Ludington & Manistee · Small town
Bear Lake
For campers and anglers who want a simple lake base: a quiet Manistee County village with a campground right on Bear Lake and ice fishing in winter.
Festival · Family · Parade · Food and drink · Bear Lake
Bear Lake Days
Bear Lake's festival weekend after the Fourth, with food trucks downtown, parades, fireworks, a pig roast, car shows and a group bike ride around the lake.
Bear Lake Days is the village’s big summer weekend. It lands the weekend after the Fourth of July, so it is a good second celebration if you are staying in the area all week.
There are parades, fireworks, a pig roast and car shows, and you can join the organized group bike ride around the lake. The Bear Lake Promoters post the schedule on the festival’s Facebook page, so check there before you go.
What to expect
Bear Lake Days is held the weekend after Independence Day, with most activities Friday through Sunday and kickoff parties earlier in the week. The program includes food trucks, arts and crafts vendors, fireworks, parades, dances, car shows, a pig roast, horse and wagon rides and an organized bike ride around the lake.
Location
Where Bear Lake Days happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Bear Lake
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Beach
Hopkins Park
The Village of Bear Lake's park and campground on Bear Lake, the inland lake, with a swim area (no lifeguard), playground, launch and fishing pier.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach
Pierport Beach
A rustic public Lake Michigan beach at the end of 13 Mile Road in Pierport, near Bear Lake. Limited parking, few amenities, an artesian well nearby.
About 5 miles away (straight line)
Beach
Arcadia Beach Natural Area
Arcadia's public Lake Michigan beach at the west end of Lake Street, with parking, restrooms, picnic tables and a playground. An easy family beach day.
About 7 miles away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Hotel · Budget
Motel Bear Lake
On West Street in the village of Bear Lake, across from the Bear Lake beach
A small, renovated retro-modern motel in the village of Bear Lake, across the road from the beach on Bear Lake.
More events in and around Bear Lake
- Sparkle in the ParkA holiday light display at the Hopkins Park campground in Bear Lake, with more than 100,000 lights to drive through or see by carriage ride.
- Arcadia DazeThe Arcadia Lions' late-July heritage weekend at Finch Park, with a parade, a 5K, an arts and crafts fair, a car show and a pickleball tournament.
- Kaleva Heritage DaysA July weekend in the Finnish village of Kaleva with a car show, an arts and crafts show, a softball tournament, kids' games, music and a Sunday chicken dinner.
- West Shore Art FairA juried open-air fine art and craft show in Ludington's Rotary Park over the Fourth of July weekend, with a children's art tent.
- Manistee National Forest FestivalManistee's Fourth of July festival, run by the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce, with a parade, carnival, artisan fair, lumberjack show and fireworks over Lake Michigan.
- Onekama DaysOnekama's multi-day midsummer festival, with a parade, car show, arts and crafts show, a 5K and fireworks over Portage Lake.