2021

• October TBD – Timberwolves home opener (blue, white, green)
• October 3 – Light the Night for Fallen Firefighters/National Fallen Firefighters Association (red)
• October 7 – International Trigeminal Neuralgia Awareness Day (turquoise*)
• October 10 – World Mental Health Day (purple*)
• October 11 – Indigenous Peoples Day (red, black, white, gold)
• October 13 – Metastatic Breast Cancer awareness (green, pink, turquoise*)
• October 15 – Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day (pink, blue)
• October 23 – Red Ribbon Week/Drug misuse prevention awareness (red*)
• October 31 – Halloween (black, orange)

November 2021

• November 1 – Color the World Orange, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) awareness (orange*)
• November 2 –  Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Awareness Day (purple, green*)
• November 11 – Veterans’ Day (red, white, blue)
• November 18 – National Injury Prevention Day (green*)
• November 25 – Thanksgiving (red, orange, brown)
• November 28 – Hanukkah (blue, white)

December 2021

• December 25 – Christmas (red, green)
• December 26 – Kwanzaa (red, black, green)
• December 31 – New Year’s Eve (red, white, blue)

Previous lighting calendar dates

January 2021

• January 1 – New Years Day (blue, white)
• January 19 – National COVID Memorial Tribute (amber*)

February 2021

• February 5 – American Heart Association, National Wear Red Day (red*)
• February 14 – Valentine's Day (red, pink, white)
• February 15 – Presidents' Day (red, white, blue)
• February 16 – To honor the victims of the Buffalo clinic shooting and all front-line health care workers and first responders who have been killed or injured in the line of duty in the State of Minnesota (purple*)
• February 22 – National Eating Disorders Association (green, blue*)
• February 26 – Recognizing Hennepin County natives and former Gopher and Vikings players and their contributions to the Tampa Bay Buccaneer's victory in Super Bowl LV (gold, light blue, white)
• February 27/28 – In recognition of Black History Month (red, black, green)

March 2021

• March 6 – Amyloidosis Foundation (maroon)*
• March 9 – Colon Cancer Coalition (blue)*
• March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day (green)
• March 21-26 – Pandemic One-Year Mark (blue and yellow*)
• March 27– Midwest Endometriosis, Endometriosis Awareness Month (gold*)

April 2021

• April 4 – Easter (pastel)
• April 8 – Twins opener (red, blue)
• April 13 – Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) Hope International, International FND awareness day (orange, blue*)
• April 17 – World Federation of Hemophilia (red*)
• April 27 – Earth Day and What Powers Us campaign to promote clean energy (green, blue*)
• April 28 – Workers' Memorial Day (red, white, blue)
• April 30 – DES Awareness Week (red, orange, black*)

May 2021

• May 9 – Mother’s Day (pink)
• May 14 – Lynx opener (blue, white*)
• May 15 – Williams Syndrome Awareness Month (red, green, blue*)
• May 16 – Celiac Disease Foundation (blue, light blue*)
• May 21 and 22 – Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (pink, orange*)
• May 23 – Eritrean Independence Day (red, green, blue*)
• May 25 – First Anniversary of the death of George Floyd - City of Minneapolis Day of Racial Reckoning (red, green, black*)
• May 31 – Memorial Day (red, white, blue)

June 2021

• June 10 – Minnesota Internship Center Charter High School graduation (gold, white*)
• June 14 – Flag Day (red, white, blue)
• June 19 – Juneteenth (red, black, green and gold*)
• June 20 – Father’s Day (light blue)
• June 21– U of M Urban Research & Engagement Center, Annual Community Day/Tenth Anniversary (maroon, gold*)
• June 22 – Make Music Day (orange*)
• June 29 – World Scleroderma Day (turquoise*) 

July 2021

• July 4 – Independence Day (red, white, blue)
• July 17 – Twin Cities Pride (red, orange, gold, green, blue, purple*)

Hennepin County Lowry Avenue bridge lighting policy

Adopted December 3, 2013

Hennepin County re‐opened the Lowry Avenue bridge, located at the Lowry Avenue crossing of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis in October 2012. The new bridge is equipped with multi‐color L.E.D. lighting options to illuminate the arches. This guideline is to address external requests for special lighting requests.

Criteria

Lighting of the Lowry Avenue bridge promotes the county, its civic institutions, state and federal holidays, and other public events of community significance. Hennepin County may accept community requests for special lighting to recognize a specific cause or to commemorate or enhance a specific event consistent with this purpose. Specifically excluded would be lighting to celebrate birthdays, personal anniversaries, or events that are primarily private in nature.

Application process

All requests must be submitted in writing (electronic submission preferred), along with contact information for the organization. Requests must also include a description of the event, date of the event, and color of lighting requested. Requests should be submitted at least 14 days before the date on which the bridge would be lit. The county administrator may waive this requirement in instances where 14 days' notice is not practical such as school or professional sports championships.

Approval process

Each request will be reviewed by county administration. The county administrator's decision is final.

Annual bridge lighting plan

The Lowry Avenue bridge annual lighting calendar lists normally scheduled events that do not require an external request. The bridge's default color will be blue. See the calendar for standard lighting events.