Two pet video festivals to choose from in the Twin Cities this August

Minneapolis may not be getting the Sundance Film Festival , but the home of Purrple Rain will once again host a whole lot of cat videos.

The 2024 CatVideoFest will return to Minneapolis ' Main Cinema on Aug. 3 and 4 with more than an hour of short cat-centric videos on the big screen.

The festival, which is simply 75 minutes of YouTube-like cat videos played back-to-back, is traveling around the U.S. in August to screen a curated group of submitted videos that include internet classics, music videos, and animations.

MSP Film Society , which hosts the Minneapolis event, wants to get local cats involved in the fun. It is asking local cat parents to send in photos of their pets for a slideshow that will run before the screening begins. Photos can be sent to jasmine@mspfilm.org with the subject "CatVideoFest."

While it's undoubtedly a goofy, fun event, it boasts a higher purpose behind the laughs. The fest and theaters partner with local charities like shelters and animal welfare groups to donate a portion of the proceeds. The MSP Film Society has previously given donations to Feline Rescue, but has not officially named this year's charity partner.

The CatVideoFest 2024 will screen just twice, at 1 p.m. on both Aug. 3 and 4. Tickets are $12 .

The Pet Video Festival in St. Paul

The announcement makes the Twin Cities a cat-video-rich landscape during the first week of June.

In addition to the CatVideoFest, the Pet Video Festival 2024 — previously named the Cat Video Festival — will take place at St. Paul's CHS Field on Aug. 2.

"Those that love cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits, birds, horses, fish, pigs, llamas (you get the picture) can enjoy one of the more unique video festivals in the country," the event listing reads..

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the event starting at 8 p.m., with tickets starting a $10 for early buyers and $82 for VIPs. More details here.