Nightlife notebook: The parties of Art-a-Whirl

This weekend, northeast Minneapolis will be blanketed by its annual whopper of an art party, Art-A-Whirl. If you're looking for some respite from all that artiness, 13th Avenue NE. has become quite the entertainment district. Here's what you can expect from the strip's bars and restaurants.

331 Club: Piggybacking off of Art-A-Whirl, the bar's annual outdoor stage will host Halloween, Alaska; Red Pens and many more. Starts at noon Saturday. (331 13th Av. NE. 612-331-1746. www.331.mn.)

Modern Cafe: On Sunday, the acclaimed restaurant teams with the guys behind Gastro-Non-Grata for one of its popular food-beer-bands parties. Dubbed GastroWhirl 2, it'll feature 10 bands and a barbecue pit in the parking lot. Starts 12:30 p.m. (337 13th Av. NE. 612-378 9882. www.moderncafeminneapolis.com.)

Anchor Fish & Chips: The area's hot new eatery is a gem of a spot, with great fish and great beer. (302 13th Av. NE. 612-676-1300. www.theanchor fishandchips.com.)

Northeast Social: For Art-A-Whirl, this "farm-to-fork" bistro is expanding its sidewalk patio, where it will offer house-made bacon brats and kegs of craft beer. (359 13th Av. NE. 612-877-8111. www.northeastsocial.com.)

Shuga Records: The block's new record shop plays host to a three-day music fest with 70 bands and artists on an indoor and outdoor stage. Bands: Communist Daughter, the Unknown Prophets, First Communion Afterparty and more. (165 13th Av. NE. 952-942-0000. www.hooliefestmpls.com.)

Ritz Theater: The vintage theater has two shows. First is Foxy Tann's burlesque-spiked "Big Government" on Friday ($20). On Saturday and Sunday, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus and Outloud! present a show called "Tempted: Exploring the Seven Deadly Sins" ($27.50). (345 13th Av. NE. 612-623-7660. www.ritzdolls.com.)

Whiskey capital For the fourth year in a row, the Local has sold the most Jameson Irish Whiskey in the world -- even beating out pubs in Ireland. Kieran Folliard's super-sized Irish bar burned through 775 cases of Jameson in 2009, which is about 25 bottles a day. On Thursday, Jameson brass will present Folliard and his staff with a plaque recognizing the accomplishment. The pub's signature drink, the Big Ginger, will be offered for $4 all day.

4:30 p.m. Thu. 931 Nicollet Mall, Mpls. 612-904-1000. www.the-local.com

Poetry you can dance to If ever there was a time to celebrate this country's complex racial stew, it's now. The spoken-word hip-hop duo Canary Sing specializes in such insight and can make you groove, too. The Loft Literary Center's Equilibrium series hosts the Seattle-based women (Hollis Wong-Wear and Maddy Clifford) on Saturday.

8 p.m. Sat. 1011 Washington Av. S., Mpls. $3-$5. 612-215-2575. www.loft.org.