Grand Rapids loves a good music festival, and we host a diverse range of single-day and multi-day outdoor concert events each year. Gather your music-loving buddies, grab your sunscreen and get your tickets for a day or more of sun, fun and live music!
Enjoy live music, good vibes, and sunshine at Grand Rapids' summer concert events.
Photo by Nick Irwin for Experience GR.
Irish Off Ionia
March 14, 2026
Get an early start on our outdoor festival season at Irish Off Ionia, a massive St. Patrick’s Day celebration in downtown GR’s Calder Plaza. Enjoy live music and Irish performances all day long while you indulge in beer (green and otherwise), plus cider, cocktails, zero-proof drinks and elevated food offerings.
Latvian Song & Dance Festival
July 1-5, 2026
Grand Rapids is proud to host the Latvian Song & Dance Festival for the first time in 2026, bringing concerts, dance performances, art exhibitions and other community events to various downtown GR venues. Highlights include a 500-person choir and 750-member dance troupe.
Breakaway Music Festival
August 14-15, 2026
Wiz Khalifa, Big Gigantic, Illenium, DJ Snake and The Chainsmokers are just a few of the performers who have appeared in years past at this Belknap Park event. The Breakaway Music Festival bills itself as “the largest national touring festival,” but it collaborates with Grand Rapids talent, vendors and fans to make it feel authentically West Michigan.
Upheaval Festival
July 17-18, 2026
“Welcome to the Uprising” is the invitation at this raucous rock festival held in downtown’s Belknap Park. The Upheaval Festival has scheduled 25+ music acts for 2026, including Gojira, Papa Roach, Magnolia Park, Poppy, Story of the Year and Bilmuri.
Return to the River Festival
August 22-23, 2026
This free festival features live music, cool art installations, acrobatic performers, community art activities and much more. Return to the River takes place in multiple venues along downtown’s Grand River, including 555 Monroe Skate Park, Sixth Street Park and the Sixth Street Bridge.
Fallasburg Arts Festival
September 19-20, 2026
Picturesque Fallasburg Park, about 20 minutes from downtown GR, is the setting for this free annual festival. The Fallasburg Arts Festival includes outdoor concerts, 100+ unique fine art and fine craft booths, food booths, a children’s craft area and more.
Grand Rapids is the perfect place to experience music festivals, with plenty to see from the city to the Lakeshore.
Photo by Experience GR
Lakeshore Festivals
Grand Rapids makes the perfect home base for attending these festivals located 40-50 minutes from downtown. Book a GR hotel so you can enjoy big-city culture and dining during festival off-hours.
GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival
June 12-14, 2026
Held at South Haven’s Gingerman Raceway, about an hour southwest of Grand Rapids, the GRIDLIFE Midwest Festival is a weekend packed with regional and national music acts, camping and nonstop racing action.
Holland Celtic Festival
June 26-27, 2026
Now in its fourth year, the Holland Celtic Festival features two days of performances by Irish and Celtic bands, a pipe & drum band, and Irish and Scottish dance groups. The Festival also hosts The Highland Games, a day of nine ancient athletic events for men and women, food and craft vendors, and more.
Walk the Beat - White Lake
July 18, 2026
This free outdoor music festival features 30+ acts across a variety of musical genres. White Lake’s Walk the Beat includes 19 venues throughout Whitehall and Montague, about 50 minutes northwest of GR.
Unity Christian Music Festival
August 5-8, 2026
This annual festival focuses on the best in Christian music, but also includes great food, fellowship and family fun. This year’s lineup of 20+ acts includes For King & Country, Crowder, Leanna Crawford and Tenth Avenue North. The Unity Christian Music Festival is held at Muskegon’s Heritage Landing Park, about 40 minutes northwest of GR.
Walk the Beat - Grand Haven
August 8, 2026
Grand Haven’s Walk the Beat presents dozens of bands in multiple venues across a half mile stretch of the city’s downtown. Grand Haven is about 40 minutes from GR.
Burning Foot Beer Festival
August 29, 2026
A celebration of art, music and craft beers, the Burning Foot Beer Festival is held each August in downtown Muskegon’s Heritage Landing. Enjoy a stellar lineup of regional and national musicians, sample beer from dozens of Great Lakes breweries and enjoy a beautiful view of Muskegon Lake.
Michigan Irish Music Festival
September 17-20, 2026
Everything from traditional Irish folk music to contemporary Celtic rock is featured at the Michigan Irish Music Festival, along with authentic dance, food, beverages and cultural discovery. See the entertainers under six covered stages at Heritage Landing Park in Muskegon.
South Haven Jazz Festival
September, Dates TBA
Presented on two outdoor stages over the course of two evenings, the South Haven Jazz Festival features seven bands in concert. It’s free to attend, and drinks are available for purchase. Bring a lawn chair! South Haven is about 60 minutes southwest of Grand Rapids.
