One of the first music festivals of the summer season returns to Smiling Acres outside Trufant over Memorial Day weekend. Get the lineup and details at Local Spins.
Friday Night Tradition: Nicholas James & The Bandwagon performing on stage at the 2024 Bus Benefit. (Photo/Local Spins)
Let’s just say the mammoth Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival has experienced its share of chaos and controversy over the past week despite the allure of big names such as Lady Gaga, Green Day, Post Malone and Travis Scott.
Support our coverage of
West Michigan's music scene
Campers waited in excruciating, 12-hour lines amid a traffic jam just to enter the California festival that draws 250,000 people, after which they endured record-breaking desert heat, ridiculously long shower queues and stunning food prices (with one woman paying $102 for a taco, nachos and lemonade snack for two).
Want to avoid that kind of madness and still experience a weekend of compelling live music?
How about opting for down-to-earth Michigan music festivals that boast reasonable prices, beautiful natural landscapes and stellar summer weather, starting with the 2025 Bus Benefit presented by Buses by the Beach at Smiling Acres in Trufant, May 23-26.
VW Buses and Family Fun: Bus Benefit (Photo/Local Spins)
One of the first home-grown festivals of the summer season has announced its lineup for Memorial Day weekend 2025, with Cold Leather Seats and Nicholas James & The Bandwagon pumping up the Main Stage on Friday, Kyle Brown & The Human Condition, Josh Rose & The Founding Fathers, Lady Ace Boogie and The Mainstays on Saturday, and Whorled, Adrian + Meredith, Hunter Root and Roosevelt Diggs on Sunday.
Acoustic performances Saturday on the Woods Stage will feature Loren Johnson, Alex Atkin and I.Am.James, along with an open-mic session.
The long-running family-friendly festival organized by Volkswagen bus owners that moved from the lakeshore to the Smiling Acres festival site last year also features children’s activities, talent shows, rustic camping, a raffle and daily 50-50 drawings.
Early-bird tickets, $90, are available through today (April 15) online here, with non-VW bus passes costing $30, and reserved camping at $30-$50. Starting Wednesday, passes will cost $120 through May 18, and $150 after that.
As one 2024 attendee put it, the festival oozes “a really good vibe.” View Local Spins coverage of the 2025 event here.
Find festival rules and more details on the event’s Facebook page.
Get more festival updates in Local Spins’ Thursday ‘Amplified’ newsletter and find a complete roster of 2025 Michigan music festivals online at Local Spins here: MICHIGAN MUSIC FESTIVALS 2025: THE LIST
Copyright 2025, Spins on Music LLC
