MUSKEGON, Mich. — The Michigan Irish Music Festival will reach a milestone when it opens Sept. 12 with its Pub Preview Party featuring food, beverages, and three bands in the pub tent only. The full festival begins Friday and concludes Sunday.
The event at Muskegon County's Heritage Landing in downtown Muskegon started in 1999 with one covered stage. The 2019 line up includes 26 musical acts performing on seven covered stages.
Founding member and current Michigan Irish Music Festival Board President Chris Zahrt says the first festival drew around 1,500 people.
Now, two decades later, it's a big Irish party.
"We anticipate we'll have 40,000 people this year," Zahrt said.
The Ohio company hired to set up large tents on the festival grounds began doing that the Friday before Labor Day. Most of the tents will be in placed and ready to go by the end of this week.
"All of our shopping is tented, our bathrooms are tented," Zahrt said.
The event's roots can be traced back to the local effort to fill hotel rooms and attract visitors to Muskegon County just as traffic to the beaches starts to fall off and Michigan's Adventure closes for the season.
"As well as exploring the Irish culture and presenting that to our community," Zahrt added.
Downtown Muskegon's two hotels are full Sept. 12-15 according to Doug Pollock, General Manager at the Delta Hotels Marriott and Shoreline Inn and Suites.
"It gives a real nice punch to the economy, it also brings a lot of people from the area downtown to the festival," Pollock said. "It's a fun festival to go to."
The festival also makes annual donations to Muskegon area nonprofits. In 2018, the Michigan Irish Music Festival gave back $48,000.
And all the fun at the festival centers around great entrainment. Zahrt says some of the performers are traveling to the shoreline city straight from Ireland.
"World-class musicians, they're the best of the best," she said.
On Sunday, the festival will feature a foot parade through the festival grounds. Starting at 1:30 p.m. by the Wee Ones' Area, patrons will be led by the Muskegon Regional Police Pipe and Drum Band. Patrons of all ages are encouraged to participate.
Also on Sunday, a Catholic mass will begin at 9 a.m. followed by a traditional Irish breakfast.
The festival offers an Early-In Free promotion on Friday only from 5 to 6 p.m.
For additional festival information, visit www.michiganirish.org.
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