It is hard to imagine when the faithful by the thousands return each year to celebrate the annual Founders Fest — a street festival devoted to music and beer held in front of the brewery’s ever-expanding downtown Grand Rapids location — that it has only been 21 years since home brewers Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers formalized their love of beer and took the first steps to form their company under the (then) name Canal Street Brewing Co.
For the ninth annual Founders Fest, you can expect the same classic mix of solid beers, including many specialty taps pouring one-offs and those much-sought-after specialty brews. The event also boasts two big stages of entertainment to create a seamless music experience with zero lag time due to band changeovers.
And for the first time in Founders Fest history, each of the musical acts appearing at this year’s fest have all appeared at one point on the brewery’s taproom stage.
Artists performing this year include The Motet, Lee Fields & The Expressions, The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band, People's Blues of Richmond, The Main Squeeze, and Dos Santos Anti-Beat Orquesta. See their website for a complete guide to their impressive bios and selection of videos to help you plan your visit.
To help soak up those international award-winning, locally-produced suds is a fine selection of area food vendors who will line the street along side our city’s finest artisans, who, like every year, make up the festival’s Artist’s Row.
To keep things really festive this year, Grand Rapids-based nationally touring burlesque troupe Super Happy Funtime Entertainment will be busking the event with plenty of selfie evoking sideshow antics for the audience members.
New this year is that with each paid admission you get get two beer/beverage tickets. But do not delay, this event has sold out in the past and
tickets are non-transferrable, according to the website’s guidelines for the event.
Admission: $30 - 35.