Llamas, Chicken Wings, And Oddities Festivals Return This Year

Get ready for the return of some truly unique and exciting festivals in Michigan. Prepare for a great September, as three wildly different events are happening in Michigan this fall. There will be celebrations of llamas, chicken wings, and oddities.

Lamafest is one of the largest llama shows and is one of the longest-running shows. It has been the Michigan Lama Association season closing event for over 25 years. This festival takes place Sept. 2 through Sept. 3 at the Michigan State University's Pavilion. Where you'll be in for a weekend full of llama-themed fun and excitement. You can even get up close and personal with llamas at the festival.

Forget the number of wing vendors at this festival. It's all about the incredible array of wing flavors waiting to be discovered. The festival offers a platform for food vendors to showcase their vending skills and merchandise vendors to display their top-notch products. At the Michigan Chicken Wing Festival, they've got it all covered. With live music, pro wrestling, a kid's zone with inflatables, games, community vendors, health and wellness stuff, giveaways, and even a chicken wing eating contest. Plus, there's a people's choice vendor contest to crown the festival's King or Queen. It also takes place on Sept. 2 and Sept. 3 at Adado Riverfront Park in Lansing.

You can get your weird on at A Festival of Oddities in downtown Charlotte's Courthouse Square Museum! This fest is all about embracing the strange with local vendors, food trucks, vintage carnival games, and even true crime talks. It's free to enter, but for just $5, you can tour the museum. Though this festival is for all ages, some things might be a little spooky or too creepy for the little ones. This event happens during the jammed pack Labor Day weekend Sept. 2 and Sept. 3.

Festivals give people the feeling of joy. It's a chance for festival goers to get together, celebrate life and create memories. They even promote a sense of community pride.

Michigan has a lot to offer when it comes to festivals. Maybe, it's because Michigan has a lot to celebrate, like live music, beer, and food. Some festivals in Michigan focus on what some might find odd or unusual. From asparagus, bacon, and baby food to cereal Elvis and bologna.

If you have room on your festival bucket list, you may want to add these unique Michigan festivals.

Here’s a list of 15 unique Michigan festivals you need to check out.

This unique festival is located near Sleeping Bear Dunes in Empire. It has been happening since 1974. Featuring food and drink vendors, a display of the season’s largest asparagus, the crowning of an asparagus queen, and even an asparagus poetry contest. The Empire Asparagus Festival is scheduled for June 3.

There are two festivals in Michigan that celebrate asparagus. This National Festival is in Hart, which is in Oceana County. National Asparagus Festival is the longest-running asparagus festival in the country and 2023 marks the 50th festival. It takes place this year on June 20.

Battle Creek is the home of the Kellogg’s brand and the National Cereal Festival. The festival features a variety of entertainment; live music, children’s activities, inflatables, and free cereal for attendees. This year’s event will take place on June 10.

The Outhouse Classic is a unique twist on outhouses. They are made of wood, crates, cardboard, and other items, put on skis, and then raced down Main Street by a pair of runners. Prizes are given in different categories to the teams with the best times. This event happens February annually in Trenary, Michigan.

This 3-day festival takes place in Yale, located in St. Clair County. The Yale Bologna Festival has been a tradition since 1989. The festival includes outhouses races, a street dance, fireworks, and a parade down Main Street. The 33^rd Yale Bologna Festival will take place this year July 28 through July 30.

Elvis Fest is a celebration of all things Elvis. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll fans can see Elvis impersonators, dance to classic songs, and enjoy beer and food. This year’s venue will be the Wayne County Fairgrounds, Belleville on July 7 and July 8.

This one-day festival is for those who love bacon. Michigan Bacon Festival has everything from bacon mac and cheese, bacon beer, to bacon donuts. The festival will take place on July 30 at Jackson Field in Lansing.

Beautiful works of art from hundreds of pounds of scrap is created and displayed at Old Town Scrapfest in Lansing. The festival began as a scrap metal artwork competition and has grown into a full art festival that focuses on up-cycled and repurposed artwork. It has a scrap metal sculpture competition, eco-art booth vendors, family activities, live music, and food. Scrapfest is scheduled for July 14 and July 15.

This one-day Ukulele festival takes place in East Lansing. It features workshops, lessons, and performances.

The national headquarters of Gerber Products Company is in Michigan. So, it makes sense that the state has a National Baby Food Festival in Fremont. It’s a celebration of baby health and nutrition. The festival features a baby crawl, a baby food-eating contest, a farmer’s market, a car show, and more. The weeklong event takes place annually the third week of July. The next National Baby Food Festival is happening on July 19 through July 22.

More than 50,000 people travel to New Baltimore for Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival. The festival has live entertainment, a Miss Bay-Rama Queens Pageant, fireworks, a parade, and kids day. The weeklong event is happening June 21 through June 25.

Festival of the Forks is held in downtown Albion. It doesn’t celebrate forks. It’s a celebration of Albion’s food, music, diversity, healthy habits. This event will take place on the third weekend in September, the 15th through the 16th.

The Wizard of Oz Festival in Ionia allows attendees to dress up like your favorite character and participate in arts and crafts, photo opportunities, a 5K race, movie screenings and more. According to the event Facebook page. It is scheduled for September 23, 2023.

Gizzard Festival in Potterville is scheduled for June 8, 9, and 10 this year. Attendees can enter the gizzard eating contest, play in the corn hole tournament, or take line dancing lessons. The festival will also host its second annual Gizzard Fest Pageant.

This two-day festival in August celebrates the mushrooms that grow in the community. Specifically, the 38-acre humongous fungus that was discovered nearly three decades ago. The Humongous Fungus Festival in Crystal Falls features food from local vendors, craft vendors, a mushroom cookoff, and guided walks identifying different types of mushrooms. This festival is scheduled for August 25 and August 26.