Toothless and Hiccup are heading downtown. How to Train Your Dragon in Concert plays Orchestra Hall on Thanksgiving weekend, with the Minnesota Orchestra performing John Powell’s Oscar-nominated score live while the DreamWorks film plays on screen. If you are building a family weekend around it, the historic mansion in Loring Park is a very good place to land.
When is How to Train Your Dragon in Concert in Minneapolis?
Three performances at Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, according to the orchestra’s own event page:
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 2 p.m. CT
- Saturday, Nov. 28, 7 p.m. CT
- Sunday, Nov. 29, 2 p.m. CT
The running time is about two hours including intermission, and doors open an hour and a half before each performance. The film is rated PG, and the orchestra says all concerts are open to children ages 6 and older when accompanied by an adult. Julian Pellicano is listed as the conductor. Check the event page for current ticket availability before you book a room around a date.
Why stay at 300 Clifton for a Nicollet Mall concert?
300 Clifton is the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion, a National Register house on the edge of Loring Park. Orchestra Hall is under a mile away, so a Saturday matinee does not have to start with a parking-garage hunt. You can walk, or open the Metro Transit trip planner if the weather turns, and be back at the mansion before the kids have finished humming the theme.
The 2 p.m. shows leave an evening free, which is where the house earns its keep. Guests can soak in the four-season garden hot tub under the stars, and the movie room with heated reclining seats is a natural place to keep a dragon-themed weekend going. If you want a big room for the whole family, the Georgian Room is a huge space with a king bed and a sitting area.
What else is happening in Minneapolis that weekend?
Thanksgiving weekend is a busy one downtown. We wrote up the wider picture in Where Should You Stay for Thanksgiving Weekend in Minneapolis?, and the Christkindl Market and Mill City Museum (see Is Mill City Museum Open Over Thanksgiving Weekend?) make easy bookends to a concert. The Orchestra’s other holiday-season shows are on its calendar, including Home Alone in Concert in December, which we covered in Where Should You Stay for Home Alone in Concert?
Between shows, Loring Park is right outside the front door, with walking paths, a lake with a fishing pier and playgrounds for kids who need to burn off some dragon energy.
Do 300 Clifton guests get any dining or trolley perks?
Yes, on direct bookings. The vouchers page says each stay includes a $20 Pillsbury Club dining voucher and a $20 Minneapolis Trolley voucher. Both are per stay, not per night, and they carry no cash value, so read the terms and check the Club’s hours and the trolley schedule before planning around them.
How do you book a room for Nov. 27-29?
Thanksgiving weekend rooms go early, and a family concert weekend tends to book the larger rooms first. See the Crystal Mansion, Grand Edwardian and other rooms, then book direct to keep the vouchers. Come for the dragons, stay for the fireplace, and let the mansion do the rest.
Keep reading: Where Should You Stay for Brandi Carlile at the State Theatre in Minneapolis? Nov. 17 and 18, 2026