August is fast approaching and summer will be soon ending! While the weather is still warm, it’s the perfect time to explore Pure Michigan. From the Milan Bluegrass Festival to an Annual Rubber Ducky Festival, there are a ton of exciting and unique events happening around the state.
Below is a roundup of August events to help you plan the upcoming month. Visit our events page to see everything going on all month long.
August 1-7
44th Annual Sault Summer Arts Festival
August 2, Sault Sainte Marie
The 44th Annual Sault Summer Arts Festival, a juried exhibition and sale of fine arts and crafts, displayed by the artists themselves. The festival is held on the grounds of the Sault City Hall, facing the waterfront and the historic walkway.
The wide array of arts and crafts on display includes paintings, photographs and prints, ceramics, jewelry, carvings, games and furniture. Also included are many items for the yard, clothing, toys, stained and fused glass, wallets and purses, the U. P. in Smoke food wagon, maple syrup products, kettle corn, cinnamon roasted nuts and more.
Milan Bluegrass Festival
August 4-6, Milan
Michigan’s premier Bluegrass Festival is back for its 19th annual edition. Check out some of the new acts in addition to the stars everyone looks forward to seeing each year. This year promises to be one of the best.
Berries, Blues & BBQ Dinner on the Farm
August 5, Grand Junction
Relax under a pavilion while being served an appetizer, entrée and dessert, all made from in-season produce, local meats and cheeses. Enjoy a sampling of locally crafted wine and beer from McIntosh Winery and Round Barn Winery. Blues music will accompany your relaxed dinner and can end the night with a wagon ride through fields just as the sun is setting. The Farm Dinner Menus will be crafted with in-season produce, meats from a local butcher shop and cheese from Evergreen Creamery in Fennville. The menu for the night will be subject to change based on what foods are available locally.
Taste of Michigan
August 5, Manistique
Your campground host will have an array of UP-made goodies to sample, join at the campground host site. Additional details can be obtained by calling the park at 906-341-2355.
Le Concours de Livingston
August 6, Howell
Join for one of the preeminent events in Livingston County. Le Concours de Livingston showcases a stunning array of antique automobiles and motorcycles. You can also enjoy live music, delicious appetizers and beverages. In addition, there will be silent and live auctions featuring some one-of-a-kind items.
August 8-14
Jazz on the Ave- Gregg Karukas
August 10, Dearborn
Come and enjoy the 8th annual Jazz on the Ave concert series in City Hall Park!
Gregg Karukas takes the stage from 7pm-9pm. Attendees are encouraged to pick a good spot, bring lawn chairs or blankets, and enjoy an evening of live music. Neighborhood restaurants will be selling food at booths located in the park, or concert goers can grab some carry-out and have a picnic! In addition to some talented musicians, there will be a balloon twister and face painter for those young and young at heart.
Leelanau State Park – Meteors & S’mores
August 10, Northport
Come visit Leelanau State Park during the Persied meteor shower. With your naked eye you will be able to watch potentially hundreds of meteors flash across the sky as they enter our atmosphere. Visitors should meet at the parks day use pavilion where free s’mores will be provided for everyone to enjoy during this star-gazing opportunity. They are best viewed while lying on your back, so it is advised visitors bring a lawn chair or blanket. Also, dress according to the weather and bring bug spray and your own beverages.
The Cowpie Music Festival
August 12-14, Caledonia
Every second weekend in August, Shagbark Farm, a working Angus cattle farm, becomes home to the Cowpie Music Festival. Join the party in the pasture for a unique cultural experience that includes 18 talented local bands, acres of pastoral camping, delicious food, craft beer, hot air balloon rides and more! Western Michigan’s rolling hills create a perfect natural amphitheater and provide great acoustics for fans dancing in the front row or just relaxing on blankets at the top of the hill. Music fans from all over the region come to party ’til the cows come home!
Legends of the Saginaw Sail
August 13, Bay City
Learn the fascinating history of the Saginaw River as the Appledore sails from Downtown Bay City to the Saginaw Bay. Once out on the open water, help the crew set the sails or relax and enjoy the view. A light lunch of a sub sandwich, chips, cookie and soda/water is served onboard.
Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show
August 13, Hessel
The Les Cheneaux Islands Antique Boat Show, a judged event, is held each year in Hessel, in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. It has been a major attraction since it began in 1978. The show averages 150 entries and is one of the largest shows featuring antique and classic wooden and non-wooden boats. Restored boats dating back to the early 1900s are registered in this very unique show. The 2016 show will showcase Century Boats. A Festival of Arts is held alongside the boat show, where artists display and sell a variety of fine art & craft. Around 70 of the Midwest’s finest artists participate in this juried show.
