Grand Rapids Summer Activities

Summer Festivals & Events 

Don’t miss CHIHULY at Meijer Gardens, America’s only 2026 exhibition showcasing the dazzling glass creations of legendary artist Dale Chihuly. His colorful works are on display in indoor galleries and across outdoor gardens from May 2-Nov 1.

Enjoy authentic global music, dance, food, art and more at cultural festivals and celebrations including the West Michigan Italian Festival (July 24-25), Grand Rapids Hispanic Festival (Aug 7-8), Sparta Celtic Festival (Aug 7-8), A Glimpse of Africa Festival (Aug 15-16), Greenville Danish Festival (Aug 21-23) and Dozynki Polish Festival (Aug 28-30).

Join in GR’s celebration of America’s 250th Anniversary by looking back at pivotal historical moments. See:

• The American Eagle (thru Aug 30), Waltzing with the Queen: President Ford and the Anglo-American Special Relationship (thru Oct 25), Opening the Vault: The Northwest Ordinance (thru Nov 1), at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.
• The Spirit of Independence: Artists’ Reflections on Freedom, featuring works created around the 1976 Bicentennial, at Grand Rapids Art Museum thru Aug 2.
• AIM HIGH: Soaring with the Tuskegee Airmen featuring Black Wings, American Dreams of Flight at the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum thru Sep 6.

Get ready for a long weekend full of fireworks, parades, concerts and community events celebrating the Fourth of July, which falls on a Saturday this year.

Join in the fun of a FIFA Soccer Watch Party at bars, breweries and other gathering spots around town. Celebrate the games by participating in the Around the World Downtown Scavenger Hunt thru July 24 – five lucky winners will receive a behind-the-scenes tour of the new Amway Stadium, which will open in spring 2027 as the home field for Athletic Club Grand Rapids, Michigan’s first MLS NEXT Pro team.

See 45+ superstar concerts in a scenic riverside setting at the new Acrisure Amphitheater and 30+ national and international acts in beautiful Meijer Gardens. Enjoy a day (or days) full of sun, fun and live music at 25+ outdoor music festivals – including the Upheaval Festival (July 17-18) and Breakaway Music Festival (Aug. 14-15), both in downtown GR’s Belknap Park. Head indoors to see the Zac Brown Band at Van Andel Arena (July 17) and Bonnie Raitt at DeVos Performance Hall (Aug 19).

In the mood for a musical? Broadway Grand Rapids presents The Great Gatsby, the Tony Award-winning musical based on the classic American novel, from July 21-26 at DeVos Performance Hall.

Stretch your summer budget with FREE music events, including the Tuesday Evening Music Club at Meijer Gardens, Relax at Rosa lunchtime entertainment every Thursday and weekly community concerts in parks across West Michigan. Rosa Parks Circle also hosts a Summer Silent Disco Series every other Thursday thru Oct 1 – admission is free but you’ll need to rent wireless headphones for $12.

Gather at multiple locations along the downtown riverfront for the annual Return to the River Festival featuring live music, eye-popping art, food trucks and more. Aug 22-23.

Say goodbye to summer on a fun-filled Labor Day weekend.

Summer Things To Do

See the awesome new river otter exhibit at John Ball Zoo, and 2,000+ additional animals, including hippo Hugo, who celebrates his first birthday in September. The Zoo also offers family-friendly events, animal experiences and adventures including a zipline and sky trails rope course.

In addition to its Dale Chihuly exhibit, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park is unveiling a major refresh of the Lena Meijer Children’s Garden this season, featuring fun new interactive play elements, an ice cream parlor and updates to the treehouse village, rock quarry and log cabin. Your kids will love it!

Kids ages 5-12 will also love Backyard Adventures at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, offering a bee’s-eye view of a garden, a food web pond, a giant pumpkin bonanza and much more. Older kids and adults will want to check out Unseen Oceans, revealing the mysteries of the deep, plus the newly expanded Streets of Old Grand Rapids exhibit, the newly wheelchair-accessible 1928 Spillman Carousel and the newly renovated outdoor riverfront.

