Ask ten neighbors what August in Woodbury means and nine will say the last weekend at Ojibway Park. Fair enough. But 2026 is the year the month gets bookended, because a 48,000-square-foot bowling and laser-tag complex opens at 540 Bielenberg Drive on the first Monday, and the four weeks between that ribbon and the Grande Parade have quietly become the most active stretch of new-restaurant traffic Woodbury has seen in years. If you already live here, this is the working plan.
The Monday That Starts The Month
Main Event opens near Topgolf on August 3, a 48,000-square-foot entertainment complex with state-of-the-art bowling, an arcade with more than 100 games, laser tag, virtual reality experiences, and a full-service restaurant. The ribbon-cutting is at 10 a.m. on Monday, August 3, doors open at 11, and the first 200 guests in line score free laser tag for a year.
That "first in the state" line matters more than the corporate copy suggests. The Woodbury location is the 70th U.S. location for Main Event and the first in Minnesota, which means the closest existing comparison sits several states away. If you have kids old enough for laser tag and young enough that a Saturday indoor plan still counts as a win, this is your new rainy-Sunday option. If you don't, it still matters, because the intersection of I-94 and I-494 now has two large entertainment anchors on the same corner. Topgolf opened in late October and operates a 68,000-square-foot facility featuring year-round climate-controlled hitting bays, 140 HDTVs, a rooftop terrace, and event spaces. Bielenberg Drive at Tamarack Hills has become the east metro's answer to a destination-entertainment district, and traffic patterns on that stretch are going to change.
One detail from opening day worth knowing: during the "inaugural bowl" on opening day, the location will donate $10,000 to a local charity, and the chamber and city leaders will get on the lane and everybody bowls for the first time. It's like breaking in the center.
Where The Dinner Map Actually Moved
The bigger story of the year isn't the entertainment complex. It's how many new places opened in a twelve-month window, and where they landed. Here is what to know if you have been eating at the same three spots since 2023.
| Restaurant | Address | What It Is |
|---|---|---|
| Feast Buffet & Banquet | 1690 Woodlane Drive | Upscale, plated Asian buffet in the former Cowboy Jack's |
| Listo! | 1960 Donegal Drive | Fast-casual Tex-Mex, second location, in the former Ramen Station |
| Paris Baguette | Woodbury Lakes, 9120 Hudson Road | French-inspired bakery café with Korean roots |
| Liliana | 10060 City Walk Drive | Fine-casual Italian pasta bar, sister concept to Estelle |
| Legendary Spice | 8300 Tamarack Village | Sichuan cuisine, hot pot, stir-fried classics |
Feast is the one that has changed the way weeknights work for a lot of families. Last September, Feast Buffet & Banquet opened at 1690 Woodlane Drive, becoming Woodbury's first upscale, Asian-inspired buffet restaurant, with a modern eatery with various food stations and a higher-end feel with individually plated dishes. The plated-buffet format is the trick, and it is working. Lines have stretched out the door, and the team consistently served more than 1,000 customers per day after opening. "I would say the community support is 120 percent," Ni says.
Listo! is a different kind of signal. The Minneapolis-based restaurant first opened in 2018 at 1730 New Brighton Blvd. and has since built a following around its streamlined menu. The Woodbury location marks the restaurant's first expansion into the east metro. When a Northeast Minneapolis operator picks Donegal Drive as their second location, that is a read on the market, not a coincidence.
Liliana deserves its own note. A recent visit after seeing that it is a sister restaurant to Estelle ended up being the best meal I have eaten in ages. Every single thing we ordered was 10/10. I would return and have the exact same meal. The service was great and they gave us complimentary donut holes with our dessert. Take that with the grain of salt any Yelp review deserves, but the Estelle connection is real, and the fine-casual pasta-bar format is something Woodbury has not had before.
Two more coming: Shake Shack, the fast casual restaurant chain best known for their gourmet burgers and special sauce, is coming to Woodbury. This will be the fifth location in the Twin Cities and the first in the eastern metro.
