Festivals are a means of celebrating Michigan's heritage and culture.
Dozens of festivals, both large and small, take place each month of the year around the state of Michigan. Many of these annual festivals and parades are related to the state's agricultural heritage, such as county fairs and harvest festivals. Other events celebrate local arts, history and culture, or are seasonally themed, such as Halloween and Christmas festivals. Does this Spark an idea?
Spring Festivals
The Bringin' Back the 80's Festival is held each April in Frankenmuth to celebrate everything to do with the 1980s: music, films, food, clothes and hairstyles. Events include dancing, live band performances and a look-alike contest. In May, St. Joseph celebrates its agricultural heritage with its annual Blossomtime Festival, which involves 24 local communities, and is Michigan's oldest multi-community festival. The highlight of this event is the Grand Floral Parade, which is held on the first Saturday in May, and attracts more than a quarter of a million visitors every year.
Bringin' Back The 80's Festival
601 Weiss St.
Frankenmuth, MI 48734
989-652-8008
80sfest.org
Blossomtime Festival
151 Napier Ave.
Benton Harbor, MI 49022
269-926-7397
blossomtimefestival.org
Summer Festivals
In June, Grand Rapids hosts a Festival of the Arts, which celebrates all forms of the arts, both visual and performance. The free festival, which has been running since 1970, is run entirely by volunteers. This is also an opportunity to celebrate good food, with over twenty booths serving local dishes. As many as half a million visitors attend each year. In July, Bay City celebrates American Independence Day with a three-day Fireworks Festival. Events include a carnival, market, evening entertainments and a nightly firework display, culminating in a 40-minute spectacular on the final evening.
Festival of the Arts
P.O. Box 68440
Grand Rapids, MI 49516
616-459-1300
festivalgr.org
Bay City Fireworks Festival
P.O. Box 873
Bay City, MI 48707
989-892-2264
baycityfireworksfest.com
Fall Festivals
The Northern Michigan C.S. Lewis Festival is a month-long event that celebrates the life and works of the author of the "Chronicles of Narnia" books. The festival is a collaboration between local arts-based organizations, schools and faith groups. It consists of theatrical performances, children's events and literary discussion groups. The festival attracts world-renowned speakers, including Douglas Gresham, the author's stepson. In 2004, the festival was awarded a Special Recognition at the Imagine Michigan! Awards. The classic fall festival, Pumpkinfest takes place in Zeeland each October. Pumpkinfest is a family event, with a parade, games and competitions, scarecrow displays and storytelling sessions. Attendance is free.
C.S. Lewis Festival
P.O. Box 2026
Petoskey, MI 49770
231-347-5550
cslewisfestival.org
Pumpkinfest
149 Main Place
Zeeland, MI 49464
616-772-2494
pumpkinfest-zeeland.org
Winter Festivals
Christmas in Ida is celebrated with fireworks
The Victorian Sleighbell Parade and Old Christmas Weekend, held each December in Manistee, has winter holiday entertainment for all the family, with a horse-drawn sleigh bell parade, concerts, museum and art exhibitions and a historic buildings tour. The Christmas in Ida Festival is also a family event, with Holiday Hounds on Parade, a food festival, craft stalls and demonstrations, Santa's Zoo, where children can lunch with Santa, a firework display and ice sculpting. The major event of this festival is the Parade of Lights, with marching bands, floats, cartoon characters and balloons.
Victorian Sleighbell Parade
Manistee Downtown Development Authority
70 Maple St.
Manistee, MI 49660
231-398-3262
manistee-downtown.com
Christmas in Ida
Ida Civic Club
P.O. Box 27
Ida, MI 48140
734-269-6017
christmasinida.com
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