2023 Event Schedule
The Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce is the host and coordinator of the Manistee National Forest Festival. Events are individually run and operated by local organizations and businesses.
This year’s festivities are still in the works! If your business or non-profit is hosting an event during the Festival (June 29 – July 4), please submit it fill out the online form before June 10th to be included on the digital brochure. Any events submitted after June 10th will only be listed below.
Thursday, June 29, 2022
June 29 – July 4 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
June 29 – July 4 – Festival Marketplace 9:00 AM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
June 29 – July 4 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
June 29 – Manistee National Forest Open House 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
1170 Nursery Rd, Wellston MI 49689
The headquarters sits on the historic Chittenden Nursery where guests are invited to come say hello to Smokey Bear, visit our gift shop and interact with our district staff. Want to see how your local Forest Service district is helping to save the American Elm tree? Exhibits will include a tour of an active seed bed where the Forest Service is planting copies of surviving American elm that will be included in a Dutch Elm Disease Tolerance Trial. Our firefighting unit will also have some equipment on display and talk about wildland fire management in our local area. District Botanists will be showing off the districts native plant and pollinator garden and there will be additional presentations from our Recreation, Wildlife and Timber management programs. Upon departure visitors can pick up a self-guided tour map of recent forest management projects containing the location and information about the different stages of forest management.
Cost: Free
Friday, June 30, 2022
June 30 – Wine on the River 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Fricano’s Manistee River | 440 River Street, Manistee
Kick off the Forest Festival with a wine tasting on our deck, with charcuterie snacks provided! Tickets will be on presale June 15th at Fricano’s, as well as at the door. Brought to you by Fricano’s Manistee River and Great Lakes Wine & Spirits.
Cost: $3 per ticket, per pour.
Saturday, July 1, 2022
July 1 – July 2 – Manistee World of Arts and Crafts 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Red Szymarek Park / Fifth Avenue
Artists from all over the United States apply for the juried show to sell their wares. The show is held in the Red Szymarek Park on Fifth Avenue where people can stroll in comfort to view the booths, enjoy the excellent food and musical entertainment.
July 1 – Summer Book Sale hosted by the Friends of the Manistee County Library 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sale of thousands of used books for all ages, as well as recorded books, DVDs, CDs, and puzzles.
Cost: Free
July 1 – Manistee Firecracker 5K Run/Walk & 1K Fun Run 8:00 AM
Manistee Middle / High School (525 12th Street, Manistee)
Competitive road race to raise funds for the Manistee Area Community Track. Click here to register today!
Cost: $27 by June 24th, $32 afterward
July 1 – Rosie Solberg’s Annual Fourth of July Bake Sale 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
On the way to the Arts & Crafts Show– North On the way to the Arts & Crafts Show- North West Corner of Hastings & 5th Ave, Manistee MI 49660
July 1 – Family Day hosted by The Tabernacle 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Armory Youth Project – Parking Lot
This is a FREE family friendly event. Please come enjoy games, prizes, hotdog lunch, cotton candy, snow cones, bounce houses and so much more. Yes, ALL FREE. See what some of our local businesses and agencies have to offer. You can expect to see experiments, games, arts and crafts, tug of war, and even a dunk tank! Keep your eyes open for Smoky The Bear. blow bubbles with “The Bubble Lady”, and even take a seat in a drag race car. Look forward to winning raffle prizes from some of our favorite downtown businesses. Family Day is all the fun that you can imagine.
Cost: Free
July 1 – Pete The Cat 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Happy Owl Book Shop (358 River St.)
Cost: Free
July 2 – Fireworks Over Lake Michigan sponsored by Little River Casino Resort 10:30 PM (Dusk)
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Monday, July 3, 2022
Tuesday, July 4, 2022
July 4 – City2Shore Port City Associates Real Estate 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
340 River Street, Manistee
City2Shore Port City Associates team will have a greeting table set up & will be giving away Parade Bags & goodies to the public attending the parade festivities on River Street.
July 4 – Independence Day Flag Raising Ceremony 9:45 AM
Division / River Street (prior to the parade)
Kick off your 4th of July celebration with a traditional Flag Raising event before the Forest Festival Parade.
July 4 – Independence Day Parade 10:00 AM
Division / River Street
Travels west on River Street from Division Street to the Armory Youth Project parking lot, providing a view of all of the floats, marchers and other fun parade participants as we recognize our Independence as a nation!
July 4 – 338th Army Band 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
VFW (1211 28th Street, Manistee)
Cost: Free
June 29 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
June 29 – Festival Marketplace 9:00 AM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
June 29 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
June 29 – Manistee National Forest Open House 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
1170 Nursery Rd, Wellston MI 49689
The headquarters sits on the historic Chittenden Nursery where guests are invited to come say hello to Smokey Bear, visit our gift shop and interact with our district staff. Want to see how your local Forest Service district is helping to save the American Elm tree? Exhibits will include a tour of an active seed bed where the Forest Service is planting copies of surviving American elm that will be included in a Dutch Elm Disease Tolerance Trial. Our firefighting unit will also have some equipment on display and talk about wildland fire management in our local area. District Botanists will be showing off the districts native plant and pollinator garden and there will be additional presentations from our Recreation, Wildlife and Timber management programs. Upon departure visitors can pick up a self-guided tour map of recent forest management projects containing the location and information about the different stages of forest management.