The Weeknight You Are Probably Missing
The city calendar item most residents forget about is free and happens all summer. Free performances are held in the Amphitheater or Patio at Central Park, 8595 Central Park Place, or the Lions Club Bandshell at Ojibway Park, 2695 Ojibway Drive. Shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted, and are family-friendly. This is the 2026 Summer Performance in the Park and Food Truck Series.
If you have out-of-town family visiting the week before Woodbury Days and you don't want to commit to a restaurant, this is the answer. Central Park amphitheater, a food truck, a lawn chair, done.
Woodbury Days, Read Like Someone Who's Been
Woodbury Days 2026 will be held August 28-30 at Ojibway Park, 2695 Ojibway Drive. Every summer Woodbury Days is attended by about 25,000 people with approximately 200 businesses represented. If this is your first year going, or your fifteenth, here is the schedule read as a plan rather than a program guide.
Friday evening is the low-friction night. The carnival runs 4 to 10, the Business Fair 4 to 8, Katelyn White performs 4 to 4:45, Crowfather 5 to 6:30, and Audio Circus closes the night 7:15 to 10. Parking is not yet ugly. Lines at the Taste of Woodbury tent are shortest before 6.
Saturday is the day the crowd shows up. Plan your visit around three anchors:
- Classic Cruisers Car Show 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Todd 'n' Tina at 10:30, Jordan Johnston & the Elevation at 3, Wren + Wilde at 5, Woodbury Police K9 Demonstration 6:30 to 7, High & Mighty 7:15 to 10:30, and fireworks at 9:30.
- The Taste of Woodbury tent, running 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with over 20 local area restaurants and community non-profit organizations serving a wide variety of food.
- The Kowalski's Kids Coin Hunt at 9:30 and 10 a.m., which is over before most families finish breakfast.
Sunday is the parade. That is the whole assignment.
A note on parking. Because of construction at Woodbury High School, shuttles run between Bailey Elementary, Middleton Elementary, and Ojibway Park during operating hours, and a separate parade-morning shuttle runs from Bailey to Red Rock Elementary.
If you want to skip the parking question entirely, the Bike Corral makes biking to Woodbury Days easy with a place to stash and lock your bike as you are enjoying the event.
The button question comes up every year. Entry is free. It is free to enter Woodbury Days. Carnival rides, food and beverages will require a monetary transaction. ATMs are available in the park for your convenience. Additionally, some activities require a Woodbury Days Button, including the kid activities. If you have kids and you are doing the Coin Hunt, Stuff-N-Fluff, or the LEGO build, buy the button in advance.
The Lake Elmo Weekend Coming Later
One reason August in Woodbury feels different this year is that the dining gravity is starting to pull east too. Two historical Lake Elmo sites are being remodeled into restaurants. A former fire station will become Tap & Ladder, a family-friendly taphouse. Nearby, a Parks Department building at the corner of Laverne and Upper 33rd will become home to the second location of Machete Cocina Mexicana. The new Lake Elmo restaurants are expected to open in late 2026 or early 2027.
If you already drive Manning Avenue for the farm stands, this is worth knowing now. The Machete you have been going to on Bielenberg is about to have a sibling with, per the developers, a picturesque patio overlooking Lions Park.
A Working August Plan
- Grand opening Monday, August 3. Go early or go late in the first week.
- Central Park amphitheater for one weeknight before school starts.
- One new restaurant off the list above you have not tried yet. Feast if you want the spectacle, Liliana if you want the meal.
- Woodbury Days Friday evening for the low-friction night, Saturday for the fireworks, Sunday for the parade.
- Bike to at least one of it.
A month is a lot of ground. But if you have been in Woodbury for a while, you already know the muscle memory of the last August weekend. The new part is everything that happens before it, and this year there is more of it than usual.
If the shape of your neighborhood is changing and you are wondering what that means for the house you own or the one you have been thinking about, the Adam Bast Real Estate Group works this market every day. Get your free home valuation and we will read the block-by-block story back to you.
