GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The third annual Return to the River festival this weekend in Grand Rapids will feature live music, art and traveling installations, an artisan market and food trucks.
The free event kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday at Sixth Street Park and Canal Park, and at 55 Monroe. Organizers say there will be 19 unique DJ sets and 11 live music acts, plus 27 vendors and community groups on the Sixth Street Bridge for the Pleasant Peninsula Market.
In addition, there will be more than 20 art and entertainment activities along the riverwalk, a new speaker series from Pleasant Peninsula on the west end of the bridge, and the Creative Cube from ACT.
Here are more details from a Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. news release:
Featured food trucks include Patty Matters, Pressed In Time, PizzaMI, Los Pinches Tacos, Crepes by the Lakes, Sanse Filipino Cuisine, Haggerty's, Roasted Red's, Kona Ice, Olly's Donuts, Furniture City Creamery, Dolce Mini Cakes, Semifreddo, Around Baking Company, Underground Cookie Club, Eastown Cereal and Ohana Hawaiian Ice.
Return to the River activates the beautiful public spaces along the Grand River for the entire community to enjoy. The festival is designed to provide fun and activities for all ages. In addition to the music and art, free educational walking tours are available, as well as free kayak rentals from 1:00 - 5:00 PM on both days of the festival courtesy of GR Outside and the City of Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department. DGRI is also working with community partners to create a long-term vision and plan for public art along the Grand River. Our team will be at the festival on the Sixth Street Bridge providing information and opportunities for input on the plan, including a public art scavenger hunt.
Shaded canopy areas, bathrooms and a water refill station will all be available to attendees. In addition, alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase at the following participating Downtown Refreshment Area establishments: Noodlepig, SpeakEZ Lounge, Embassy Suites, City Built Brewing, Garage Bar & Grill, Chicago Beef Joint and Linear Restaurant.
Additional information can be found here. The festival map, music lineup and Pleasant Peninsula activity schedule are on the following website.
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Photo: Images courtesy of Downtown Grand Rapids, Inc., Creative Cube, Pleasant Peninsula.