By Jason Wesseldyk
Sports Editor
The Island City Festival is returning to Plainwell this summer … albeit with some changes compared to last year’s event.
Organizers announced on Sunday, April 27, that this year’s Island City Festival will be a single day as opposed to a three-day affair like in 2024.
“This year, we’re condensing everything into one jam-packed day filled with as much fun and excitement as possible,” organizers said in a release.
Another change? When the festival is being held.
Whereas last year’s Island City Fest took place from May 31 to June 2, this year’s edition of the festival is slated for Saturday, July 26.
According to organizers, the reason for the later date is due to a construction project that will affect the traffic flow in Plainwell earlier in the summer.
“We moved the date because we were told there would be a major construction project on US-131 that would reroute traffic through the middle of town, making it impossible to close streets for our core events (during that time),” organizers said.
Also, there will be no carnival this year. This is due largely to issues organizers had with Family Fun Tyme, which provided the rides the past two years.
After requesting for more rides geared toward adults for last year’s festival, organizers say they were assured that “we would not only have larger rides this year, but twice as many” compared to 2023.
That didn’t happen, as festivalgoers were once again presented with rides that catered primarily to children.
“There will not be a carnival this year,” organizers said. “After a few disappointing experiences with our previous provider, we chose to end that relationship during last year’s event. We did reach out to other companies, but they were already booked.”
Instead, organizers are working to put together a free Kid Zone “full of activities for kids” for families to enjoy.
This year’s festival will see vendors return to Hicks Park.
Those interested in being a vendor this year can secure a spot beginning Saturday, May 3, at 9 a.m. To do so, visit www.islandcityfest.org.
“We’re keeping the same system we used last year, as we received a lot of positive feedback from both vendors and attendees,” organizers said. “Booths sold out last year, and we expect the same this year, so act quickly if you’d like to participate.”
Organizers did note that they reserve the right to refuse booth purchases from individuals who have “previously exhibited rude or disrespectful behavior towards guests, other vendors or our team.”
“Kindness and respect are expected from everyone involved,” organizers said.
Organizers would also like to include as many local businesses as possible in the festival.
“If you own a business in Plainwell, we’d love to connect with you,” organizers said. “Please reach out to us directly. We would love to support your business and have you be a part of the festival.”
More details on the festival are expected in the coming weeks.
