01
Tawas Walleye Tournament
The kick-off of fishing summer. Live weigh-in on the dock, fish fry Saturday, harbor concert that night.
Culture · Year-round · 42 events
Season · Year-round (peak Jun–Sep)
Festivals.
Fishing tournaments, lighthouse openings, music in the pines, the Brown Trout Festival, the Headlands Star Party — 42 events a year, peak in mid-summer.
Brown Trout Festival · Alpena
Events / year
42
Coast-wide · listed
Biggest
Brown Trout
Alpena · 9 days · Jul 22–30
Oldest
Nautical
Rogers City · since 1953
Most free
27 of 42
No ticket needed
Don't miss · 6 marquee events
Six events, biggest of the year.
Curated by Sunrise Coast Council editors. Routes, sites, and pull-offs from south to north along US-23.
02
Brown Trout Festival
The biggest party on the coast. Tournament, parade, carnival, Saturday fireworks. Half the town camps in tents on the waterfront.
03
Rogers City Nautical Festival
Sailboat parade, lighthouse climb, perch fry. The town has been doing it since 1953.
04
AuSable River Music in the Pines
Acoustic sets on the riverbank below Lumberman's Monument. Six artists, sundown to 10.
05
Alpena Sunrise Photography Workshop
Small workshop led by Marisol Klein. Dawn shoots at Sturgeon Point, afternoon classroom critique.
06
Headlands Dark Sky Star Party
Astronomers from across the Midwest set up scopes along the beach. The Milky Way overhead, hot cocoa at the trailhead.
The Brown Trout Festival
Nine days of everything.
Alpena's Brown Trout Festival started in 1976 as a one-day fishing tournament. Forty-eight years later it is a nine-day, free, citywide event with a parade, a carnival, an arts fair, a midway, a 5K, three concerts, a regatta, and the original fishing tournament — which now pays out $30,000.
Half the town camps in tents on the waterfront. The other half cooks. The whole coast empties into Alpena that weekend. If you are within a hundred miles, go. If you are not, drive farther.
9 days
Jul 22–30, 2026
$30K
Prize purse
1976
First year
Festivals · the brown trout festival
"Half the town camps in the park, and the other half cooks."— Alpena News, on the Brown Trout Festival
Gear & know before you go
What to bring, what's provided.
Plan ahead
- Lodging books up 3 months out for big festivals
- Bring chairs — none provided at outdoor concerts
- Cash for festival food vendors
- Sunscreen / bug spray (Jun–Sep events)
Festival passes
- Most are free admission
- Brown Trout: free festival, $25 fish entry
- Workshops: $185 photo, $35 kayak
- Star parties: always free
Tickets
- Calendar + tickets: events.html
- Add events to your itinerary in plan.html
- Local lodging on stay.html
Questions · 4 answers
Festivals on the coast — questions.
Quick answers to what travelers ask most.
Q.01
What can I expect from festivals on Michigan's Sunrise Coast?
Fishing tournaments, lighthouse openings, music in the pines, the Brown Trout Festival, the Headlands Star Party — 42 events a year, peak in mid-summer.
Q.02
When is the best time of year for festivals on the Sunrise Coast?
The recommended season for festivals on Michigan's Sunrise Coast is Year-round (peak Jun–Sep). Events / year: 42 — Coast-wide · listed.
Q.03
Where are the best spots for festivals on the Sunrise Coast?
6 marquee events along the 200-mile coast. A standout option: Tawas Walleye Tournament — Jun 12 · 3 days · $200 entry. The kick-off of fishing summer. Live weigh-in on the dock, fish fry Saturday, harbor concert that night.
Q.04
What gear or preparation do I need for festivals on the Sunrise Coast?
Plan ahead: Lodging books up 3 months out for big festivals; Bring chairs — none provided at outdoor concerts; Cash for festival food vendors; Sunscreen / bug spray (Jun–Sep events).