10 Michigan Festivals You Don’t Want to Miss This May

We're finally getting our annual reward for suffering through six months of gray skies and potholes.

It's May in Michigan, and there is so much to do outside!

If you're looking for excuses to get out of the house, here are 10 Michigan festivals and events that are worth the gas money.

Tulip Time Festival

This is the big one. The granddaddy of all spring festivals in Michigan: Tulip Time in Holland.

Millions of tulips, Dutch dancing, parades, the whole deal. It's officially underway through Mother's Day.

If you've never been, go at least once. If you have been, then you already know — bring a jacket and maybe a rain poncho. You might want them.

Theut's Flower Barn Tulip Festival

This is your "I want tulips but not all the people" option.

The Tulip Festival at Theut's Flower Barn — located in Richmond, Michigan (about halfway between Detroit and Port Huron) — is way more low-key.

This one runs the first couple weeks of May, and you can actually take your time to wander through rows of tulips instead of feeling like you're in a shoulder-to-shoulder parade the whole time.

Grand Rapids Lantern Festival

This one hits at night.

The Grand Rapids Lantern Festival is currently underway at John Ball Zoo and runs through mid-June.

Most of the zoo animals will be in their indoor habitats for the night, but you can still roam the grounds and enjoy giant glowing lantern displays and colors everywhere.

Grab tickets early; some nights sell out.

Frankenmuth Funtown Chowdown Food Truck Festival

Beginning May 14 and continuing through September, the Frankenmuth Funtown Chowdown Food Truck Festival happens the second Thursday of every month.

Nearly 20 food trucks will gather on the grounds of the Frankenmuth River Place Shops, featuring BBQ, tacos, desserts and more.

Pro Tip: Don't go all-in at the first truck. You'll regret it by Truck #4.

Michigan Beer & Brat Festival

The Michigan Beer & Brat Festival is scheduled the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend at Crystal Mountain in Thompsonville — not quite an hour northwest of Cadillac.

Beers. Brats. There are some events you overthink. This is not one of them.

Jeep the Mac to Drummond Island

Even if you're not a Jeep person, Jeep the Mac to Drummond Island is one of those "okay, yeah — that's actually pretty awesome" Michigan events.

READ MORE: Jeep the Mac Returns for 2026

Thousands of Jeeps and their owners descend upon the Mackinac Bridge on May 8 and 9, many of them ferrying to Drummond Island for a couple days of trails, shopping, and general camaraderie.

National Morel Mushroom Festival

Morel season is basically a competitive sport in this state.

READ MORE: The Secret to Finding Morel Mushrooms in Michigan This Spring

The National Morel Mushroom Festival in Boyne City leans all the way in — food, foraging, and a lot of people being very secretive about where they found theirs.

2026 marks the 66th year for this festival, taking place May 14-17 this time around.

Michigan Antique & Collectibles Festival

The Michigan Antique & Collectibles Festival comes to the Midland County Fairgrounds on May 30-31.

You just want to go and look, right? Sure.

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You're probably going home with a vintage sign, an old-school mug, and a story you didn't expect.

Michilimackinac Reenactment

It's history revisited Memorial Day Weekend in Mackinaw City as hundreds of revelers participate in the Michilimackinac Reenactment.

It commemorates the events that took place between the French, British and Native tribes of the Straits Area on June 2, 1763. Expect lots of costumes, musket demos... that kind of thing.

St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade

The St. Clair Shores Memorial Day Parade is billed as one of the biggest Memorial Day Parades in Michigan.

This year's edition happens Sunday, May 24, beginning at 1 p.m.

Kind of feels like the unofficial start of summer — flags, bands, community, patriotism, the whole vibe.