Local Spins previews the return of Downtown Grand Rapids Inc.’s free, two-day festival in the Monroe North district, with sets by bands and DJs, as well as art installations. View the performance schedule.
Embracing the Grand River: The Return to the River fest returns this weekend to areas on the north side of downtown Grand Rapids. (Photo/Local Spins)
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The restoration of Grand River access throughout the downtown Grand Rapids area in recent years has ushered in green areas and entertainment space sparking events such as this weekend’s Return to the River Music & Art Festival, with more activities likely to come in the future as the new Acrisure Amphitheater opens in 2026.
The 2025 edition of the festival hosted by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. along Monroe Avenue NW in the Monroe North district will boast performances by more than two dozen bands and DJs on two stages, with art installations, food trucks, an artisan market and other activities starting at 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Patty PerShayla (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
The lineup boasts a wide range of regional artists, including the jazzy Kevin Jones & Tenth World, reggae’s Mystic Dub, soulful rock’s Nathan Walton & The Remedy, psychedelic pop’s The Go Rounds, manouche/swing’s Third Coast Swing, rock’s Patty PerShayla and Norteno/Tejano’s Grupo Fierro, among others.
Northern Michigan keyboardist and singer Charlie Millard noted that his band’s 8:30 p.m. Saturday performance on the Sixth Street Bridge stage gives him a chance to spotlight songs from his new studio album, “Pilot Boy.”
“We haven’t played in town as a full band since the new record came out, which was recorded here in Grand Rapids,” he said. “We’re super excited to perform for this arts-filled fest.”
The band, he said, has been performing tracks from the new album this summer as well as “having fun ripping some Leon Russell-type tunes. … We’ve had a great response to the record, a long time coming for sure.”
(The Charlie Millard Band also will perform Sept. 7 at Charlevoix’s Full Moon Feast, Concert & Dance with Alex Belhaj and Samantha Cooper.)
The all-ages Return to the River event runs from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday (Aug. 23) and 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday (Aug. 24), with performances and activities at 555 Monroe, Sixth Street Park and Sixth Street Bridge. View the performance schedule below.
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