EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Mark your calendars, West Michigan! There's a brand-new festival coming to East Grand Rapids.
The EGR Harvest & Beer Festival is set to kick off its first year this weekend—and all for a good cause. Proceeds will benefit Ronald McDonald House West Michigan and Beer City Dog Biscuits.
Andrew Grashuis, co-chair and director of the event, said the creation of the festival stemmed from the success of East Grand Rapids' social district by "looking at ways that we could engage the community."
"Not just the community in general, but also, you know, high school volunteers and stuff like that, which we've integrated, and bringing something special to the community that we can sustain for a number of years," Grashuis said.
While beer will be a main focus of the festival—12 breweries are set to participate—there will be plenty of family-friendly activities. Grashuis said there will be two kids' zones, with one of them being curated for older kids. That area will have a mechanical bull, putt-putt golf and more. You can also expect pumpkin painting, scarecrow building and live music.
In addition to beer, there will be two wine options, two canned spirit options, craft sodas and other nonalcoholic drinks. If you're looking to try some new food, local restaurants will be participating in the festival.
Grashuis said that the festival aims to highlight the local businesses in East Grand Rapids along with raising money for charity.
"So the way that we're going to structure our event this year is, is the canopy tents down the middle of the street to kind of focus on the businesses and having the patrons recognize those," he said.
The festival is Saturday, Oct. 19 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
While admission is free, you will have to purchase tickets for tastings and activities. Pre-event sales go through noon on Thursday.
You can learn more about ticket options and what the festival has to offer here.