Art Hop
Year-round on the first Friday of the month
starting at 5:00 pm Kalamazoo’s art galleries and businesses
open up to highlight a wide variety of different artists. Many
locations offer hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Visitors
can hop from one exhibit to another and learn,
enjoy and purchase art directly from the artists.
Mixer
on the Mall
Every Wednesday during the summer months
from 5 – 7 pm the North mall downtown comes alive with
music, libations and festivities. Join locals
for one of Kalamazoo’s
most enjoyable warm weather mid-week events.
Sundays at the Stage
Free outdoor concert featuring local performers
every Sunday during the summer months at
4 pm, Rotary Club Stage, Bronson Park,
Downtown Kalamazoo. Rain site is First Baptist
Church.
Summer Entertainment Series
During the summer months, City of Portage has a variety of entertainment options at various locations, call (269) 324-9200.
January
Great Winter Adventure
(269) 388-2830
Downtown Kalamazoo becomes a winter wonderland
as artists turn ice into amazing sculptures.
Snow
Cross Conquest
(269) 694-9449, www.timberridgeski.com
Snowboarders and downhill skiers
compete for awards and prizes as they conquer
the slopes.
February
Annual Vicksburg Showboat
(269) 321-1192
An entire community brings its entertainment
resources together to delight audiences with
a musical revue.
Winter Fest
Fun
(269) 694-9449, www.timberridgeski.com
A day full of crazy winter games, including
the cardboard classic, dummy downhill,
drag race and more.
Annual Gold Company Invitational Vocal Jazz Festival
(269) 387-4667, www.wmich.edu/music
Sit back and listen to jazz vocals from the
award-winning Gold Company at Miller Auditorium.
Living
History Show
(269) 327-4557, www.kalamazooshow.com
The largest, nationally recognized, juried
show in the Midwest devoted to Pre-1890 original
or reproduction living history
supplies & related crafts.
Maple Sugar Festival
(269) 381-1574, www.naturecenter.org
Enjoy the sweetest festival around and learn
how to make homemade maple syrup at the
Kalamazoo Nature Center.
St. Patrick’s
Day Parade
(269) 372-7332, www.kalamazooirish.org
Join in the fun on the downtown mall with plenty
of costumes and music.
Gilmore International Keyboard Festival
(269) 342-1166, www.thegilmore.org
A biennial (even years) celebration of classical
and modern keyboard music. Musicians have included
Van Cliburn, Harry Connick
Jr., Chick Corea, Diana Krall, Peter Cincotti,
Peter Nero, Alfred Brendel and Michael
Feinstein.
International Congress on Medieval Studies
(269) 387-8745, www.wmich.edu/medieval
Scholars from around the world come to Kalamazoo
for an intellectual exchange on medieval research
and topics, such as “Relics, Swords and the Stories They
Tell.”
Kalamazoo Animation Festival International
(269) 373-7883, www.kafi.kvcc.edu
A biennial (odd years) event bringing the best
of the world’s animation and artist’s together for
competition, seminars, retrospectives and screenings.
Dionysos Greekfest
(269) 345-1830, www.kalamazoogreekfest.com
Celebration of Greek heritage and culture with
Greek foods and spirits.
Annual
Art Fair
(269) 349-7775, www.kiarts.org
Held in Bronson Park, the Kalamazoo Institute
of Arts’ annual juried Art Fair attracts 50,000 attendees
and 200 artists from around the country.
Do-Dah
Parade
(269) 388-2830
The Do-Dah Parade, where anything goes
in the name of fun.
Vicksburg Old Car Festival
(269) 649-1312, www.vicksburgoldcarfestival.com
Take a step back in time and learn about
the evolution of the automobile.
Island Fest
(269) 385-6200, www.islandfestkalamazoo.com
Enjoy the Caribbean style and join 10,000
reggae fans for an eclectic mix of acts
such as Toots and Maytals, Eek-A-Mouse
and Kanda Bongo Man.
Black Arts Festival
(269) 349-1035
The Black Arts & Cultural Center promotes minority artists
with seven days of free art shows and community
events.
Blues Fest
(269) 381-6514, www.kvba.org
Local and national musicians perform at Blues
Fest, which earned an honorable mention in “Blues for Dummies” as
one of the top festivals to watch.
