Let the Ann Arbor Summer Festival Begin! It’s time to have some serious fun now that school is out. The Ann Arbor Summer Festival was founded by Eugen Power in 1984. Actually this event is two festivals made into one. The outdoor setting is free and there is also a paid indoor setting. Combining these two, you have more than a hundred events.

This festival has grabbed the attention of many. For the past 27 years, this festival is already considered a city tradition and family as well.

According to Robb Woulfe, the executive director, everyone should attend the event because it is full of surprises. “Every night is a different spectacle, and that’s the beauty of an arts festival.”

The festival’s mission is “to present a world-class celebration of arts and entertainment that enriches the cultural, economic, and social vitality of the region.”

Below are the list of events and activities that are lined up. For more details on the event, the locations, tickets rates for indoor shows, you can visit www.annarborsummerfestival.org.

June 26 – Soul and Blues Saturday

12:30 p.m. Company T.P.O. The Butterfly Garden

4:30 p.m. Company T.P.O. The Butterfly Garden

5 p.m. Portable Climbing Wall with Planet Rock

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. ReTreat Featuring: Bollyfit Dance (mind/body sessions on the lawn)

5 p.m. Grassrootz Teen Stage

6 p.m. The Saints of Soul

8 p.m. Bernadette Peters

8:30 p.m. Lady Sunshine and the X-Band

10:30 p.m. After Dark with Electric Marmalade (DJ OrNate and Buster Lagosie)

June 27

10:30 a.m. Company T.P.O. The Butterfly Garden

12:30 p.m. Company T.P.O. The Butterfly Garden

4:30 p.m. Company T.P.O. The Butterfly Garden

4 p.m. Acoustic Café Live

5 p.m. Climbing Wall with Planet Rock

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. Ariel & Zoey (Eli, too)

6:15 p.m. Black Jake & the Carnies

8 p.m. Grensky Bluegrass

10 p.m. “Sherlock Holmes”

June 29

6:30 p.m. Kidzone

6:30 p.m. Global Party: Middle Eastern celebration featuring Bassam Saleh

8 p.m. Drivin’ Sideways

10 p.m. “Avatar”

June 30

6:30 p.m. Kidzone

6:30 p.m. Cadillac Cowboys

8 p.m. John Pizzarelli “Dear Mr. Sinatra”

8 p.m. Orpheum Bell

10 p.m. “Casablanca”

July 1

6:30 p.m. Kidzone

6:30 p.m. Gemini

8 p.m. Madcat, Kane & Maxwell Street

10 p.m. “Plan 9 from Outer Space”

July 2

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. Dave Sharp’s Secret Seven

7 p.m. Howling Diablos

7:30 p.m. Cinematic Titanic: Mystery Science Theater 3000

9 p.m. NOMO

10 p.m. Cinematic Titanic: Mystery Science Theater 3000

10:30 p.m. After Dark with DJ Smokey “Baby Powder” Johnson

July 3 – Swing Saturday

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. ReTreat featuring: Tai Chi (mind/body sessions on the lawn)

5 p.m. Grassrootz Teen Stage featuring: Greenhills School

6 p.m. Craz-E-Crew Stunt Team

6:45 p.m. Accidentally Hip Big Band

7:30 p.m. Caravan Palace

8 p.m. Craz-E-Crew Stunt Team

9 p.m. The Terraplanes

10:30 p.m. After Dark with Ghostly International presenting DJ Charles Trees

July 4

4 p.m. Acoustic Café Live

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. Craz-E-Crew Stunt Team

5 p.m. The Capitol Steps

5:30 p.m. The Red Sea Pedestrians

7 p.m. Craz-E-Crew Stunt Team

8 p.m. The Capitol Steps

8 p.m. Twistin’ Tarantulas

10 p.m. “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

July 6

6:30 p.m. Kidzone

6:30 p.m. Global Party: Tejano Conjunto Dance Party featuring Los Bandits de Michigan

8 p.m. DEVO

8 p.m. FUBAR

10 p.m. “(500) Days of Summer”

July 7

6:30 p.m. Kidzone

6:30 p.m. Juice

8 p.m. Salmagundi

10 p.m. “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian”

July 8

6:30 p.m. Kidzone

6:30 p.m. October Babies

8 p.m. The Afra Cuban All Stars

8 p.m. The Ragbirds

10 p.m. “Fantastic Mr. Fox”

July 9

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. Annie Capps Band

6:30 p.m. Groove Spoon

8:30 p.m. The Macpodz

10:30 p.m. After Dark with DJ Seek Selekya

July 10

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. ReTreat

5 p.m. Grassrootz Teen Stage

6 p.m. Bugs Beddow Band

7:30 p.m. Die Roten Punkte

8:30 p.m. Hullabaloo

10:30 p.m. After Dark with DJ SaxTaxi

July 11 – So Long Sunday (closing night)

4 p.m. Acoustic Café Live

5 p.m. Kidzone

5 p.m. Cairn to Cairn

6:30 p.m. Mr. B’s Joybox Express

8 p.m. George Bedard & the Kingpins

10 p.m. “West Side Story”

Find an Ann Arbor Event in the Directory of Ann Arbor, MI.