Ludington & Manistee
Manistee
A Lake Michigan port city where the river meets the lake, with a historic downtown riverwalk, three city beaches and a pierhead light to climb in season.
Festival · Family · Heritage · Manistee
Manistee National Forest Festival
Manistee'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.
The Manistee National Forest Festival is the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce’s signature event, and it fills the Fourth of July holiday in town. The schedule spans several days and blends small-town holiday staples, such as a parade, a carnival and food vendors, with an artisan fair and a lumberjack show.
The festival closes out its holiday run with fireworks over Lake Michigan. The chamber posts the full schedule on the festival site as the dates approach.
What to expect
The festival is held over the Independence Day holiday each year. Its program includes the Forest Festival Artisan Fair, a carnival, a parade, food vendors, a lumberjack show and fireworks over Lake Michigan.
Location
Where Manistee National Forest Festival happens
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
The pin marks the town; check the organizer for exact venues.
About Manistee
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
Historic site
Ramsdell Theatre
Manistee's 1903 opera house, on the National Register of Historic Places, restored and still staging plays, concerts and live broadcasts.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Museum
Manistee County Historical Museum
Manistee's history museum in a downtown drugstore building on River Street, with period rooms, a log cabin replica and maritime exhibits.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Waterfront
Manistee Riverwalk
A boardwalk along the Manistee River behind downtown, with benches, history markers and boats going by, open year-round.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Places to stay nearby
Resort · Mid-range
Little River Casino Resort
At US-31 and M-22 in Manistee
A casino resort in Manistee run by the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians, listed as open year-round, with a hotel, RV park, spa, event center and restaurants.
Inn · Budget
The Ramsdell Inn
In the Ramsdell Building at River and Maple Streets in downtown Manistee
A small hotel on the upper floors of Manistee's 1891 Ramsdell Building, a turreted landmark at River and Maple Streets, with a pub below.
More events in and around Manistee
- Victorian Sleighbell ParadeAn evening holiday parade of horse-drawn entries on Manistee's Historic River Street, the centerpiece of the four-day Old Christmas Weekend each December.
- 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.
- Bear Lake DaysBear 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.
- 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.
- Onekama DaysOnekama's multi-day midsummer festival, with a parade, car show, arts and crafts show, a 5K and fireworks over Portage Lake.