Mackinac Island Calendar of Events
A Comprehensive Calendar Of Events On Mackinac Island Held Throughout The Year Including Dates And Descriptions.
Mackinac Island celebrates many of Michigan’s festivals and holidays and also boasts its own unique events. There are musical gatherings, sleigh rides, the opening and closing of the Grand Hotel, and more. The following is a line up of the main Mackinac Island calendar of events and festivals:
January
New Year’s Day
A public holiday in Michigan, as well as everywhere else in the US, New Years Day is lots of fun on Mackinac Island, with lots of parading and parties.
February
Mackinac Island Winter Festival
The Mackinac Island Recreation Departments Winter Festival is good for the whole family. It features wintry activities, including sledding, hockey, snow volleyball, and the quirky tossing of frozen fish. The festival takes place on February 5th and 6th and also has a bonfire.
March
St Patrick's Day
La le Padraig takes place on March 17 to celebrate Ireland’s patron saint. There is plenty of blarney to go round at pubs all over Mackinac Island, along with the obligatory consumption of real Guinness.
April
Open the Grand
Mackinac Island’s famous Grand Hotel has its opening in late April when rooms in the Millennium Wing are offered at cheaper rates. Pick-ups and complimentary breakfast are included.
May
Victoria Day
A poignant day on Mackinac Island, Victoria Day marks the death of England’s Queen Victoria - May 24, 1901- with lots of eating and horse & cart rides.
Memorial Day
Memorial Day takes place on the last day of the month in May and is also known as Decoration Day. It commemorates men and women soldiers who have died in American conflicts from the American Civil War onward.
June
Lilac Festival
The Mackinac Island Lilac Festival is the main event on the Mackinac Island calendar of events. It celebrates the island’s beautiful lilac flowering plants with carriage tours and parades on Lilac Sunday. The festival goes on for 10 days in mid-June.
July
July Fourth
All sorts of events are celebrated on Mackinac Island on July 4, including climbing the greasy pole and games for the kids at Windermere Point. There is also the All American Picnic at the historic Fort Mackinac, plus fireworks after sundown.
Bay View - Mackinac Yacht Race
Yachts race to Mackinac Island between July 17 and July 20 from the Bay View Yacht Club in Detroit on one of the toughest races there is. Around 200 yachts take place and it is a carnival-like atmosphere at the finish.
August
Mackinac Island Music Festival
This fun festival showcases Mackinac Island’s musicians over three days in the middle of August. Virtually everything is played out, from classical, folk and country to blues, rock and jazz.
Mackinac Island Fudge Festival
Mackinac has well over a dozen fudge shops and has been churning out the decadent stuff since the 1880s. The eating of fudge is joined with music and dancing.
September
Grand Hotel History Weekend
A fun event for guests, visitors and residents alike, the Grand Hotel puts on a history weekend that involves breakfast, dinner, lectures on the hotel’s past, and a visit to Fort Mackinac.
October
Somewhere in Time Anniversary Weekend
The Grand Hotel is the setting for this most poignant of events. It celebrates the 1980s movie Somewhere in Time that starred Jane Seymour and the late Christopher Reeve. Fans gather and dress up in traditional garb for the two-day event.
Close the Grand
The Grand Hotel is closed toward the end of October; a huge undertaking for such a leviathan of an establishment. Guests get to eat the chef's special buffet dinner, attend a theater presentation, and listen for the ringing of the closing bell.
December
Mackinac Island Christmas Bazaar
Mackinac Island calendar of events finishes off with this fun bazaar, which sees arts and crafts galore, along with lots of feasting. Benefits go to the churches and the Mackinac Island Medical Center.
