The Cities 97 Basilica Block Party pictured July 7, 2017, features bands playing Friday and Saturday night on three stages on the parish grounds, started in 1995 as a fundraiser to help pay for the structural restoration of the Basilica. Dave Hrbacek / The Catholic Spirit

The Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis announced Feb. 3 that planned to take a year hiatus from Cities 97.1 Basilica Block Party “to reimagine the event for future years.”

The event was also canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

The annual two-day music festival began in 1995 and raises funds for the Basilica’s structural restoration. In recent years, acts have included Ryan Adams, Weezer, Motion City Soundtrack, Spoon and the Avett Brothers.

“Live events have had to rethink their strategy and future because of Covid, and the Block Party is no different,” said Holly Dockendorf, the Basilica’s special events manager, in a statement. “Taking a year off will give us time to rethink what the event could be and how to make it better for the future.”

The Basilica of St. Mary is the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ co-cathedral. It was designed by E.L. Masqueray, with its 1907-1915 construction overlapping with that of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, also designed by Masqueray. In 1926, Pope Pius XI named it the first basilica in the United States.