Another one for the kids: the Grand Rapids Children’s Museum offers two floors of interactive play developed for children ages 2-10, Visit the 3^rd Thursday of every month for $3 admission from 4-8pm and take part in Sensory-Friendly Playtime on Aug 3 from 5-7pm. Explore our sensory-friendly guide to visiting Grand Rapids.

The Grand Rapids Art Museum’s Decadent Spirit: French Art at the Turn of the Century charts a period of extraordinary aesthetic experimentation through more than 130 works of art across diverse media.  The Museum’s free Thursdays on the Terrace series offers art, music, food and community, every Thursday thru Aug 27. 

The newly relocated Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archives – 15 times the size of its previous space – is delivering new depths of insight into the local Black experience.

Sunset Cinema is a free outdoor movie series in downtown GR’s Studio Park piazza – starting at 8pm every Saturday night thru Aug 22.

Refuel between your adventures at 1,000+ local restaurants – including more than 130 with great outdoor dining & drinking spaces.

Take advantage of the Downtown Refreshment Area to stroll the city center while enjoying delectable food and alcoholic beverages. There are plenty of places to sit and relax along your journey. Similar outdoor refreshment areas are available outside downtown and along the lakeshore.

Visit the Grand Rapids Downtown Market – one of Tasting Table’s 13 Must-Visit U.S. Food Halls – to shop butcheries, bakeries, patisseries, fishmongers, coffee roasters, chocolatiers and other artisan vendors, all under one roof. The Market also hosts American, Asian, Hispanic and Mediterranean eateries, and you can dine indoors or out.

Attend a food & drink festival: The Grand Rapids Taco & Tequila Fest comes to Riverside Park June 27, the Grand Rapids Foodie Fest is a downtown street festival from July 3-5 and Taste of East Grand Rapids offers attendees a sampling of cuisine from local eateries Aug. 19.  Food Truck Fridays in Riverside Park feature 20 or so of the area’s best food trucks plus a beer tent, artisan village and live music every Friday evening thru Aug 14.

Savor a few of summer’s favorite foods: Beat the heat with a trip to the area’s best ice cream and frozen yogurt shops. Sip a tall cold one at a local brewery or a refreshing adult beverage at a cocktail bar. Visit the city’s best burger spots and hot dog joints. Shop for fresh picked fruits and vegetables at area farm markets.

Summer’s the perfect time to discover why Grand Rapids is a six-time winner of USA Today’s Best Beer City title and become a Beer City® Brewsader – download the app and visit eight of our 40+ breweries to earn a FREE t-shirt. You can take a guided beer tour and let someone else do the driving.

Do you ever look at a menu and think, “I can’t decide, everything looks good”? Then you’ll want to get the Flights of Flavor digital pass to find the area’s best food + drink flights, allowing you to sample multiple dishes and/or beverages in one sitting. You can even earn free merchandise for doing it.

Outdoor Things To Do

Grand Rapids is an outdoor paradise in every season – but summer is especially near and dear to our hearts. One great reason: perfect weather for golfing at 30+ local courses.

If frisbees are more your thing, check out these 15 disc golf courses – all free to play.

Pickleball players from around the country come to Grand Rapids every year to compete in the Beer City Open Pickleball Championship. This year’s event also features Major League Pickleball’s Midseason Tournament. Cheer on the athletes in downtown’s Belknap Park, July 7-12.

Grand Rapids is actually a Midwest hub for pickleball – check out the list of 100+ outdoor courts at the end of the article.

Hundreds of miles of paved trails in and around Grand Rapids give bikers and hikers ample opportunity for scenic exercise. These trails are particularly accessible for people with disabilities – and these trails are dog-friendly. 

Warmer water means this is also prime season for boating, paddling and tubing. Bring your own gear or rent everything you need here.

Feel like a beach day? The six-acre beach and boat rental facility at Millennium Park are just a five-minute drive from downtown Grand Rapids, while 20+ sugar-sand Lake Michigan beaches are 30-45 minutes away. Pack plenty of sunscreen!