Festival of the Arts thanks community for 55 years of celebrating the arts.
After 55 years of celebrating the west Michigan community, Festival of the Arts (Festival) is sunsetting and ceasing operations effective immediately.
In 1970, Festival became the first festival in downtown Grand Rapids as a grand celebration of the arts in West Michigan, inspired by the 1969 installation of Alexander Calder’s La Grande Vitesse (“The Great Swiftness”). The goal of Festival was to highlight all the arts in our area and provide access to everyone by making all performances and activities free.
Festival brought people together from all over, celebrating a vibrant and growing art community and a great patron of the arts, the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Since then, downtown Grand Rapids has seen tremendous growth, and our community continues to expand the ways in which it celebrates the arts. Our goal to celebrate the community was accomplished and paved the way for other festivals to develop and celebrate their cultures including the Asian-Pacific Festival, Hispanic Festival, Yassou Festival (Greek), Polish Festival, and many more, as well as laying the foundation for communities to come together for World of Winter, Linc Up’s Rock the Block, and Eastown Street Fair to name a few.
Festival embraced “The Great Swiftness”, the rapid changes in ourselves and society, showcasing the city on the Grand River and providing the structure for others to continue to celebrate a broad art, music, food, and culture scene. Festival sunsets to new horizons being created each year in Grand Rapids.
Festival Executive Director Missy Summers says “We are extremely proud of what we have accomplished. You don’t put on an event the size of Festival without cooperation from the City of Grand Rapids, generosity of the community, and tireless work from volunteers. While we are sad to say goodbye to Festival, it is heartwarming to see the impact it has had on out community”.
We are grateful to the community for your years of support in helping us provide Art for All.
Grand Rapids, MI — June 6, 7, 8, 2025
Festival of the Arts 2025
ART • MUSIC • DANCE • FOOD • ACTIVITIES
Please ensure Festival remains self-sustainable.
Get ready for Festival 2025
Western Michigan artists, performers, food vendors, sponsors, and hundreds of volunteers are hard at work planning for Festival 2025.
You’ll experience your favorite traditional activities as well as new surprises. New performance stages, cultural food booths, visual art exhibits and activities, and artisan craftsmen. Join us for Western Michigan’s unofficial start of summer!
Stay tuned for special announcements!
Applications for Performance, Food vendors, Regional Arts artists, and Artisian Village vendors will all be open soon.
Check back later this month.
Get ready for Festival. Use the buttons below for the latest maps and descriptions:
Ready to volunteer for Festival? Join our family. Click the button to sign up.
Here's the latest —
Be a Festival Leader
For over 50 years, Festival of the Arts has been a community for a core of dedicated volunteer
Announcing the Festival 2025 Poster Competition
Have an idea for the 2025 Festival poster? All artists 16 and over are welcome to participate. Click on the
Thank you to our 2024 Festival Sponsors
Life EMS
Penske
Trailer Express
John S. Hyatt & Associates
Pioneer Construction
GRPL
Family Futures
Ice Mountain
City of Grand Rapids
Uccello’s
WNJ
Lost Art Brewery
The Rapid
KDL
Gordon Waters
Quota of Grand Rapids
DeVos Place
Great Lakes Access
Holy Trinity
Lowell Arts
WGVU
Kerkstra
Grand Rapids Comic-Con
Are you an artist, performer, food booth or vendor?
Applications for Festival 2022 Performers, Food Booths,
and Artisan Village are open now.
Experience Festival
What is Festival
of the Arts?
Volunteers make
Festival happen
Festival is powered by volunteers – and we need YOU.
Work with your family, co-workers or friends, for a few hours, a few days, or throughout Festival weekend. We have fun jobs for all ages and abilities.
Sign up today, and see why so many people love to volunteer at Festival!
Publicity/Social Media. Participant acknowledges and agrees that Festival of the Arts, including its agents or employees, shall have the right to publish, disseminate, disclose, and/or otherwise place into any public or online forum photographs, videos, images, or any other information (regardless of medium) relating to the Festival of the Arts (“Media”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, Participant hereby releases Festival of the Arts in relation to its decision, in Festival of the Arts’ sole discretion, to use or publish (or not) any such Media, including in any claim relating in any way to Participant’s “Name, Image and Likeness” (NIL).