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Sports · Festival · Boyne City

Boyne Thunder

A July weekend of high-performance powerboats in Boyne City: a poker run of about 150 miles across northern Michigan waters and a Friday night street party.

Boyne Thunder brings high-performance powerboats to Boyne City on the second weekend in July. The weekend raises money for kids’ cancer camps and adaptive recreation.

For spectators, the best moments are the Friday street party and the Saturday morning parade laps in Boyne City; the organizer also points to Horton Bay, where spectator boats gather for the finish. Check the organizer’s spectator page for times.

What to expect

On Friday evening, Stroll the Streets fills downtown with music, a car show and boat displays. On Saturday the boats run parade laps out of Boyne City before a route of about 150 miles through Lake Charlevoix, Lake Michigan, Grand Traverse Bay and Little Traverse Bay, with card stops in other harbor towns. Proceeds go to Camp Quality Michigan and Challenge Mountain.

Location

Where Boyne Thunder happens

4 places on an OpenStreetMap map

Where Boyne Thunder happens. The same places are listed on this page.

The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.

About Boyne City

Wooden Young State Park entrance sign set in a fieldstone base in front of dense green forest

Charlevoix & Petoskey · Small town

Boyne City

For Lake Charlevoix days in any season: a small city with a state park beach, ridge trails above downtown and the National Morel Mushroom Festival each May.

Nearby attractions

Straight-line distances, not driving distances.

Beach

Peninsula Beach

Boyne City's in-town beach on Front Street, a short walk from downtown, with a splash pad, playground, restrooms, picnic tables and a Mobi Mat. No lifeguard.

Under a mile away (straight line)

Beach

Tannery Beach

Boyne City's dog-friendly beach on Lake Charlevoix at 862 Front Street, with cleanup supplies on hand and an easy put-in for kayaks and canoes.

Under a mile away (straight line)

State park

Young State Park

Boyne City's state park on Lake Charlevoix, with a swimming beach, a boat launch, three modern campgrounds and 6.5 miles of trails.

About 2 miles away (straight line)

Places to stay nearby

Hotel · Budget

Boyne City Motel

On North East Street, two blocks from downtown Boyne City

A 19-room motel a couple of blocks from downtown Boyne City, near Lake Charlevoix and the Boyne River.

Hotel · Mid-range

Water Street Inn

On Front Street in downtown Boyne City, on Lake Charlevoix

An all-suite condominium hotel on the Lake Charlevoix shore in downtown Boyne City, with kitchens, fireplaces and lake-view balconies.

Town guidePlan your Boyne City visitWhere to eat, where to stay, day plans and what is close by.

More events in and around Boyne City

  • Boyne City Fourth of JulyA two-day Fourth in Boyne City with an art fair, a raft race on the Boyne River, a kids' bike parade and fireworks over Lake Charlevoix.
  • Boyne City Harvest FestivalA late-September Saturday at the Boyne City Farmers Market celebrating the harvest, with live music and family activities.
  • National Morel Mushroom FestivalBoyne City's spring festival devoted to the morel mushroom, held the weekend after Mother's Day with tastings, a competitive hunt, concerts and a carnival.
  • Bay View Fourth of JulyBay View's old-fashioned Fourth morning: a children's bike parade, a parade through the cottage streets and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
  • Bay View Music FestivalA summer music festival in Bay View, billed as the longest continuously operating chamber music festival in the country, with Sunday vesper concerts.
  • Blissfest Music FestivalA three-day folk, world and roots music festival with camping at the 200-acre Festival Farm outside Harbor Springs, held the second weekend in July.