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🍻Punchlines, Pints & Paper Lanterns

🍻Punchlines, Pints & Paper Lanterns

An great weekend, coming in HOT!

Joe Carmack
February 18, 2026

Your Weekend Forecast

Dude Dad’s Parent’s Night Out

2/20

YouTube personality turned stand-up brings his parenting stories and everyday chaos to the stage. It’s a mix of dad life, marriage, and those small moments that somehow become full-blown disasters. Crowd’s usually packed with people who recognize the madness and are ready to laugh at it. He even has his better half, Heidi with him on this tour.

Kids Jam @ Landmark Center

2/20 - 2/21

Family program at Landmark Center in St. Paul featuring short, 25–30 minute concerts followed by time in the Music Museum. Kids can explore hands-on instruments, catch demonstrations, and poke around in a space that makes music feel less formal and more approachable.

Winter Beer Dabbler

2/21

Seasonal beers from breweries around the region all in one spot, poured out for folks who like their winter cold and their beer not frozen. You’ll find stouts, porters, and everything in between without much fuss, just good pours and labels worth trying. It’s a bundled-up crowd out for food trucks and entertainment.

Lunar New Year @ MN Orchestra

2/26

Orchestra and guest artists come together for a concert marking the Year of the Horse. Music picks up themes like family, tradition and unity with full strings, brass and more — a program that feels sweeping without being stuffy.

Breakfast at the MN Zoo

2/28, 3/14 & 3/28

Winter mornings hit different when you’re in pajamas building a stack of pancakes. This one’s got a full spread, plus coffee, family activity stations, story time, and games. Eat first, then wander the trails and catch the wolf pups or a bird show. Pretty solid way to do breakfast.

Dinner at Red Cow is more than burgers and beers, it’s an elevated comfort-food place with a local twist. Think juicy patties topped with things like truffle aioli or smoked gouda, and their Red Cow Classic stands out with perfectly seasoned beef, melty cheese and a soft brioche bun. The interior still feels laid-back, but the ingredients don’t play small. There’s plenty of craft beer on tap, charcuterie boards, and sharable sides that make the table feel social instead of rushed.

After dinner, head to Upstairs Circus for a date that’s actually hands-on and creative rather than another bar stool even though those are here as well. It’s a DIY craft studio where you pick projects like painting ceramics, making candles, stitching leather wallets or designing your own decor pieces. You bring the drinks if you want, they supply the tools, and you get to chat while you work side-by-side instead of just staring at a screen. It’s chill, a little messy in the best way, and gives you both something real to take home that isn’t a photo of your dessert.

We’ve officially reached the stretch of winter where laughter passes for cardio. So for this week’s Up Yonder, we pulled together a list of comedy venues around town. Stand-up, improv, maybe someone working through their childhood into a mic. The full lineup’s below. Take a night off from the binge cycle and get out for a laugh.