Michigan’s summer festival roster keeps growing, with weekly lineup announcements delighting fans bracing for one of the busiest seasons ever. Check out several lineups today at Local Spins.
Holler Fest Hoopla: More than 80 bands will perform at the festival in August. (Photo/Julia Olmos)
When Megan Lavell, executive director of the Thornapple Arts Council of Barry County, started assembling Hastings’ first-ever Fair Ground Festival with the help of Amber Buist and others, pieces fell into place quickly.
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“When things come together that easily, I think it means there is a hunger and a need for that in the community,” she said. “I think we had the right people in the right place at the right time, and now we’re hosting a kick-ass music festival in little ol’ Hastings.”
That kick-ass, one-day festival on Aug. 27 at Barry Expo Center unfurls an all-star cast of female-driven acts: JOSEPH, a folk trio of sisters from Portland, Ore., Michigan-bred alt-folk heroes The Accidentals and The Crane Wives, award-winning national blues artist Ruthie Foster, rock’s Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps and Nashville-based singer-songwriter and activist Kyshona.
The Accidentals: Sav Buist and Katie Larson will play the inaugural Fair Ground Fest. (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
“The goals of the festival are to create Fair Ground for all musicians, supporting women in the music industry, support and stimulate the Hastings/Barry County economy, and support rural placemaking in our community,” Lavell said.
“The mission behind these artists is to support and uplift women in music. This year’s performers are all female-led groups. We want to provide Fair Ground for diverse musicians and audiences. We are a female-led organization in Barry County supporting a female-led festival. We want to uplift the idea of diversity and be women who support other women.”
General admission tickets are $50 adults, $25 4-14, are available online here. There also are $125 and $250 VIP options. Parking is $5.
“Our goal is to create a really successful event that both performers and festival lovers wants to return to for years,” Lavell said. “We hope this festival will help put Barry County/Hastings on the map in a good way.”
The Fair Ground Festival is among several new music festivals either making their debut in 2023 or celebrating their second year.
One of them is the second annual Local Spins Fest unfurling Saturday (May 20) at Studio Park in downtown Grand Rapids to kick off the summer with six bands starring female artists — In the Valley Below, Earth Radio, Kari Lynch Band, Sarena Rae, Lokella and Grace Theisen Band — pumping up a diverse mix of genres, starting at 4 p.m. Details and tickets online at themidtowngr.org. (Check out another second-year festival below.)
Meanwhile, a long-running Southern Michigan festival highly praised by performers has announced its 2023 lineup, as well as the state’s largest Irish music celebration.
HOLLER FEST: Holler Fest, taking place Aug. 25-27 at Frog Holler Farm in Brooklyn in Jackson County, will spotlight Grand Rapids rock/blues duo Jesse Ray & The Carolina Catfish, Detroit soul/R&B band Laura Rain & The Caesars, northern Michigan folk faves Breathe Owl Breathe, Kalamazoo indie-rock band The Go Rounds and Ohio-based Americana group Shannon Clark & The Sugar, with more than 80 other acts on the jam-packed schedule.
The festival, also known for its locally sourced food, workshops and children’s activities, will also feature sets by Desmond Jones, Wilson Thicket, Dick Siegel, Charlie Millard, Billy King, Yellow Room Gang, Misty Lyn & The Big Beautiful, Donya Kiana, Jive Colossus, Peter Madcat Ruth and Buffalo. View the complete lineup and poster online here. More info at hollerfest.com.
The Moxie Strings (Courtesy Photo)
The festival recently announced a lineup that includes Seamus Kennedy, SLIDE, Socks in the Frying Pan, Doolin’, Eileen Ivers, Sharon Shannon, Paddy Keenan, One for the Foxes, The Tossers, MALINDA (Malinda Kathleen Reese), The Moxie Strings, Tallymoore, Colm & Laura Keegan, Blackthorn, Ian Gould, Kennedy’s Kitchen, Brother Crowe, Conklin Ceili Band, Black Murray, Enda Reilly, CrossBow, Ruth and Max Bloomquist, The Barley Saints, Uneven Ground, Chelsea House Orchestra and Toby Bresnahan, as well as various dance troupes.
Four-day passes, $50, are available online here, along with other ticket options.
WALK THE BEAT WHITE LAKE: Also dubbed the White Lake Area Music Festival, the second year of the Walk the Beat event in Montague and Whitehall will feature performances by 36 Michigan bands in 18 different locations.
FlyLiteGemini (Photo/Chelsea Whitaker)
Performers at the July 22 event will include Kyle Brown & The Human Condition, Nathan Walton & The Remedy, JD & The Bees Knees, Asamu Johnson & The Associates of the Blues, The Substitutes, Gabrial James, Tommy Foster & Justin Avdek, Karen & Eric Smith, Bret Balcom, The Illustrated, John Merchant, Eric Engblade Trio, Blaine Luis Band, Dave Burel, The 313 Group, Nate Dill, Caly Michigan, The Rupple Brothers, The Incantations, Mady Simon, The Kettle Belles, Joesephella, Troy Kaley, Zach Peterson, Greg Hillebrand, Sharp Lives, Nomads, 8 Hands on 2 Pianos, Piano Extravaganza, CORDERO, Chris Clayton Loop, Nick Veine, Wyatt & Shari Knapp, HAIVEN, LORRYNNE & Bella Wright, FlyLiteGemini and Isaac Berkowitz.
More info here.
Find a comprehensive listing of music festivals in the Michigan Music Festivals 2023 Guide at Local Spins.
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