Warm weather alters City of Lakes Loppet's plans

Most events in Minneapolis' annual City of Lakes Loppet this weekend will be relocated to Theodore Wirth Park, thanks to unusually warm temperatures and a shortage of snow cover.

The festival's cross-country ski route typically begins at Theodore Wirth Park and ends at Minneapolis' Chain of Lakes. Organizers announced Tuesday afternoon that most of the festival's cross-country skiing and snowshoeing events will take place on a snowmaking loop in the park called the Hap Lutter Trail.

The festival's nighttime luminary loppet will be held, as planned, on Lake of the Isles. This year, though, organizers say it will now be a walking-only event. Organizers said leaving behind skis and snowshoes allows more people to participate in the event.

The move isn't unprecedented. Organizers were also forced to relocate loppet events to Theodore Wirth Park during the unseasonably warm winter of 2012.

The City of Lakes Loppet Festival is scheduled from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 — with a number of events spread across the weekend. About 10,000 people have already registered for the weekend's events.