Red Bull's Snowboarding Event, Heavy Metal, Has Been Cancelled Amid Minneapolis Protests
After two shootings involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in the last week, and the protests that have followed, the Red Bull Heavy Metal stop in Minneapolis has been canceled.
Red Bull did not explicitly state that the civil unrest led to the cancellation.
“The Red Bull Heavy Metal qualifier in Minneapolis has been canceled,” the website simply says. “You can find out more information about other Red Bull Heavy Metal events here.”
Heavy Metal was scheduled for January 17, 2025. It was set to be a qualifier to get into the Boston contest.
all my years of producing events, I’ve never had to cancel one due to civil unrest - maybe next time, Minnesota
— Pat Morgan (@thepatmorgan) January 14, 2026
The contest was expanded for 2025 after more than 20,000 people turned out for the 2025 contest, a number widely believed to be the most in-person spectators ever at a snowboarding event.
The other two contests are still scheduled as planned. On January 31, 2026, Red Bull Heavy Metal makes its debut in the Steel City. Riders will hit a course outside of Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The winner of each qualifying round will receive $1,000 and an invitation to compete in Boston, as well as a travel stipend. Second place wins $500, and third place wins $250. The Boston contest kicks off at City Hall Plaza yet again on February 21, 2026.
Protests in Minneapolis escalated after 37-year-old Renee Good was killed after an ICE agent shot into her car on January 7, 2026. Good encountered the agents after dropping her son off at elementary school. The Trump administration has said that the agent shot in self-defense. Local and state officials dispute that description of the events.
On Wednesday, an ICE officer shot a man in the leg after he was reportedly attacked with a shovel.