Michigan Irish Music Festival

"Great time with my younger brother ❤️"

"Wonderful time.Great food options..Bands were phenomenal!!! One for the Foxes. And DOOLIN !!!!! And others were great too .we went for a few hours spent the whole day.we will definitely be there next year."

"I feel compelled this morning to share my thoughts and experience on this year's West Michigan Irish Music Festival. First the good: Heritage Park is an excellent setting for a music festival. The park fronts the lake and cruise ships can dock right at the festival grounds! The volunteer efforts are impressive. Security is excellent keeping everyone safe, checking bags, etc. There was lots of top talent to enjoy and marvel over. There are interesting sidebar activities, demonstrations, food and more on offer. The event seems well-managed for the most part. Sunday is a free day which the festival gets kudos for inclusiveness. Perhaps they may be willing to consider my constructive feedback. And now the not so good: My biggest constructive criticism is that the extremely loud electric bands ruin the festival. The noise levels from the loud electric bands bleed over to the other stages and ruin the performances of the excellent traditional Irish music performances. I. could hear the booming bass from these electric bands from a quarter of a mile away! This ruined the festival for me. Additionally, I do not care for the Scottish bag pipes. Also, the festival should implement a strict no smoking policy. The sessions and busking locations should be isolated and staffed to facilitate participation by amateur attendees who wish to play and perform. And although I am a Buster Keaton fan, I feel that the festival needs to maintain a focus. I would prefer a focus on Irish Traditional music. I would recommend moving away from the ultra-loud electric bands to prevent the sound (especially electric bass) bleeding over to the other stages. I think this festival has the potential to be a world-class, premier music event. However; I feel I wasted $ 50 for a four-day pass when Thursday and Friday are evening only with Thursday offering only one stage and none of the additional benefits of the festival, i.e. busking or sessions. Saturday the gates opened at 11:30 am. Sunday is a free day which the festival gets kudos for inclusiveness. I will most likely not return next year. It is too frustrating to have loud bass noise from another stage bleed into an otherwise excellent performance that I would wish to enjoy. And this does not begin to address the issue of the risk of hearing damage with loud electric bands and ultra-powerful PA systems turned up to ear splitting levels."

"A wo deeful experience of music, fun, and food. Even if you aren't Irish, embrace the joy"

"Great time. I look forward to this every year. I spent the summer in Denver, and my return date for coming back to Michigan was making sure I could make it to the Irish Fest. My favorite band that plays there each year is The Moxie Strings. This year, one of my friends played with the band The Barley Saints and it was awesome!"