A Pleasant Drive
These festivals are all located within a 40-60 minute drive of Grand Rapids. Many offer on-site camping, but day passes are often available for non-campers. Get a hotel in GR and enjoy a comfortable bed each night.
Bus Benefit
May 22-25, 2026
Organized to raise funds for the Grand Rapids-based Phoenix Society of Burn Survivors, this Memorial Day weekend festival features live music from local and regional performers plus rustic camping in the woods and fun family activities. The Bus Benefit is held at Smiling Acres campground in Trufant, about 40 minutes northeast of downtown GR.
Hippie Fest
June 6-7, 2026
Woodstock tribute bands, eclectic sideshow performers, acres of bohemian vendors and delicious food await you at Hippie Fest, a family-friendly festival at Treetoad Family Farm, about 50 minutes northeast of Grand Rapids.
Buttermilk Jamboree
June 19-21, 2026
The family-oriented Buttermilk Jamboree music festival features dozens of local and regional performers, workshops, local food and goods vendors, craft beer and wine, rustic camping and more at Circle Pines Center in Delton, about 50 minutes southeast of downtown GR.
Electric Forest
June 25-28, 2026
This eccentric and imaginative festival focuses on electronic and jam band music, art and camping. Tens of thousands attend Electric Forest each year at the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, just under an hour from GR.
Charlotte Bluegrass Festival
June 25-27, 2026
Michigan’s premier bluegrass festival, the 53-year-old Charlotte Bluegrass Festival is an hour from Grand Rapids – and well worth the drive for lovers of this art form. The annual event includes a week of camping, jamming and workshops, and three days of top-tier bluegrass entertainment. The 2026 lineup includes The Travelin’ McCourts, The Del McCoury Band, The David Mayfield Parade, Kentucky Just Us, the Kevin Prater Band and more.
Smiling Acres Music Festival
June 26-28, 2026
Dozens of bands from across the country and close to home come to Trufant’s Smiling Acres campground for three days of music, food, art, camping and community. There are two main stages of live entertainment plus a Fireside Acoustic stage for late-night jams.
Tamarack Music Festival
July 24-26, 2026
There are only 150 tickets available for “the best tiny festival in the Mitten State,” which features sensational live music by some of Michigan’s best talent from various genres and everyone has a backstage pass. The Tamarack Music Festival is held in Morley, about 40 minutes northeast of downtown GR.
Michigan Fern Fest
July 28 - Aug 2, 2026
The music lineup and the entire experience of Fern Fest is specifically curated to drive connection and foster community for women, trans and non-binary folks, and those that live on the spectrum of the feminine spirit. It’s six days of camping, music, workshops and more. It’s held at Smiling Acres campground in Trufant
Rock the Country
Aug. 8-9, 2026
Kid Rock, Brantley Gilbert, Jason Aldean, Treaty Oak Revival and Uncle Kracker are among the 18 acts scheduled for Rock the Country in Hastings, about 40 minutes southeast of Grand Rapids. Billed as “A Festival For The People,” Rock the Country is celebrating community in eight small towns across America.
Fest of All Music
August 14-16, 2026
Bent Arrow Deer Ranch in Holton, an hour northwest of Grand Rapids, is the site of the annual Fest of All Music Celebration. Incorporating aspects of music, plant music, foraging, holistic health, herbalism and yoga, the focus is on creating a positive, enjoyable event for all ages.
Tie Dye Festival
August 21-22, 2026
The Tie Dye Festival is a weekend celebration of West Michigan musical talent held in Burley Park in Howard City, 30 minutes northeast of Grand Rapids. More than 20 acts across various musical genres take the stage, demonstrating the breadth and depth of the local music scene.
Grateful Bear Campout Music Festival
August 22-23, 2026
More than 30 tribute bands to The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Ween, Primus, The Doors, Devo, Bob Marley, Black Sabbath and more take center stage at the Grateful Bear Campout Music Festival at Willow Ranch, about one hour southwest of Grand Rapids. There’s also a late-night Pink Floyd immersive lazer set, live art installations all over the campground, craft and food vendors, speakers, comedians, and video game and movie projections.
Wheatland Music Festival
September 11-13, 2026
Renowned bluegrass, blues, folk, rock, roots and world music performers light up multiple stages at the 160-acre site of the annual Wheatland Music Festival. Festivalgoers can also take part in workshops, demonstrations, dances and impromptu jam sessions, and enjoy juried arts and crafts competitions plus a wide variety of food. In Remus, about an hour northeast of Grand Rapids.
Many of our Cultural Festivals & Celebrations also include concert elements, usually highlighting music from different heritages and regions of the world. Need to get your groove on right now or during your next trip to Grand Rapids? Visit our Concerts and Live Music page and click the date(s) you’re looking for under “Search our Event Calendar.” Check out our Free Music Events page to get your groove on gratis!
