Photo by Todd & Brad Reed Photography

Summer Events in Ludington

Summer is Ludington’s favorite season, so if you’re considering a vacation in the area, we’ve got the festivals and events to keep you entertained! Have fun at the event, and then catch a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset or dip your toes in the lake to check out the water temperature!

Ludington's Top Annual Summer Events

2025

Sunset Beach Bonfires - Thursdays: June 26th, July 31st, & August 28th; 2025

On the 4th Thursday of each month , bring your blanket or beach chair to the south end of Stearns Beach from 8-10pm and enjoy a huge bonfire while listening to some great music. These Sunset Bonfires are FREE and open to the public.

Ludington Offshore Classic Fishing Tournament - July 14th-20th, 2025

The Ludington Offshore Classic sponsored by Captain Chuck’s takes place each July. This tournament is open to any boat 18′ or longer equipped with a marine radio.

West Shore Bank's Rhythm & Dunes Concerts - July 26th & August 2nd, 2025

West Shore Bank offers its annual Rhythm & Dunes Summer Concert Series at the Waterfront Park Pavilion in downtown Ludington as a fundraiser for area school’s music programs. The main concert is generally preceded by a performance by Jazz Bands from area schools.

Western Michigan Fair - August 5th-9th, 2025

The Western Michigan Fair has been held every year since 1936 at the Mason County Fairgrounds on US-10 in Ludington. It features the midway, demolition derby, harness horse racing, entertainment, still exhibits, grandstand events, and carnival rides.

Gold Coast Artisan Fair - August 9th-10th, 2025

Located at Ludington’s Rotary Park (formerly City Park), over 170 vendors from across the state and beyond sell a variety of wonderful handmade items, jewelry, photographs, paintings, and more at the annual Gold Coast Artisan Fair. Shop for gift items, or pick up something unique for your home.

Suds on the Shore Beer & Wine Tasting Festival - August 16th, 2025

Suds on the Shore is a popular summer festival featuring over 50 top vendors from all around Michigan, The vendors serve samples of craft beer, hard cider and Michigan wine, while participants also enjoy live music and food.

2026

Lakestride Half Marathon, 5K, & 10K - June 2026

The Ludington Lakestride is held on one of the most beautiful and scenic courses in Michigan, attracting 800-1,000 runners from around the state and beyond. The 5K run which winds its way through Cartier Park, the 10K which runs out to Decker Road and back, and the Half-Marathon

Ludington Area Jaycees Freedom Festival & Fireworks - July 3rd-4th, 2026 (Tentative)

Patriotism is alive and well here as demonstrated in the annual Freedom Festival, held every year since 1874. Sponsored by the Ludington Area Jaycees, this event is one of the few great July 4th festivals still in existence in Michigan.

West Shore Art Fair - July 2026

The West Shore Art Fair is sponsored by the Ludington Area Center for the Arts and is a juried fine arts and crafts show which means a more stringent criteria is used and only the highest-quality artists are admitted. Awards are given to artists in various mediums by LACA.

Visit our Calendar of Events for More Happenings in Ludington!

Current Events

Arts & Crafts Classes in Ludington

Ludington has many businesses to help you enjoy crafting and appreciate the finished product. Let them help you create your own masterpiece!

Ludington Offshore Classic Fishing Tournament is Underway

The very popular Ludington Offshore Classic Fishing Tournament sponsored by Captain Chuck’s takes place each July in Ludington.

Ludington State Park Summer Events

The Ludington State Park holds multiple events for the whole family during the summer months. Don’t miss the live music and presentations!

Horse Shows at the Mason County Fairgrounds

The Caswell Horse Park at the Mason County Fairgrounds in Ludington is a busy place from May-October, with many horse shows.

The Next S.S. Badger Carferry Shoreline Cruises in Ludington Happens on July 23rd

Enjoy a variety of shoreline cruises with various themes on the S.S. Badger Carferry in both Ludington and Manitowoc.

West Shore Bank’s Rhythm & Dunes Concert Series Begins on July 26th

West Shore Bank hosts the Rhythm & Dunes Summer Concert Series each summer at the Waterfront Park Pavilion in downtown Ludington.

Summer Music in West Michigan

After a busy day at the beach or at work, it’s time to kick back and relax a while. What better way than to listen to some music.

Fishing Tournaments & Events

Ludington fishing tournaments give anglers a chance to add a little money to their pocket in addition to the fish in their bucket.

Summer Events

Summer is Ludington’s favorite season, so if you’re considering a vacation in the area, we’ve got the festivals to keep you entertained!

Family Friendly Events

Ludington hosts many events and activities that are geared toward kids and families, that’s part of what makes the area so great!

Performances in West Michigan

Everyone enjoys a good play or concert, and Ludington blessed with talented actors and musicians that entertain us all year ’round.

Events Happening Soon

Downtown Ludington Sidewalk Sales

Summer’s not over yet and there are summer bargains to be found all weekend during downtown Ludington’s Sidewalk Sale Days in early August.

The next beach bonfire is at Stearns Park Beach on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

Enjoy the warmth of a bonfire on the beach! The Ludington Fire Department mans the fire while you enjoy the sunset.

Scroll below for more articles about the Ludington area activities and attractions.

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-advertisement	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Analytics" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	1 year	The GDPR Cookie Consent plugin sets the cookie to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie records the user consent for the cookies in the "Necessary" category.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie stores user consent for cookies in the category "Others".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	1 year	Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie stores the user consent for cookies in the category "Performance".
CookieLawInfoConsent	1 year	CookieYes sets this cookie to record the default button state of the corresponding category and the status of CCPA. It works only in coordination with the primary cookie.
elementor	never	The website's WordPress theme uses this cookie. It allows the website owner to implement or change the website's content in real-time.
rc::a	never	This cookie is set by the Google recaptcha service to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks.
rc::c	session	This cookie is set by the Google recaptcha service to identify bots to protect the website against malicious spam attacks.
viewed_cookie_policy	1 year	The GDPR Cookie Consent plugin sets the cookie to store whether or not the user has consented to use cookies. It does not store any personal data.

Cookie	Duration	Description
_ga	1 year 1 month 4 days	Google Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_ga_*	1 year 1 month 4 days	Google Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
_gat_UA-*	1 minute	Google Analytics sets this cookie for user behaviour tracking.n
_gid	1 day	Google Analytics sets this cookie to store information on how visitors use a website while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the collected data includes the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.