August 15-21
Michigan’s State Fair in the Upper Peninsula
August 15-21, Escanaba
Come enjoy Michigan’s oldest State Fair in the Upper Peninsula. This week long fair has fun for the whole family with carnival rides, excellent food vendors, agricultural exhibits, livestock shows & auctions, grandstand musical entertainment featuring national acts, stock car races, midway entertainment and much more!
Downtown Tecumseh Classic Car & Bike Show & Music in the Park
August 18, Tecumseh
Get your motor running and head on down the highway to the 2016 Tecumseh Classic Car & Bike Show. Cars & bikes will be displayed in the Old National Bank parking lot located at 205 E. Chicago Blvd. and the adjacent downtown parking lot from 6:00 to 8:00 pm for all to enjoy. Special recognition awards will be given. Enjoy music with family and friends at Adams Park by City Hall.
Festival on the Bay
August 19-20, Petoskey
Petoskey’s signature event – Festival on the Bay is a celebration of summer, life along the water and sunsets that can’t be beat.
Come for the music from awesome performers like The Cookies, the ever-popular Petoskey Steel Drum band, perennial favorite Jelly Roll Blues Band, Pete Kehoe, The Accidentals and more.
Vendors will line the promenade at Petoskey’s waterfront with food and frivolously fun items. Take to the water, take in and arts & crafts show, and maybe even get your color on during a fun run. Appearances by the famous Million Dollar Sunsets Petoskey is so well known for are also on the schedule.
29th Annual Rubber Ducky Festival
August 20, Bellaire
The Bellaire Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present the 29th Annual Rubber Ducky Festival. This cool event is a quarter-mile race when 2000 yellow ducks are dumped into the Intermediate River with the finish line at Riverside Marina.
Also join us on Saturday for kids’ activities with face painting, games, bounce houses, slides and water balls, and a matinee movie. Buy treasures at the Fine Arts & Crafts show with over 30 artists, explore downtown Bellaire sidewalk sales and much more. After the finish line, join for “Beatles Forever” at the Bellaire Public Library.
Thunder Over Michigan 2016
August 20-21, Ypsilanti
Thunder Over Michigan is one of America’s leading airshows and is considered the best “warbird” show in America. Held every summer at Willow Run Airport, the show features world-class entertainment, unique static displays, and fun for the whole family.
August 22-28
Chelsea Community Fair
August 23-27, Chelsea
The Chelsea Community Fair is hosted at the Fairgrounds, which is located just south of downtown Chelsea. The annual fair is organized and run by the Board of Directors and the Daily Activity Fair Committees.
Michigan Paranormal Convention
August 26-27, Sault Sainte Marie
The 7th Annual Michigan Paranormal Convention will bring the biggest names of the paranormal industry to Sault Ste. Marie, MI (Michigan’s Oldest City). On August 26th and 27th at Sault Ste Marie Michigan’s Kewadin Casinos Dream Makers Theater, the following experts and television stars will be on hand to cover such topics as paranormal investigating, psychic powers, demonology, UFOlogy and attendees will be able to meet some of their favorite television paranormal investigators.
Margarita Fest
August, 26-27, Lexington
The little town of Lexington is going tropical! Grab your silly hats, leis, blinking anything and head downtown for island music and a Caribbean of fun! Refreshments available all weekend.
Yassou! Greek Cultural Festival
August 26-28, Grand Rapids
Yassou means welcome and we welcome you to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church. We are thrilled to bring Grand Rapids an event celebrating the culture and traditions of the Greek Orthodox people. We look forward to sharing with you our music, dances, gifts and of course our food! We welcome you to visit and tour our beautiful church and ask about our Orthodox faith. Please spend some of your weekend with us and we are sure you will be glad you did. Opa!
German Park Biergarten
August, 27, Ann Arbor
German Park picnics attract thousands of visitors every year. After 75 years of serving traditional German-American hospitality to the public, we know how to make sure everyone has a good time.
August 29-31
Street Musique
Through August 31, Harbor Springs
Come and enjoy the various sounds and melodies of local area musicians while strolling through Main Street. Musicians will be performing from 7:00-9:00pm every Thursday until Labor Day weekend. With so many different styles of music offered block to block, every member of the family can relish the local rhythms while eating an ice cream with the kids or just enjoying a nice summer evening walk. Activities for the children will be available, ranging from magic shows and balloon animals to face painting and sidewalk chalk throughout town and at Tom’s Mom’s Cookies.
In the Paint: Art and the Spirit of the Games
Now through September 6, Detroit
In the Paint: Art and the Spirit of the Games showcases works of art, presented for the modern Olympic and other international games, which were created by African American artists. Guided by the spirit of Olympism, the creations celebrate fair play, human dignity, equality and determination. By placing artists who created these exemplary works alongside the stories of the athletes who helped break down racial and other social barriers, In the Paint fulfills Pierre de Coubertin’s original mission for the Olympic Games to present the combined beauty of art and athletics.