Muskegon's Summer Celebration
An 11 Day Outdoor Music Festival in Muskegon
Summer Celebration is an 11 day festival, or "big party" as it's referred to, on beautiful Muskegon Lake. There is great music, rides, fireworks and lots of food.
Every year Muskegon, Michigan hosts a big party called Summer Celebration. It began over fourteen years ago when some local businessmen came together to form a summer event for the community. In the early years mostly locals attended the event, but now the celebration boasts of having guests from all over Michigan and some from surrounding states like Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio.
This year Muskegon Summer Celebration will begin on June 28 and end on July 8. The celebration expects to have over 600,000 people to attend the event over it’s eleven days. The festival is highlighted by evening concerts on the main stage of Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon. This year the musical roster includes greats like B.B. King, the Goo Goo Dolls, Chris Daughtry (from the American Idol), Frankie Beverly & Maze, The Spinners, INXS and the New Cars. On Saturday, July 7 there will be a special concert for the young teens and tweens featuring Corbin Bleu (from High School Musical), Drake Bell and Jordan Pruitt. Tickets for the main concerts range from $20-$40 depending upon seating, and tickets for the youth concert from $15-$30.
Because Muskegon is a wonderful family town, you can expect to meet lots of friendly people at the celebration. You and your family can explore several blocks of arts and crafts, or sample some tasty authentic greek food. Last year to everyone’s surprise, one of the musical guests, Brian McKnight was found walking around the artist expo while enjoying a box of popcorn. It was the talk of the town and everyone agreed that he surely would not have done that while performing in a big city like New York or Chicago. Other events include performances by local/regional musicians, a bike stunt show, the famous sand sculpture contest (held at the beach on Lake Michigan), magicians, clowns, parades, and fireworks. The main fairway is set up somewhat like a carnival with rides for different ages, games and lots and lots of food. Many guests opt to purchase wristbands that permit them to “ride all they can”. The concept is similar to that of admission to an amusement park in that you pay once and ride all day.
If you are planning to attend Summer Celebration there are many options for lodging in Muskegon. Both the Holiday Inn downtown and the Shoreline Suites are within walking distance of most of the events including the concert main stage. Rooms at these two hotels will probably run well over $100 per night during Summer Celebration because of the location. You might also consider The Hackley-Holt House Bed and Breakfast (also within walking distance but just a little farther away), or Port City Victorian Inn (about a mile walk to Heritage Landing). The biggest problem with driving to Summer Celebration is parking; nevertheless, if you think you wouldn’t mind driving, here are a few hotels that are just a few minutes drive from downtown Muskegon: the Hampton Inn on Ellis Road, the Amerihost Inn on Harvey Street, the Comfort Inn on Sherman and the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Mt. Garfield Road.
