Residents of Minneapolis have taken the initiative to start a custom that is gaining popularity all around the nation.
John Edwards, the person responsible for organizing the Minnesota Cat Tour, which takes place every June, came up with the concept for #CatsOfTheWedge in 2017. This idea was conceived as a result of his funny sense of humor and his propensity for sharing images of cats on Twitter.
It is in a heavily populated area with a lot of apartment complexes, and when I go about, which is a lot since I walk a lot for transit, in this neighborhood. Furthermore, it is a neighborhood that is home to a significant number of historic structures and architecture, including residences that were constructed in the 1890s or earlier. He tells PEOPLE, “So there are the historic home tours, and as a way to poke fun at that, I thought for a moment, ‘Why don’t we have a cat tour?'”
The conceptual framework “started small” and was described as “Something where people walk around the neighborhood and check out the cats that are always in the windows.”
“For the first couple of years, it remained quite modest, with just around twenty individuals in attendance. It was not possible to pre-register any of the cats. Whoever happened to be in the window was the only person who existed. Until 2019, I was unaware that it had the potential to become anything significant,” Edwards reveals.
During that particular year, the event developed into “the first really big one, where hundreds of people showed up.”
This helped to build momentum. As soon as individuals saw all of the cats in the windows, a significant number of them began commenting about it on various social media platforms. There were a number of pieces published about it in the local newspaper, and we were featured on the morning program in the village. It has been gaining pace ever since, and it has become what it is today.
According to Edwards, the response has been “surprising” for him year after year, with over 500 people coming out to visit 20 locations in June 2024. Edwards thinks that this is expected to continue.
I am usually taken aback by the sheer number of individuals that attend and have a very enjoyable day. The fact that it was initially intended to be a joke does not change the fact that it is really enjoyable. His words are, “People have fun for themselves.”
There is more to it than simply the journey, in my opinion. Getting together with a big number of people and spending time together in the open air is the focus of this activity. “There is a certain enchantment that can be experienced when a group of people go for a stroll through the streets of the neighborhood together.”
The residents, according to Edwards, are able to benefit from it in a positive way.
“It’s a good way to highlight the condition of our streets,” he says to reporters. If you invite people to stroll about the area, they will take note of what you are doing. We have made use of it, particularly this year, as a means of drawing attention to the street renovation that is taking place in the surrounding area. In the event that you take pleasure in going outdoors and strolling about the neighborhood, it is of the utmost importance that your local government takes measures to make your street safer and the traffic moving more slowly.
Edwards claims that additional locations have come out to him, expressing their want to begin their own cat tours, and expressing their inspiration to do so as a result of the idea’s widespread popularity in recent years.
According to what I’ve heard, there are a number of other locations that are interested in doing this. It has been brought to my attention that I have received messages on social media and via email requesting guidance on how to put them together,” he adds.
In my opinion, it is not too much longer until we will begin to see them in other regions of the nation. My prayer is that none of them takes away the splendor of Minneapolis. When everything is said and done, it is the location where everything began.
The Wedge LIVE Cat Tour 2025 is already in the process of being planned, with dates being established and a grand marshall being selected. There is also the possibility of registering cats for the trip at this time.
At this point, I am not concerned about the individuals turning up since they always do. I have no reason to be concerned about their presence. An admission is made by Edwards that “we do get a little nervous about whether or not the cats will come out.” Will there be sufficient registration for me? How many cats will there be in total? In the event that they do not, there will be a great number of individuals dissatisfied, although this has not occurred as of now. Every year, we have made progress.