Cost: Free
June 30 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
June 30 – Festival Marketplace 9:00 AM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
June 30 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
June 30 – Wine on the River 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Fricano’s Manistee River | 440 River Street, Manistee
Kick off the Forest Festival with a wine tasting on our deck, with charcuterie snacks provided! Tickets will be on presale June 15th at Fricano’s, as well as at the door. Brought to you by Fricano’s Manistee River and Great Lakes Wine & Spirits.
Cost: $3 per ticket, per pour.
July 1 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
July 1 – Manistee Firecracker 5K Run/Walk & 1K Fun Run 8:00 AM
Manistee Middle / High School (525 12th Street)
Competitive road race to raise funds for the Manistee Area Community Track. Click here to register today!
Cost: $27 by June 24th, $32 afterward
July 1 – Rosie Solberg’s Annual Fourth of July Bake Sale 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
On the way to the Arts & Crafts Show– North On the way to the Arts & Crafts Show- North West Corner of Hastings & 5th Ave, Manistee MI 49660
July 1 – Manistee World of Arts and Crafts 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Red Szymarek Park / Fifth Avenue
Artists from all over the United States apply for the juried show to sell their wares. The show is held in the Red Szymarek Park on Fifth Avenue where people can stroll in comfort to view the booths, enjoy the excellent food and musical entertainment.
July 1 – Summer Book Sale hosted by the Friends of the Manistee County Library 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sale of thousands of used books for all ages, as well as recorded books, DVDs, CDs, and puzzles.
Cost: Free
July 1 – Festival Marketplace 9:00 AM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
July 1 – Family Day hosted by The Tabernacle 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Armory Youth Project – Parking Lot
This is a FREE family friendly event. Please come enjoy games, prizes, hotdog lunch, cotton candy, snow cones, bounce houses and so much more. Yes, ALL FREE. See what some of our local businesses and agencies have to offer. You can expect to see experiments, games, arts and crafts, tug of war, and even a dunk tank! Keep your eyes open for Smoky The Bear. blow bubbles with “The Bubble Lady”, and even take a seat in a drag race car. Look forward to winning raffle prizes from some of our favorite downtown businesses. Family Day is all the fun that you can imagine.
Cost: Free
July 1 – Pete The Cat 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Happy Owl Book Shop (358 River St.)
Cost: Free
July 1 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
July 2 – Manistee World of Arts and Crafts 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Red Szymarek Park / Fifth Avenue
Artists from all over the United States apply for the juried show to sell their wares. The show is held in the Red Szymarek Park on Fifth Avenue where people can stroll in comfort to view the booths, enjoy the excellent food and musical entertainment.
July 2 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
July 2 – Festival Marketplace 9:00 AM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
July 2 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
July 2 – Fireworks Over Lake Michigan sponsored by Little River Casino Resort 10:30 PM (Dusk)
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
July 3 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
July 3 – Festival Marketplace 9:00 AM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
July 3 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
July 4 – 75th Birthday of the Lake Bluff Farms Giant Sequoia 8:00 AM – 9:00PM
Lake Bluff Farms / 2890 Lakeshore Rd (just north of the State Park)
Lake Bluff Farms (2890 Lakeshore Rd, Manistee, MI 49660) is the home of the largest Giant Sequoia east of the Rockies. The biggest of three trees, a.k.a the Michigan Champion, is 116 feet tall. Since the “natural” distribution of the Giant Sequoias is a limited area in the western Sierra Nevada in California, the Lake Bluff sequoias are one of a kind. Foresters and arborists around the world are in awe of its great success in a place so far from its natural growing area. It is nearly one-half the size of the biggest known sequoias in the world. During the Manistee National Forest Festival, Lake Bluff Farms will be open for tours from 10:00 AM – 3 PM, highlighting one of Manistee’s hidden treasures of the forest.
Complimentary
July 4 – City2Shore Port City Associates Real Estate 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
340 River Street, Manistee
City2Shore Port City Associates team will have a greeting table set up & will be giving away Parade Bags & goodies to the public attending the parade festivities on River Street.
July 4 – Independence Day Flag Raising Ceremony 9:45 AM
Division / River Street (prior to the parade)
Kick off your 4th of July celebration with a traditional Flag Raising event before the Forest Festival Parade.
July 4 – Independence Day Parade 10:00 AM
Division / River Street
Travels west on River Street from Division Street to the Armory Youth Project parking lot, providing a view of all of the floats, marchers and other fun parade participants as we recognize our Independence as a nation!
July 4 – Anderson Midway Carnival 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Take the family to enjoy the rides, games, food and fun only the Carnival can provide!
Cost: TBD
July 4 – Festival Marketplace 12:00 PM – Dusk
First Street Beach / Douglas Park
Come shop for a variety of goods with over 30 Vendors that come from all across the state. Enjoy all the unique items that they bring for you to purchase!
July 4 – 338th Army Band 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
VFW (1211 28th St.)
Cost: Free