Southern Gateway
Grand Haven
A Lake Michigan beach city on the Grand River: a state park beach, a pier walk to two red lights, a riverfront boardwalk and free Musical Fountain shows.
Arts · Festival · Family · Grand Haven
Grand Haven Art Festival
A three-day June art festival that fills downtown Washington Avenue with artists' booths, with free admission and a Saturday family day.
The Grand Haven Art Festival turns downtown into an outdoor gallery for a weekend in late June. It has run for more than six decades, and the 2026 festival was the 65th.
Artists set up along Washington Avenue, so it pairs well with a beach day and an evening at the waterfront. Families should aim for Saturday morning, when the chamber runs its Family Fun Day. Hours have differed by day in past years, so check the chamber’s page for the current schedule before you go.
What to expect
The chamber invites close to 80 artists from around the country to set up along Washington Avenue for three days in late June. Admission has been free, and the Saturday of the festival adds a Family Fun Day with children's activities on Washington Avenue and Second Street. Food and kids' activities are listed alongside the art.
Location
Where Grand Haven Art Festival happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Grand Haven
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
State park
Grand Haven State Park
A 48-acre sand beach park where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan, with a swim beach, a modern campground and views of the pier lighthouses.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Beach
Grand Haven City Beach
Grand Haven's city-run Lake Michigan beach on South Harbor Drive, just south of the state park, with its own free lot and a simpler setup.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Lighthouse
Grand Haven South Pierhead Lights
Two red range lights on Grand Haven's south pier, joined by an elevated catwalk, marking the harbor entrance where the Grand River meets Lake Michigan.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Hotel · Budget
Best Western Beacon Inn
On South Beacon Boulevard (US-31) in Grand Haven
A Best Western on Beacon Boulevard in Grand Haven, about a mile and a half from downtown and the Lake Michigan shore.
Bed and breakfast
Boyden House Inn
On South Fifth Street near downtown Grand Haven
A bed and breakfast in a restored 1870s house around the corner from downtown Grand Haven, once the home of lumberman Charles Boyden.
Bed and breakfast · Mid-range
Harbor House Inn
On Harbor Drive across from the Grand Haven boardwalk
A Victorian-style inn on Harbor Drive in downtown Grand Haven, across the street from the boardwalk, with 19 guest rooms.
Bed and breakfast
Washington Street Inn
On Washington Avenue in Grand Haven
A Grand Haven bed and breakfast in a 1902 American Foursquare house built by H.J. Dornbos, run by the same innkeepers since 1987.
More events in and around Grand Haven
- Grand Haven Coast Guard FestivalA summer festival in Grand Haven honoring the U.S. Coast Guard, with waterfront mainstage events at the Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium.
- Grand Haven Jingle Bell ParadeGrand Haven's early December holiday parade, now run by the Coast Guard Festival team, with community groups, marching units and decorated vehicles.
- Grand Haven WinterfestA late-January weekend festival in Grand Haven with cardboard sled racing, snow volleyball, a kids' day, a bonfire and fireworks.
- Lakeshore Art FestivalA late-June weekend in downtown Muskegon with nearly 250 juried fine art and craft exhibitors, an artisan food market and a children's lane.
- Spring Lake Heritage FestivalA June festival week in Spring Lake that opens with a wooden and classic boat show at Mill Point Park and includes a free family fun night.
- White Lake Area Arts and Crafts FestivalA June weekend of artist and crafter booths at Goodrich Park in Whitehall, with live music, festival food and inflatables, now in its fifth decade.