Kindleberger
Summer Festival
(269) 349-9504, www.kindleberger.org
From an art & crafts fair to a car show, 5K run/walk, a city-street
dance, symphony music to a children’s petting zoo and much
more.
Taste
of Kalamazoo
(269) 385-6200, www.tasteofkalamazoo.com
Eat, drink and be merry as local restaurants,
breweries and wineries serve up their finest.
New Orleans Festival
(269) 324-9200, www.portagemi.gov
Great entertainment and Cajun recipes tempt your taste buds. Located at the Celery Flats Historical Area Events in Portage.
Ribfest
(269) 388-2830, www.ribfestkalamazoo.com
You be the judge as national and local rib
vendors compete in rib and sauce cook-offs.
These ribs will set mouths on fire, but
great beers from local brewers cool them
down. 2007 Schedule
Big League Softball World Series
(269) 345-3123 www.softballworldseries.org
Ten teams compete for the title of Big League
World Champions, including squads from
Asia-Pacific, Canada, Europe, Latin America and five U.S.
regions.
Portage Party in the Park
(269) 329-4522, www.portagemi.gov
This is an activity packed
festival held at the Celery Flats Historical
Area in Portage. Come enjoy
a day filled with excitement.
Kalamazoo County
Fair
(269) 383-8761, www.kalamazoocountyfair.com
The Kalamazoo County Fair is an annual fair
that promotes local agriculture & creates a positive experience
for families attending through exhibits, rides, family activities,
entertainment & much more.
Kalamazoo Scottish Festival
(269) 323-8893, www.kalamazooscottishfestival.org
You don’t have to be Scottish to enjoy the kilt-swishing,
caber-tossing, border-collie barking and bag
piping fun.
U.S.T.A. Boys’ 18 & 16
National Tennis Championships
(269) 337-7343, www.ustaboys.com
This is the premier junior tennis tournament
in America, held in Kalamazoo for 61 years
and draws the top 400 finest players in the
nation. Tennis greats such as Pete Sampras,
Andre Agassi, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and
Arthur Ashe all played in Kalamazoo as part
of their junior careers.
Michigan Wine & Harvest
Festival
(269) 655-1111, www.pawpaw.net/wine_harvest
Sample wines from local vineyards and far beyond,
enjoy live entertainment and join the grape
stomping.
Street Rod Nationals North
(269) 488-9000, www.nsra-usa.com
More than 3,400 pre-1949 street rods from
all over North Central America and farther
attend this super automotive extravaganza
at the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds.
Historic Homes Tour
(269) 344-7432, www.stuart-historic.org
Visitors can view the restored grandeur of
structures built more than a century ago
during a tour of stately neighborhoods and
buildings in the Kalamazoo area.
Irish Festival
(269) 372-7332, www.kalamazooirish.org
Enjoy music, dance, history and lore of the
Emerald Isle.
Harvest Festival
(269) 626-8503
Enjoy Mother Nature’s harvest as the fall leaves change
colors at Scotts Mill County Park.
Coming Out
Proud Film Festival
(269) 349-4234, www.kglrc.org
Come out proud to celebrate diversity with
an award-winning selection of international
films presented by the Kalamazo
Gay and
Lesbian Resource Center.
Kalamazoo Holiday Parade
(269) 388-2830, www.central-city.net
Beautiful floats, marching bands and even
Santa Claus will wind through downtown
Kalamazoo, with elves passing out candy and
prizes along the parade route.
Festival of Trees
(269) 342-5562, www.JLKalamazoo.org
Celebrate the holidays and browse through
the decorated trees, wreaths and gingerbread
houses, and shop in the
Festival Gift Shop.
Michigan Festival of Sacred
Music
(800) 228-9858, www.mfsm.us
A biennial (odd years) event with religious
entertainment from around the world performing
at various churches and other unique venues
throughout Kalamazoo.
Kellogg Manor House
Holiday Walk Tours
(269) 671-2416, www.kbs.msu.edu
Kellogg Manor on beautiful Gull Lake, the
former home of cereal magnate W.K. Kellogg,
is beautifully decorated for the holiday season and opens for tours
on the weekends through
December.
New Year’s Fest
(269) 388-2830, www.central-city.net
New Year’s Eve celebration featuring dozens of entertainment
acts in venues throughout downtown Kalamazoo
with fireworks at midnight in Bronson Park.
