In 2023, we celebrated our 75th anniversary of the Parade of Homes and our 10th anniversary of the Artisan Home Tour AND launched a second Artisan Home Tour in the fall. Housing First Minnesota has an ongoing mission to ensure that our premiere home tour events better serve the needs of both our members and our community. With the 2024 home tour season approaching, we’ve made some strategic changes to modernize and simplify our practices. A few key changes will be implemented in the next year following careful thought and collection of feedback from our committees and membership.
No More Thursdays
We have consistently heard from participating members that the Thursday tour dates present staffing and traffic challenges. Starting with the 2024 Spring Parade of Homes, Thursdays will no longer be included in tour dates.
Consistent Fridays-Sundays
To keep things clear and consistent for participants and consumers, we are aligning tour dates and hours for every event. All Parade of Homes, Artisan Home Tour, and Remodelers Showcase tours will run Fridays through Sundays from 12-6 p.m. We will be starting Parade of Homes tours on the first Friday, instead of a Saturday like years past.
Later Spring Start Date
The 2024 Spring Parade of Homes was originally scheduled for February 24 – March 24 to avoid the Easter holiday. After hearing member concerns about those tour dates being too early and falling too close to our unpredictable Minnesota winter, we have revised our spring tour dates. The Parade of Homes will now start on March 8 and run through April 7, also pushing back the Remodelers Showcase to April 5-7.
This means that the Easter holiday will fall on the fourth weekend of the tour. The Parade of Homes will be closed on Easter Sunday; however, we will advertise to check with the individual builders for extended hours in the case that they choose to remain open and staffed on Easter.
2024 Fall Tour Dates:
- Spring Parade of Homes: March 8-April 7, 2024
- Spring Remodelers Showcase: April 5-7, 2024
- Summer Artisan Home Tour: June 7-23, 2024
- Fall Parade of Homes: September 6-29, 2024
- Fall Remodelers Showcase: September 27-29, 2024
- Fall Artisan Home Tour: October 4-20, 2024
Our thanks to all of our members who provided feedback and helped our Parade of Home Committee find the best solution for our home tours going forward. We believe these changes will enhance the tour experience for both our builders and our community.
We look forward to a strong tour in 2024 as we continue to work to introduce the incredible options for homebuyers in newly built and newly remodeled homes.
As always, if you have date and timing questions or concerns, please send
them to casey@Housingfirstmn.org.
Best regards,
Katie Elfstrom
Vice President, Public Affairs
