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Petoskey Celebrates 15th Annual Festival on the Bay – August 18-19, 2017

Dianna Stampfler , , , , , ,

It’s the celebration of the summer as the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce hosts its 15th Annual Festival on the Bay, August 18-19, along the shores of Little Traverse Bay at the picturesque Bayfront Park.

Every year, visitors enjoy great music inside the Entertainment Area, family fun in the Children’s Area (including a large petting zoo, face painting, bouncy house, arts and crafts, games and Petoskey stone hunting), great food, vendors, talented Michigan artists from Big Water Creative Arts Inc., and a free music stage on the Midway sponsored by Michigan Roots Wear. Other returning events include a Silent Disco, The Big Art Show, Cardboard Boat Race, Color Fun Run and so much more.

From 10am until 2pm on Saturday, enjoy Waganakasing Bay Day—a family-friendly water festival at Bayfront Park with hands-on activities for kids; displays and presentations from Northern Michigan’s environmental experts on wildlife, water quality, stewardship and recreation; crafts, demonstrations and more.

Saturday afternoon between 1-4pm, take a stroll aboard the Inland Seas. Discover the wonders of the Great Lakes aboard a traditionally-rigged tall ship schooner from Inland Seas Education Association. The public viewing of the tall ship is a wonderful experience for all ages and is sponsored by Harbor/Brenn Agencies.

Showcasing the best of what the Michigan music scene has to offer, every area of this year’s Festival on the Bay is bursting with music. Paid entry to the entertainment area is only $5 and will open at 5:00 p.m. on Friday and is just $10 for 12 hours of music opening at Noon on Saturday, closing at Midnight both nights. The entertainment area will be serving domestic and microbrew beers and a variety of wine, as well as pop and water. Drink tickets can be purchased at the entry gate. (Note: ID is required and you must be 21 or older to be in the Entertainment Tent after 9:00 p.m., NO exceptions).

FRIDAY:

SATURDAY:

To make the Festival on the Bay easily accessible for all, FREE shuttle rides between North Central Michigan College and downtown are offered both Friday and Saturday from Noon to Midnight by Blue Lakes By the Bay.

Special Sunday activities include the Worship on the Bay at 10am at the Waterfront.

For hotels and lodging packages in the Petoskey area, click here.

Festival on the Bay continues its efforts to “Go Green by the Blue” with a commitment to environmental and conservancy issues and recycling efforts. Glass and plastic bottles, paper and plastic cups, and aluminum cans are recyclable at Festival on the Bay through an on-going partnership with Emmet County Recycling. Look for the recycling stations around the festival site and do your part to keep the waterfront and this community clean and green!

The award-winning Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce is a business advocacy organization which has been working for Northern Michigan since 1920. Currently more than 795 businesses are invested as members of the organization and those members. Member businesses benefit from chamber services in the areas of business promotion, networking, advocacy, economic development, tourism promotion and community enhancement.