One of the best things about spring is the resurgence of green, complemented by the first flowers of the year. Here are 12 things to do in Michigan in April 2019.
April 4-5 Spring Art Fair – Royal Oak
Head to the Royal Oak Farmers Market for one of the earliest art fairs of the season. This indoor show features 55 juried artists and is open from Noon-10pm each day. Admission is free, and in addition to exploring the creative content, you’ll find scrumptious eats from food trucks, beer, wine, cider, and live entertainment. Bring friends, hang out, and maybe even find something new to add to your abode.
April 6 Authors Fair – Detroit
Preservation Detroit, the city’s oldest nonprofit preservation group, is hosting its second annual author’s fair at the Durfee Innovation Society. The event is free, though a $5 donation is recommended. Guests are also encouraged to bring books with them to donate in an effort to fill a Little Free Library, which will be installed later at the Bethel Community Transformation Center. The fair will showcase works by local writers. Authors interested in participating may purchase a table for $30 while space is available.
April 6-7 Glass Extravaganza – Dearborn
The Glass Academy in Dearborn is hosting an egg-cellent event from 10am to 5pm both days. Guests can watch glass art being made, and purchase pieces to take with them. This show features decorative glass birds known as Glassy Chicks; striped, spotted, and speckled glass eggs; and Nest Bowls. Free live glassblowing demonstrations are scheduled throughout the day to make it a unique family experience. Guests may also register to take a glassblowing class for a fee.
April 6-7 Spring Artisan Market – Three Oaks
If you’ve yet to make a visit to Journeyman Distillery, then this event is the perfect time. You can wander the old Featherbone Corset Factory with your favorite craft beverage, and marvel at the work of some of the area’s most talented artists and creators. There will be a variety of products available for purchase ranging from locally-sourced gourmet and personal care items to handcrafted decor and jewelry.
April 7 FestiFools – Ann Arbor
This may just be the wackiest hour in all of Michigan. Spectators, some bedecked in costumes of their own, line Main Street, for what organizers describe as a public art extravaganza. Locals and university students mix and mingle in unique costumes and frolic through the streets in a colorful spectacle, the highlight of which are the giant, bizarre, human-powered papier-mâché puppets. This whimsical way to usher in spring kicks off at 4PM. Come a little early to find a great viewing spot.
April 13 Greenfield Village Opening Day – Dearborn
Join in on the festivities at The Henry Ford as Greenfield Village celebrates the opening of another season. Check out glassblowing demonstrations. Learn how food was prepared a century ago. Ride in a genuine Model T or hop aboard a steam engine train. Whether you’ve never been or you are a regular, experiencing the wonders of this historic place is always inspiring.
April 13 MSU Global Day of Service – Across the State and Around the World
Every year in April Michigan State University invites students, alumni, and friends of the university to participate in its Global Day of Service. Since its inception in 2013, nearly 45,000 hours of service have been donated by more than 9,000 volunteers in 725 locations. These volunteers have provided a collective impact valued at $1,007,282 to their causes. Visit the website to find an event, or create one of your own. Community initiatives will be led by Spartan alumni communities across the state, country, and elsewhere in the world.
April 25-May 4 Blossomtime Festival – St Joseph
There are few things more worthy of celebration in Michigan that the state’s abundant agricultural industry. That is the focus of the Blossomtime Festival, which has been going on since 1906. It brings together 24 communities in the southwest of the Lower Peninsula, starting with an the Blessing of the Blooms, which takes place in an orchard. The highlight of the festivities is The Grand Floral Parade, which begins in St. Joseph and continues its way through the city, across the Bicentennial Bridge and into Benton Harbor. St. Joseph and Benton Harbor have been the host cities since the parade’s inception in 1923. The Grand Floral Parade features over 120 acts including bands, floats, clowns, costumed characters, antique cars and tractors, unicycle teams, equestrian units and the famed Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Motorcycle Drill Team celebrating their 56th consecutive appearance leading the parade in 2019.
April 26-27 Bringin’ Back the 80s Festival – Frankenmuth
If your Spotify or iPod is chock full of tunes from Madonna, Michael, Prince, The Cure, The Police, or even Wham, then this is the party you’ve been waiting for. Come as a Cabbage Patch Kid, Ghostbuster, or roll up your Don Johnson sleeves and enter the costume contest. Harvey Kern Pavilion is home to this totally bomb celebration of a bygone era. Dance to live cover bands and check out a huge display of 80s memorabilia and video games. Free shuttles will be running from hotels throughout town. Tickets are $12 and proceeds support cancer-related causes.
April 26-28 MI Earth Day Fest – Rochester
Every day we’re faced with more and more evidence that our planet is in danger. From strange weather patterns to animal extinctions to lakes and oceans filled with plastic, there is much more we can all do to protect our environment. That is the focus of MI Earth Day Fest. The event features dozens of green products, displays of vehicles and renewable energy systems, presentations by experts, attractions, kids activities, live music, health and wellness demonstrations, and is kicked off with the MI Green Hall of Fame Awards & My Green Schools Art Awards. Admission and parking are free. Have fun and learn how you can help save our state and the planet.
April 27 Beerfest at the Ballpark – Lansing
Let’s face it, baseball and beer just seem to go together naturally, so why not host a beerfest at an actual ballpark? Cooley Law School Stadium, home of the Lugnuts, will feature over seventy Michigan breweries, cideries, and distilleries for this annual event, which also features live music. Tickets start at $30 and include 10 tasting tickets good for a 3-oz pour per ticket.
April 27 Thirty-One Flavors of Magic – Colon
The tiny hamlet of Colon is known as the Magic Capitol of the World, and folks there will be celebrating the art in its many forms on April 27. All of the restaurants, bars, magic shops, and a few other venues will be participating. Visitors can enjoy close-up magic, parlor magic, stage, mentalism, street performers, and kids’ shows simply by walking out one door and into another. Tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children, or a Family pack of 2 adult and up to five children’s admissions for just $35. This magical day kicks off at 11AM and runs 5PM.
Join the conversation on social media and let us know which of our 12 things to do in Michigan in April 2019, you got a chance to enjoy. Tag @BuyMichiganNow in your posts. For our things to do in Michigan next month and other travel tips, be sure to visit our Michigan Tourism page.
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