Lighting Up Michigan: Local Spins’ 2024 Michigan Music Festivals Guide and User Tips

Presenting our guide to 2024 Michigan music festivals and kickoff to festival fun, a New Year’s Day tradition at Local Spins. We’ve got tips for festivalgoers and the state’s most comprehensive festival listing.

 

VIEW LOCAL SPINS’ 2024 MICHIGAN MUSIC FESTIVALS GUIDE HERE

With what can only be described over the past two decades as an explosion of Michigan music festivals — intimate as well as gargantuan — the challenges of choosing, preparing and successfully managing a memorable festival experience have grown dramatically, too.

On the sheer numbers front, this year’s Michigan Music Festivals 2024 Guide at Local Spins boasts listings of more than 60 music festivals, dozens of them sharing the same summer weekends, with more likely to be announced as dates and lineups are finalized in coming months.

The celebrations include quaint weekend events starring local artists in wooded settings such as the Tamarack Music Festival outside Morley to urban romps with internationally known acts such as Grand Rapids’ Upheaval and Breakaway Music Festivals and Muskegon’s Michigan Irish Music Festival to remote island-centric gems like Beaver Island Music Festival to all-out, high-tech, earth-rattling, light-festooned spectacles such as Electric Forest in Rothbury and Movement Electronic Music Festival in Detroit.

There are plenty of family-friendly affairs as well as party-driven extravaganzas geared toward adults.

There are camping festivals, drop-in one-day events and far-flung wilderness-enmeshed productions such as the Porcupine Mountains Music Festival in Ontonagon that’s an eight-hours-plus drive from Grand Rapids or Detroit.

All of them boast singularly inviting musical adventures that cultivate camaraderie among attendees, whether they’re heavy metal addicts, EDM fans or folk and roots music devotees.

But negotiating all of these variations — as well as disparate rules, stage and camping layouts, weather considerations and ticketing — can be dizzying for even regular festivalgoers.

So for this year’s New Year’s Day announcement of our Michigan Music Festivals Guide, we’ve assembled some of the top tips from a few musicians and regular festivalgoers, as well as our own roster of recommendations, to help make your 2024 festival experiences the best and most memorable possible. First up, a few suggestions from festival veterans.

SEAN MILLER (Singer-Songwriter) – “One of the more obvious tips or tricks is to bring plenty of sunscreen. However, whether you consider this TMI or not, I’d also suggest bringing baby wipes and baby powder. Hot summer days mixed with walking the festival grounds — from sun-up to way past sundown — can leave you a little sore. My other suggestion is to, of course, see your favorite bands, but to make a point to see others. Michigan (and the Midwest) has so many wonderfully talented artists and groups. You never know what you might stumble on that could be your next favorite band.”

NICHOLAS JAMES THOMASMA (Nicholas James & The Bandwagon, Interim Executive Director of Michigan Music Alliance) – “Volunteering is the best way to become a part of the festival community. Also, whenever possible, I highly recommend showing up in a Volkswagen bus!”

JON SHEARS (Roosevelt Diggs) – “No. 1: Water. Staying hydrated is SO important — which goes along with pacing yourself. No. 2: Healthy snacks. Good energy in, good energy out. And as a bonus: Spread love.”

ANNA SINK (Local Spins Photographer) – “Stake down your tents and easy-ups, prepare for rain even when the forecast is for three straight sunny days, and bring a several-gallon water dispenser for the campsite. Also, print out the festival music schedules and maps at home before you go, because many festivals don’t make festival guides anymore and there’s never any cell service, so it’s hard to use the Internet. Also, bring at least four pairs of shoes, because — even if you think they’ll never break (or get soaking wet) — they will. Always bring your own toilet paper, and especially for women, always bring tampons.”

SAV BUIST (The Accidentals) – “1. Set up your campsite when you get there while it’s well-lit. And mark it with something bright/unique so you can easily find your campsite. It’s easy to get lost in a sea of sites, especially if you’re directionally challenged like me. It helps to see something bright and unique from a distance. 2. No matter how warm you think it’s gonna be, BRING WARM CLOTHES. Rain gear is especially crucial. It’s Michigan, so any season could happen at any time. I make a habit of bringing extra jackets and sweatshirts to festivals. Also, if you’re going to Electric Forest especially, I recommend bandanas. One year it got so dusty that people were using bandanas over their mouths so they weren’t breathing in all the dust. We sold out on our bandanas that year. Bring clothes that you wouldn’t expect to bring for the season.”

BECKY OLIVER (Serial Festivalgoer) – “1. Do the homework, who is playing, listen to the artist prior and don’t expect them to play your favorites. 2. Prep for the weather.”

ATTENDING A FESTIVAL? MUST-READ TIPS FROM LOCAL SPINS

WEATHER: Be prepared, check the forecast. Bring sunscreen, hats, ponchos and rain gear. Wear comfortable footwear good for long walks and standing.
HYDRATE: Water, water, water.
KNOW THE RULES: Every festival is a bit different, so what they allow or prohibit varies — from items that can be brought in to gate-opening times. Check festival websites ahead of time.
PETS: Leave ’em at home. Most festivals prohibit pets. A couple smaller ones allow them, but check with the festival first.
KIDS: Many Michigan festivals are family-friendly and include children’s activities. Some bigger festivals don’t and definitely are geared toward adults. Be smart.
CELLPHONES: Make sure you’ve got one to keep in touch with partners or friends in your group so they know where you are, but don’t be surprised if cell service in remote locations is spotty. Keep the phones charged; many festivals have charging stations.
SAFETY: Be aware of your surroundings; know where exits, aid stations and security folks are located. Report any suspicious behavior to festival staff.
PARTY TIME? Sure, festivals can be a time to frolic. But imbibe slowly and with care. Don’t get carried away or security might have to carry you away. Moderation in all things.
BE COURTEOUS: Treat festival staff, security folks and fellow festivalgoers with respect. It goes a long way toward making your festival experience a memorable one.
PLAN EARLY: If you attend and love a particular festival, make plans for next year’s event early. Most festivals feature cheaper early-bird tickets. Plus, you don’t want your favorite event to sell out before you’ve purchased your tickets/wristbands/passes.

And if you haven’t already done so, check out the 2024 Michigan Music Festivals Guide — the most comprehensive in the state. Happy New Year!!

Copyright 2024, Spins on Music LLC