Clinter Carnival

The Carnival Story

It started with a set of simple goals: Have a good time, meet new people, and ensure a foggy recollection the next day. A beacon of the Twin Cities social calendar since 2001, the Clinter Carnival has offered a consistent alternative to the stale St. Paul Winter Carnival. In all honesty, the first Clinter Carnival was a straight-forward pub crawl that provided clear choices for a group of slightly discerning twenty-somethings:

Hang out with Ken Barlow in a St. Paul ice palace or spend $70 on a nasty hangover and a chance at love – of what or whom is perhaps still TBD.
Risk unwanted fondling by the Winter Carnival Vulcans or the Clinter Carnival Casanovas.

Smart people chose to stay home and study for their GRE exam. The rest of us had fun. Guests crashed in strange beds, shoes were ruined and grown men wrestled. The Clinter Carnival has achieved its goals since day 1. But much like the Clinter Carnival’s distinguished steering committee, the party evolved over time and grew into its promise.

It took residence at the venerable Stasiu’s in Northeast Minneapolis. Royalty were crowned. The guest list expanded from 40 to 640. There is even a worthwhile charitable component. Entertainment went from ESPN in the background to dirty girl dancing. It’s been discussed on WCCO-AM and FM 107 and has even found ink in City Pages. It was even plugged on WCCO-TV.

The real story, however, resides within each Carnival guest who took the time to get past the party’s goofy veneer and understand that the best reason for having fun is not really having a reason. We look forward to hearing some of those stories on the Clinter Carnival blog.

It’s been a good run with good partners: John “Coach” Feld - our performer; Mike Durand - our snow artist; Tony Bauch – our graphic designer; Dane Roberts – our resident DJ and Web guy; and Clint “Clinter” Roberts – the guy who likes to throw parties and name them after himself.

Now is the time. It’s Year 10. The final year. This is it. The Big X. Let’s celebrate at the hottest party in winter.