With West Virginia’s Carpenter Ants and Michigan’s Nathan Walton, Legal Immigrants, Snacks & Five & more on the bill, this year’s far-flung island soiree shapes up as one of its best. The Local Spins guide.

Island Party: Music lovers will be back on Beaver Island this weekend. (Photo/Anna Sink)
SCROLL DOWN FOR FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS AND SCHEDULE
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
It’s been said many times before: Nothing quite compares to the Beaver Island Music Festival experience.
“The intimacy and tranquility of the festival grounds stand out, but the best part of Beaver Island Music Festival is the island. It offers an opportunity to reconnect with yourself and nature,” said Joe Bockheim, frontman for the Grand Rapids rock band The Legal Immigrants which returns to the far-flung festival for sets on Friday and Saturday.

Joe Bockheim of The Legal Immigrants (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Bockheim also figures to play solo at some point because festival organizers Dan and Carol Burton “know I’m willing to play anywhere, anytime, so you might find me playing on stage, at a bar or beach, or somewhere in the woods on a trail.”
This year’s robust lineup includes veteran West Virginia R&B band The Carpenter Ants, Alabama alt-rock band Carver Commodore, Kansas City indie-roots rock band Katy Guillen & The Drive and Michigan favorites such as Nathan Walton & The Remedy, Heat Above, The Legal Immigrants, Snacks & Five, Flexadecibel, Kyle Brown & The Human Condition, G-Snacks, Lynn & The Moonshine Runners and more.
Located in northern Lake Michigan about 32 miles from Charlevoix — and boasting just 600 or so inhabitants — Beaver Island has long been a unique, isolated setting for a summer music festival with folks arriving by ferry or seaplane.
Northern Michigan musician Christopher “Wink” Winkelman, of the Traverse City band Soul Patch, calls it “one of my few favorite places on the planet.”
“I would say our favorite part about Beaver Island Music Festival is just enjoying island life, getting to see Dan and Carol (Burton) who put on the festival, and having fun rockin’ out on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan,” said Justin Perry, from the Traverse City- and Key West-based Snacks & Five and G-Snacks, who will perform this weekend. It’s the third time Snacks & Five has graced the event.
Although the festival is billed as a three-day affair (Thursday-Saturday), informal performances start Wednesday night, with some acts playing on Sunday, too.
Check out the festival essentials and a schedule below.
BEAVER ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS

Nathan Walton (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
WHERE: Beaver Island in northern Lake Michigan
WEBSITE: https://bimf.net/
THE DRIVE (to Charlevoix for ferry or airway service):
177 miles (2 hours, 45 minutes) north of Grand Rapids
226 miles (3 hours, 23 minutes) north of Kalamazoo
269 miles (4 hours) northwest of Detroit
209 miles (3 hours, 17 minutes) northwest of Lansing
50 miles (1 hour) northeast of Traverse City
THE LINEUP: The Carpenter Ants, Carver Commodore, Katy Guillen & The Drive, Nathan Walton & The Remedy, Flexadecibel, Heat Above, Smilo & The Ghost, Snacks & Five, Adrian + Meredith, G-Snacks, Paul Lamb, Kyle Brown & The Human Condition, Nathan & Jessie, Ben Steer, The Legal Immigrants, Lynn & The Moonshine Runners and Dave Boutette & Kristi Lynn Davis. Get details at bimf.net; scroll down for schedule.
QUOTE: “The land, the unmatched kindness and care of the curators (The Burtons), close interaction with fans and artists alike. The diversity of music that comes from all over, not just our beloved Mitten, all the wonderful kids-focused and family-forward style. I could really go on and on.” – Christopher “Wink” Winkelman

TICKETS: $175 for a three-day adult ticket; $135 for two-day adult ticket; $70 for one-day adult pass (discounts for teens/seniors); available online here. Children 12 and younger are free. Tickets include camping. In addition, festivalgoers will need a ferry pass through Beaver Island Boat Co. or airway service via Island Airways.
BIMF: THE 2024 SCHEDULE
REVISIT: LOCAL SPINS COVERAGE OF PAST BEAVER ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVALS
Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC