The 53rd year of the Grand Old Day celebration drew 200,000 people to St. Paul, according to organizers.
They said the focus was bringing economic support back to the Grand Avenue business district.
The festival included food, fitness and a wide variety of activities.
“So 100% of the proceeds from Grand Old Day go to support our business operations,” Elizabeth Emerson George said.
George said recent investment has helped the Grand Avenue area recover, including a $40 million mixed-use development project on Victoria Street.
She also said Grand Old Day has helped put the area back on track.
“It’s better than ever, we have more members of the business association than we’ve ever had before which is exciting, we’ve been in the news quite a bit lately, we have several vintage shops opening along the avenue and of course we have a significant development on Grand and Victoria, so we’re back baby,” George said.
