GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — The 54th annual Festival of the Arts kicks off in downtown Grand Rapids on Friday and lasts through the weekend.
On June 2, 3 and 4, the city center will be full of people enjoying art, music, activities and food across several blocks on Ottawa Avenue.
The festival runs on Friday from 5 - 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Find a complete list of everything to do at the festival below.
Art
Artisan Village
- Where: Calder Plaza
- When: Friday 5 - 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
- What: West Michigan artists are selling handmade art and craft. A percentage of the sales will support the festival.
Artist Demonstrations
- Where: Calder Plaza next to Artisan Village
- When: All day.
- What: West Michigan artists demonstrate their artistic techniques live.
Youth Art Exhibit
- Where: Skywalk level at DeVos Place Convention Center
- When: May 30 - June 16. 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily
- What: West Michigan artists aged 5-12 show off their work.
Regional Arts Exhibition
Art from all over the region will be displayed at six galleries in the Grand Rapids area throughout the three-day festival. The galleries can be found at:
- Frames Unlimited South: 2964 28th St SE Kentwood
- Frames Unlimited North: 2964 28th St SE Grand Rapids
- Grand Valley Artists Gallery: 2661 29th St SE Grand Rapids
- Muse GR: 727 Leonard St NW Grand Rapids
- Grand Rapids African American Museum and Archive: 87 Monroe Center St NW Grand Rapids
- PaLatté Cofee and Art: 150 Fulton St E Grand Rapids
Activities
Chalk the Walk
- Where: Between Federal Building and Calder Plaza
- When: Friday 5 - 7:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 7:30 p.m., Sunday 12 - 3:30 p.m.
- What: Create sidewalk art with chalk.
Fun with Printmaking
- Where: Ottawa Avenue in front of Calder Plaza
- When: Saturday 1 - 4 p.m., 6 - 9 p.m., Sunday 12 - 3 p.m.
- What: Make your own festival souvenir t-shirt.
Mad Hatter
- Where: South side of Federal Building
- When: Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- What: Kids age 4-12 can create fun hats.
Paint-In
- Where: Pearl at Ottawa Ave
- When: All day
- What: Kids and adults can create their own works of art with water-based paints.
Relief Printing
- Where: Ottawa Ave
- When: Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- What: Make relief printings.
Rubber Stamping
- Where: Ottawa Ave
- When: Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- What: Create unique greeting cards and more with rubber stamps and ink.
Swing'n Art
- Where: Patio area on the North side of the City Building
- When: Friday 5 - 9 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 9 p.m., Sunday 12 - 3:30 p.m.
- What: Create two-dimensional artwork. Must be at least 13 years old and 54 inches tall to participate.
TypeWriter 101
- Where: Ottawa Ave in front of Artisan Village
- When: Friday 5 - 10 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 10 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
- What: Use a vintage typewriter.
Food Booths
- Zinser Family Council / Watchdogs
- Barry G's Italian Ice
- The Jamaican Way
- Patty Matters
- Underground Cookie Club
- Chinese Association of West Michigan
- Outlaw Roasted Corn
- Fire and Rice Paella
- Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
- Pressed In Time
- B.D.'s BBQ
- Dune Buggy Food Truck
- Saanse Filipino Cuisine
- Kenowa Hills Instrumental Music Boosters
- Tacos El Cunado-Bridge St.
- Semifreddo
- Tamales Mary
- Big Ed's BBQ
- Big Mike's Kettle Corn
- Dolce Mini Cakes
- Beecher's Pretzels
- Lost Art Burger
- #Frostbite Shaved Ice
- Beltline Bar
- West Michigan Asian American Association
Performances
Five six are set up throughout the festival with performances that range from bands, to dancers, to choruses and orchestras. Lots of different genres of music will be performed over the three days like country, rock, world music, hip hop, jazz and much more.
The performances take place on six stages: Calder Stage, Circle Stage, City Stage, Clocktower Stage, DiSuvero Stage and the Indoor Classical Stage.
Some of the headliners of the festival include: Hey Marco!, Pretoria, Funkle Jesse, Beer City Saxes, Silverado Band, Nathan Walton and The Remedy, Gorgeous Nightmare, DRINK THEIR BLOOD, Feeding Grizzlies, The Smokin' Dobroleles, Hark-Up and Rev Charles' PotatoeBabies.
You can find a complete schedule of the performances and times here.
Find additional information about the festival at FestivalGR.org.
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