This is the signature event of the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce. Hosted every year over the 4th of July/Independence Day Holiday, the Manistee National Forest Festival is a Manistee County tradition stretching back over 80 years!
Drawing thousands of tourists to the area along with many residents returning home, this festival embodies the idea of "community" that so many love about this area.
Each year, the Forest Festival boasts events such as the Festival Marketplace, Manistee Arts and Crafts, Carnival, Fireworks over Lake Michigan presented by Little River Casino Resort, and much more!
Schedule:
8:00 AM: Manistee Firecracker 5K Run/Walk & 1K Fun Run
Manistee Middle / High School (525 12th Street)
Competitive road race to raise funds for the Manistee Area Community Track.
Cost: $27 by June 24th, $32 afterward
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Manistee Arts and Crafts
Armory Youth Project (555 First St.)
The Manistee Arts & Crafts show features artists, artisans, and gourmet food provisioners. Come and explore the art booths and meet the artisans. Enjoy live entertainment and more!
Stop by the Armory Youth Project’s Booth to learn more about FREE out-of-school youth programs and volunteer opportunities! Don’t miss two great days of fun. Join us on Saturday, July 6 from 9 am – 5 pm and Sunday, July 7 from 10 am – 3 pm!
For more information or vendor inquiries, please contact Dianna Wall at 231-299-1205 or [email protected].
9:00 AM – Dusk: Festival Marketplace
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM: Family Day hosted by The Tabernacle
The Tabernacle Church (77 Hancock St.)
This is a FREE family friendly event. Please come enjoy games, prizes, hotdog lunch, cotton candy, snow cones, bounce houses and so much more. Yes, ALL FREE. See what some of our local businesses and agencies have to offer. You can expect to see experiments, games, arts and crafts, tug of war, and even a dunk tank! Keep your eyes open for Smoky The Bear. blow bubbles with “The Bubble Lady”, and even take a seat in a drag race car. Look forward to winning raffle prizes from some of our favorite downtown businesses. Family Day is all the fun that you can imagine.
Cost: Free
10:00 AM – Dusk: Whispering Pines Mobile Petting Zoo
Douglas Park | First Street Beach, Manistee
A mobile exhibit that has a variety of animals to view from around the world! It’s a fun experience for the whole family and it’s FREE. Proudly sponsored by Dr. Shrink, Inc.
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM: Framed Digital Painting Giveaway
ruddiblush 321 River St
ruddiblush will be giving out chances to win a framed digital painting all week, running July 1 thru July 6. The drawing will occur at 4:00 PM on July 6, but no need to be present. Submitting your name to the drawing is complimentary, with one chance per person over 18.
12:00 PM – Dusk: Anderson Midway Carnival
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: $1.50 each ticket, $20 for 15, and $50 for 50, or $25 for a day-use armband
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM: The Little Big Shots Talent Show
Lions Pavilion | First Street Beach
Children ages 4 – 16 will be on stage at the Ramsdell Theater displaying their talents of singing, dancing, gymnastics, playing the piano and other musical instruments, and even a stand-up comedy performance. This is such a heartwarming and uplifting event to see children allow their inner talents to shine. There are about 20 performances. Everyone will enjoy the Little Big Shots Talent Show.
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM: Walk-In Tattoo and Piercing Specials
Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC. 336 River St. Manistee MI. 49660
Clean Lines Tattoo Company LLC will be having a Forest Festival Flash Sale consisting of $50 minimalist flash tattoo and $40 select piercings special starting on July 3 2024 running through July 7 2024 on a walk-in basis only.
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM: i.am.james – Summer Sun Sets
First Street Beach Gazebo
Join Music Sparks Meaning for an evening of music while enjoying a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset! The Summer Sun Sets Concert Series will feature nationally touring artists while giving local students the opportunity to perform alongside and with them in the community.
i.am.james. is the project of Michigan grown singer-songwriter, Sierra Cassidy. An Interlochen Arts Academy graduate and Berklee College of Music alum, Sierra has become intertwined in distinct music communities over the last ten years; Michigan, Nashville, and most recently, Brooklyn, NY while touring under her moniker, i.am.james. Dancing around the edge of all things alternative, i.am.james. delivers captivating melodies and lyric with quick wit that’s met with both power-driven undertones of upbeat pop and modern-folk. Noted as “heartache to dance to,” i.am.james. brings themes of femininity, strength, and stories of being a nomadic twenty-something to crowds both large and small across the country. After releasing a string of feel-good singles in 2021, i.am.james. embarked on a lengthy summer tour in 2022 reaching audiences across the midwest. Since then she has been crafting songs for her first multi-track project. Currently in progress, the project will showcase a much different sound from what we’ve heard of i.am.james. in the past; less synth, more song. The project will be released in 2024 and accompanied by a summer tour.
Cost: free
