Dock & Dine Around The World:
Duluth Sister Cities 40th Year Anniversary Celebration
Celebrate 40 years of global connections and local impact at the Duluth Sister Cities Dock & Dine event — a one-of-a-kind international culinary adventure, no passport required!
Explore five countries, each in a charming cabin along Waterfront Plaza. There you'll find signature dishes, regional drinks, and cultural displays. One ticket, one unforgettable evening.
Set against the backdrop of Duluth's harbor and the iconic Aerial Lift Bridge, guests will enjoy food and beverage tastings inspired by each of Duluth's five sister cities. Decorative international village huts will showcase the cultures of Thunder Bay, Canada; Växjö, Sweden; the region of Petrozavodsk, Isumi City, Japan; and Ranya, Iraqi Kurdistan, creating a festive journey around the world without leaving Duluth.
Forty Years of Building Bridges
Since its founding in 1986, Duluth Sister Cities has fostered thousands of international connections through educational exchanges, cultural programs, professional partnerships, artistic collaborations, and citizen diplomacy.
The anniversary celebration will honor the many individuals who helped build those bridges, including former mayors, city council members, board members, host families, exchange participants, volunteers, and community leaders whose dedication sustained these relationships across four decades.
Over the years, Duluth's sister city partnerships have created meaningful and lasting impacts including:
International Friendship Games, chef exchanges, Tai Chi instruction, arts programming, and decades of cross-border friendship with Thunder Bay.
Youth soccer exchanges, educational partnerships, and growing economic collaborations with Växjö.
Support for orphanages, Fulbright scholarships, and the introduction of the internationally recognized Duluth Model for domestic violence intervention in Petrozavodsk.
The return and celebration of the Japan Peace Bell and nearly three decades of middle school exchanges with Ohara / Isumi City.
Cultural exchanges with Ranya, including the Songs of Peace Choir and Kurdish student visit.
These programs have enabled hundreds of local residents to serve as ambassadors for Duluth while welcoming international visitors into homes, schools, and organizations throughout the community.
A Historic First for the DECC
The DECC has long served as a gathering place for community celebrations, conventions, and cultural events. Waterfront Plaza represents an exciting new chapter in the venue's history, and Duluth Sister Cities is proud to inaugurate this vibrant waterfront space.