Music, food, festivals in Michigan Labor Day weekend. Where to celebrate

It’s nearly Labor Day and if you’re looking to send off summer with a blast while enjoying a three-day weekend, there are numerous local festivities taking place this weekend in Michigan.

The Michigan State Fair is underway in Novi, and people are camping, enjoying arts and crafts in the Upper Peninsula, taking in music and Polish culture in west Michigan, experiencing holistic wellness in northeast Michigan, and even trying weird attractions in mid-Michigan.

Here are some upcoming events scheduled to bid farewell to summer ahead of Sept. 1, Labor Day, in Michigan.

Celebrate summer’s end with classic fair in metro Detroit

Head to Novi in southeast Michigan for an annual tradition packed with a livestock competitions, carnival fare, rides, a farmer’s market and beyond.

The Michigan State Fair is underway this Labor Day Weekend, Aug. 28 to Sept. 1, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. Fair admission is $10 and children ages 2 and younger get in for free. Carnival rides come at an additional cost. Minors under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, per fair policy.

The state fair features activities such as pig races, baking contests, livestock exhibits and competitions, live music, butter cow sculpting, a blood drive, craft beer festival, a farmer’s market, carnival rides and games, dog performances and more.

Embrace the bizarre in mid-Michigan

Mystery lovers, get ready for a lineup of everything weird and paranormal in mid-Michigan’s downtown Charlotte.

The Festival of Oddities is back Aug. 30-31 in and around Charlotte’ Courthouse Square Museum, with indoor and outdoor activities. Admission is free, while museum entry costs $5.

Outdoor activities will include a macabre-themed marketplace featuring over 100 Michigan artists and makers, a macabre-themed photo booth, performers and cosplayers, food trucks, face painting, caricatures, adoptable rescue kittens and Michigan true crime, horror and paranormal authors.

Inside the museum, visitors can climb into a snake pit, tour a collection of global oddities and attend expert presentations in the building’s historic courtroom, per the event website.

Camp out with tunes in UP

Book a trip to the central UP to rock out the summer with live music and fun around a bonfire on a campground. The fifth annual Boogie Fest too takes place Aug. 29-31 5 miles west of Rock, Michigan, northeast of Escanaba.

Ticket prices vary. The festival’s lineup features performances by 10 bands, including ’80s cover groups, country, folk rock/Celtic, rock and pop sounds; a poker run; campground parade; bonfire; costume contest; a pig roast and vendors, the website says. Camping check-in opens at noon Thursday, Aug. 28.

While you’re in the area, considering stopping in Rock for the 80th annual Lions Club Labor Day Celebration on Aug. 30. The event begins with a parade at 11 a.m., followed by live music, food and beverages and activities like a flea market, bounce house, cowpie Bingo and more, per organizers.

Jazzy vibes headed to the motor city

Jazz lovers can enjoy smooth listening from a mix of world-renowned and local musical artists for free in southeast Michigan’s biggest city, Detroit.

The 46th annual Detroit Jazz Festival is Aug. 29 to Sept. 1, with performances across four stages in midtown and downtown Detroit: the JPMorgan Main Stage at Campus Martius Park, the Carhartt Amphitheater Stage and Absopure Waterfront Stage at Hart Plaza downtown, and the Detroit Jazz Hall in the Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center at Wayne State University in Midtown.

You’ll get a chance to buy custom merchandise and grab a bite from a variety of food vendors at the festival, according to the website. Food vendors will not accept cash, organizers said.

Embrace wellness along Alpena coast

Up along the Lake Huron coast in northeast Michigan, discover holistic health during a visit to downtown Alpena.

The inaugural Holistic Healing Fest is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Aug. 30 in Alpena’s lakefront Bay View Park. Sunrise Side Co-Op Market will host the fest and is set to be open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 30, according to the market’s Facebook page.

The one-day event will feature speakers, activities and vendors centered around holistic healing for the mind, body and spirit, per the event’s Facebook page.

Can’t make it? Try these weekend events instead

If you can’t make it to those festivals, here are more to check out across the state this Labor Day Weekend:

Arts, Beats & Eats: The Michigan Lottery Arts, Beats & Eats presented by Flagstar Bank is Aug. 29 to Sept. 1 in Royal Oak in southeast Michigan. The festival will include live music across genres, an art fair, a local singing competition, food vendors, a juried fine arts show and more. Daily tickets run from $10 to $12, with limited advance tickets $7 and admission free on opening day before 5 p.m.
Muskegon Polish Festival: This festival celebrating Polish culture is from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Aug. 29-30 at Hackley Park in Muskegon in west Michigan. The two-day event will feature live polka music, Polish military reenactment, Polish cuisine, a raffle, historical exhibit, Polish merchandise, dancing, Polish apparel and more. Tickets are $10 for adults 21 and older and 21 and under get in free. Aug. 29 will feature free admission for all from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and all day free admission for veterans and first responders with valid ID.
Minnehaha Brewhaha Musica Festival: This northwest Michigan music festival is Aug. 30-31 in Arcadia. The event will include live music from a lineup of local bands, beer tastings from regional breweries, dining from local food trucks, a 5k and 15k and onsite camping. Adult ticket prices are $25 advance, $30 at the door for Aug. 30; $35 in advance, $40 at the door for Aug. 31, children ages 12 and under get in free.
Romeo Peach Festival: The 94th annual peach festival will come to southeast Michigan’s Romeo Aug. 28 to Sept. 1. The event will include peach-themed treats and goods, parades, live music, art displays, carnival rides, food trucks, a 5k/10k run, used book sale, classic car show, fireworks and more.
Arts & Crafts Dockside: The 48th annual arts fair runs Aug. 30-31 in downtown St. Ignace at the UP’s southern tip. The event will display nearly 100 exhibits of handcrafted arts and crafts along the Huron Boardwalk at St. Ignace Public Marina, according to the event website. There will also be live music, food vendors, activities and a Aug. 30 book sale.