Check out our calendar to learn about summertime events in Michigan.

Head to Traverse City and celebrate northern Michigan’s favorite fruit. Traverse City is the Cherry Capital of the World, and once you’ve attended the National Cherry Festival (June 29–July 6), you won’t doubt it. More than 150 events fill Traverse City’s downtown and Lake Michigan waterfront each year, with activities ranging from cherry-themed dinners to pie-eating and pit-spitting contests, most of them free.

Highlights of the annual festival include a performance by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, a market selling cherry-themed foods, orchard tours, live music concerts and a 4th of July parade. The festival also includes two big fireworks shows, one on July 4, celebrating American independence, and a festival finale on July 6.

Calendar of Events

Mark your calendar for these fun events across the state of Michigan.

Now–Aug. 18
Paul Villinski: Flight Patterns
Pilot and sculptor Paul Villinski exhibits flight-themed artworks, including flocks of butterflies and birds crafted from objects like aluminum cans and table knives, at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park.

May 3–5
Annie
Detroit’s Fox Theatre hosts America’s favorite child, Little Orphan Annie, who, along with her friends and her little dog, Sandy, inspires hope in the most difficult circumstances.

May 4–12
Tulip Time
Live music and theatrical performances, klompen dancers, an authentic Dutch windmill and more than 6 million tulips usher in spring at the 95th annual celebration of this Holland event.

May 10
Rhapsody in Blue
Pianist Aldo López-Gavilán and the West Michigan Symphony perform a lineup of high-energy pieces, including Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and dances from West Side Story, at Muskegon’s Frauenthal Center.

May 14–19
Six
Henry VIII’s six wives morph from Tudor queens to pop music stars in a musical comeuppance that celebrates 21st-century girl power, at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts.

May 16–19
National Morel Mushroom Festival
Mushroom lovers from across the country head to this annual festival in Boyne City that includes morel tastings, competitive mushroom hunts, an arts and crafts festival and a carnival.

May 25
Ann Arbor Bicentennial Celebration
The city of Ann Arbor celebrates its 200th birthday all year long, including at this Memorial Day weekend celebration and party with food, music and activities on the Community Commons.

May 25–27
Movement
The world descends upon Detroit each Memorial Day weekend to celebrate techno music in the city where it was invented. Enjoy live music across six stages as well as food trucks, dancing and art centered in and around Hart Plaza.

June 7–16
Mackinac Island Lilac Festival
All of Mackinac Island welcomes the arrival of its favorite flower at this annual event that includes lilac planting and propagation seminars, parades and live music, the crowning of a lilac queen and a 10K run/walk.

June 8–9
Grand Rapids Triathlon
Michigan’s largest triathlon brings athletes from across the U.S. yet is still ranked among the best for beginners. The two-day event takes place in Ada along the banks of the Thornapple River.

June 17, Aug. 12
Purple Reign: The Music of Prince
Grand Rapids’ Circle Theatre celebrates one of the world’s most prolific musicians, with performances of Prince’s works across three decades, including “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry” and, of course, “Purple Rain.”

June 21–23
Marquette Trails Fest
Marquette celebrates its network of non-motorized trails at this annual weekend of races and outdoor activities for mountain bikers, runners and hikers. The proceeds go to fund NTN singletrack trail construction. 

June 27
Beach Bonfires at Stearns Park
June marks the beginning of a summer’s worth of free beach bonfires in Ludington, held the fourth Thursday of every month and featuring live music and spectacular sunsets.

July 1 and 4
Fireworks Cruises
Sault Ste. Marie’s Famous Soo Locks Boat Tours cruise the locks and view fireworks shows from the water on Canada Day, July 1, and Independence Day, July 4.

July 2
Janet Jackson: Together Again
Music superstar Janet Jackson brings her talent, along with special guest Nelly, to Clarkston’s Pine Knob Music Theater. The tour forms part of a worldwide celebration of Jackson’s 50-year career. (For AAA Member-exclusive discounts on concerts and more, visit AAA.com/Tickets.)

July 3–7
Field of Flight
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, skydivers, skywriting and hot-air balloons fill the sky at this annual Battle Creek show. Fireworks shows are scheduled on July 4 and July 6.

July 4
4th of July on Mackinac Island
Michigan’s favorite island celebrates America’s birthday with stone-skipping competitions, family games, food and drink stations, and two fireworks displays that happen concurrently at dusk.

