EXPLORE COMO! A Neighborhood Celebration

formerly known as the Como Cookout

The Como Cookout has always been about more than just the cookout—it has been about bringing neighbors together and celebrating everything that makes the Como neighborhood special.

This year, a change in University funding has limited our ability to continue providing the complimentary food that has traditionally been available past Cookouts. Rather than scale back the event, we saw an opportunity to broaden it. EXPLORE COMO! A Neighborhood Celebration better reflects what the event has become: a celebration of the neighborhood, its residents, families, community organizations, and businesses.

While the name is changing, the heart of the event remains the same. EXPLORE COMO! is still about gathering together, connecting with one another, and celebrating the fantastic Como neighborhood we call home.

The Como Cookout began in 2003 as a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota’s Office for Off-Campus Living and the Southeast Como Improvement Association (SECIA). Its original goal was simple but important: bring student renters and long-term residents together and build stronger relationships within the Southeast Como neighborhood. The first Cookouts were modest—a few tables, a grill, some games, and an opportunity for neighbors to meet one another—but the event quickly became a beloved neighborhood tradition.

Over the years, the Como Cookout grew alongside the neighborhood itself. Local artists, musicians, and performers joined the festivities; resource fairs connected residents with the City of Minneapolis, neighborhood organizations, and University departments; and programming increasingly reflected the cultural diversity of Como. What began primarily as a shared meal gradually became something much larger: an annual celebration of the people, organizations, businesses, cultures, and connections that make Como a unique community.

After more than two decades, that tradition is now entering a new phase. Changes in University funding have limited our ability to continue offering the large-scale complimentary cookout that gave the original event its name. At the same time, the East Bank Neighborhoods Partnership sees an opportunity to build upon everything the Como Cookout has become and create an event that reaches even further into the neighborhood.

Beginning in 2026, the Como Cookout becomes Explore Como! A Neighborhood Celebration. The new name reflects a broader vision for the event—one that invites people not only to gather in one place, but to discover and celebrate the neighborhood around them. Explore Como! will highlight local businesses, community organizations and resources, family activities, food, entertainment, and opportunities to explore more of what Como has to offer.

The name may be changing, but the purpose that began in 2003 remains at the heart of the event. Explore Como! is the next chapter of a neighborhood tradition built around bringing people together. It carries forward the community spirit of the Como Cookout while creating new ways for residents, students, businesses, and organizations to connect with one another and celebrate the neighborhood they share.