July 4
Berrien Springs Pickle Festival
Michigan ranks as the nation’s leading producer of dill pickles, hence the celebration of the annual Pickle Festival, which includes a Miss Pickle Pageant, a road race, pickle-tossing contests and a pickleball tournament.

July 4
Harbor Springs 4th of July Celebration
A classic Independence Day parade, an art fair and a spectacular fireworks show honor the nation’s birthday in this picturesque Lake Michigan town.

July 10–14
Maritime Festival
Head to Harbor Beach in Michigan’s Thumb for four days of music, sandcastle contests, personal watercraft races, lighthouse tours and volleyball on the Lake Huron shore.

July 21, Aug. 19–20, Sept. 17–18
Full Moon Paddle
Kayakers can join a guided tour with Woods & Waters through the scenic Les Cheneaux Islands beneath the light of a full moon.

July 24–27
Troutarama
Baldwin’s popular festival draws anglers of all ages and abilities with food, free live music, a parade and opportunities to fish for trout.

July 31
Jennifer Lopez: This Is Me…Now
Pop star Jennifer Lopez brings her music to Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena with a tour that celebrates her first studio album in nearly a decade. (For AAA Member-exclusive discounts on concerts and more, visit AAA.com/Tickets.)

Aug. 2–4
Shrek the Musical
Fall in love with Shrek all over again as the lovable ogre comes to the stage in a Broadway-style adaptation at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre.

Aug. 6–7
Phish
The rock band famous for its impromptu guitar riffs and spontaneous instrumental solos comes to Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena for two days of music.

Aug. 8–11
National Blueberry Festival
Live music, pie-eating contests, an art fair, kids activities and blueberry-themed food make South Haven’s annual festival one of western Michigan’s most popular. 

Aug. 10
Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic
Michigan’s largest mass-start, point-to-point mountain bike races hit the trails around Marquette, with distances ranging from kid-size 1-milers to rugged 48-mile challenges.

Aug. 12–18
U.P. State Fair
Escanaba hosts Michigan’s oldest state fair, with livestock exhibits, live music, a midway with amusement park rides and food trucks.

Aug. 22–24
Michigan Paranormal Convention
Sault Ste. Marie is home to the state’s largest paranormal conference, featuring the biggest names in the field for discussions of ufology, paranormal crime investigations and psychic abilities.

Aug. 29– Sept. 2
Michigan State Fair
Head to Novi’s Suburban Collection Showplace for a Labor Day weekend of baking and homebrew competitions, livestock displays, musical entertainment, and decadent fair food.

Aug. 30–Sept. 2
Detroit Jazz Festival
More than 50 musicians gather at the world’s largest free jazz festival, an event that has drawn music lovers to downtown Detroit for more than 40 years.

Sept. 2
Mackinac Bridge Walk
Labor Day is the only day of the year that the Mighty Mac opens to pedestrians for the annual 5-mile walk across the Straits of Mackinac.

Sept. 6–8
Wheatland Music Festival
Traditional musical arts—folk singers, bluegrass strummers, Tejano fiddlers and New Orleans jazz trumpeters—gather in Remus for this wildly popular weekend festival.

Sept. 7
Mackinac Island 8-Mile Run and Walk
Run past Victorian cottages, alongside sparkling Lake Huron beaches and beneath Arch Rock on this annual footrace around the entire perimeter of Mackinac Island.

Sept. 12–13
Usher: Past, Present, Future
Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena hosts the multiple Grammy Award-winning Usher as he celebrates 30 years in the entertainment business. (For AAA Member-exclusive discounts on concerts and more, visit AAA.com/Tickets.)

Sept. 19–22
Frankenmuth Oktoberfest
Join in a beer keg-tapping ceremony, listen to traditional German music, dine on bratwurst and pretzels, and catch a wiener dog race in Michigan’s Little Bavaria.

Sept. 21–22, Oct. 5–6
Fall Whitefish Point Bird Observatory Birding Tour
Take in the beauty of the fall migration on this guided two-day tour in the area around the Whitefish Point Bird Observatory, a key location along the Mississippi Flyway.

Sept. 27–29
Harbor Springs Festival of the Book
Harbor Springs celebrates reading and writing with a weekend of film adaptations, author interviews, illustrator presentations, and workshops focused on the craft of storytelling.