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58th Annual East Lansing Art Festival to Take Place Aug. 7-8 in Downtown East Lansing
The 58th Annual East Lansing Art Festival (ELAF) will bring more than 80 artists and thousands of visitors to downtown East Lansing on the weekend of August 7-8, 2021. The festival will take place from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, August 7 and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday, August 8.
The event will take place on M.A.C. Avenue, from Grand River Avenue to Albert Avenue, and Albert Avenue, from the entrance/exit to the Albert Avenue Garage (the garage will remain accessible to eastbound Albert Avenue traffic) to Bailey Street. The festival site will also include Ann Street Plaza, Fountain Square and the new Albert EL Fresco pedestrian space.
Offerings for this year’s festival will be on a smaller scale due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic during the festival planning and the priority placed on spacing booths and activities to allow for physical distancing. There will also be some virtual offerings on the ELAF Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/ELArtFest, for those who do not feel comfortable attending the in-person event, and an ELAF Green Team will be circulating during the festival to disinfect surfaces.
“While this year’s festival may look a little different than previous festivals, we are excited to be able to bring back an in-person event this year that will offer up much of what festival patrons have enjoyed during previous festivals on a slightly smaller scale,” said East Lansing Art Festival Coordinator Heather Majano.
Art
Juried fine art and craft exhibitors from across the United States will make their way to East Lansing to showcase and sell various types of artworks during the festival. Visitors will find everything from non-functional and functional ceramics to paintings, mixed-media, drawings, fiber art, glass, jewelry, digital art, metal, sculpture, wood, photography, prints and more. A list of exhibiting artists can be viewed at http://www.elartfest.com/artists.
Music, Performances & Demonstrations
In addition to the art, the Jackson® Main Stage will feature live music and performances in Ann Street Plaza (corner of Albert and M.A.C. avenues) and artist demonstrations will take place across the street from the stage in Fountain Square. Schedules for the live music, performances and demonstrations can be viewed at http://www.elartfest.com/schedules.
ELAF Children’s Area & Food Court
The ELAF Children’s Area, located on M.A.C. avenue, will feature a variety of fun art activities for all ages - from toddlers to teens. Activities will include a mix of on-site activities as well as take-and-make activities that can be enjoyed at home. The food court; located on Albert Avenue, between Division Street and Bailey Street; will feature a variety of unique on-site food vendors, including Fire & Rice, Melting Moments, Premier Kettle Corn and Tantay: Peruvian Cuisine.
Getting To the Festival & Street Closures
The festival can be accessed by vehicle, bike and foot. A festival site map that highlights downtown parking locations can be viewed here http://www.elartfest.com/day-of. The majority of parking locations will remain accessible despite street closures for the festival. The Albert Avenue Garage, 188 Albert Avenue, will remain accessible to eastbound Albert Avenue traffic and the Grove Street Garage, 330 Grove Street, will remain accessible by taking Abbot Road to Linden Street to Grove Street. The Charles Street Garage, 121 Charles St., and Division Street Garage, 181 Division St., will remain accessible from Grand River Avenue. Accessible/barrier free parking is available in all lots and garages in downtown East Lansing and there will be reserved areas for accessible/barrier-free parking in the Bailey Street Lot, 126 Bailey St., and at the parking meters on M.A.C. Avenue north of Albert Avenue..
Get Involved
The ELAF is a free-to-the-public event that relies on the support of local sponsors and community donations. Community members can donate online at http://www.elartfest.com/sponsorsnew. Community volunteers are also vital to the success of the festival each year. Community members interested in volunteering at the 58th Annual ELAF can sign up at http://www.elartfest.com/volunteersnew.
Visit www.elartfest.com for additional information about the festival.
The 58th Annual East Lansing Art Festival is supported by grants from the East Lansing Arts Commission and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. The ELAF’s Pinnacle Sponsor is Jackson National Life Insurance Company ® and Corporate Sponsors are LeafFilter® and T-Mobile.
2021 Summer Community Events Continue in August
The City of East Lansing's summer community events will continue in August, including the Summer Concert Series, Moonlight Film Festival and Play in the Park children's entertainment series. Remaining dates for each event are provided below:
Summer Concert Series
The Summer Concert Series features live performances by talented, local musical acts in the heart of downtown East Lansing. The music series takes place on Friday nights from 7-9 p.m. in downtown East Lansing’s Ann Street Plaza (corner of Albert and M.A.C. avenues). The August dates and lineup are as follows:
Friday, Aug. 13 – Matt Gabriel
Friday, Aug. 20 – Z Collective
Friday, Aug. 27 – Cross Eyed Strangers
Moonlight Film Festival
The Moonlight Film Festival features free movies shown on a big, outdoor screen in Valley Court Park, 280 Valley Court, starting at 9 p.m. Community members are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs and enjoy a night under the stars! The August dates and screenings are as follows:
Thursday, Aug. 12 – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (PG)
Wednesday, Aug. 25 – “Jurassic Park” (1993) (PG-13)
Play in the Park
East Lansing's Play in the Park children’s entertainment series features free family activities on intermittent Tuesday and Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Community members should note that the location for this event series has changed from previous years, with events now taking place at Patriarche Park, 960 Alton Road. Children and their families can bring a picnic, blanket and/or lawn chair and enjoy family friendly entertainment in a beautiful park setting.
The remaining Play in the Park schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, Aug. 4 – Michigan Science Center
Tuesday, Aug. 17 – Aarin Dokum/Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center
In the event of rain or severe weather, the community events will be canceled. Community members can visit www.cityofeastlansing.com/communityevents for additional information and updates on this summer’s community events.
All-of-us Express Children's Theatre to Offer Combat Workshop
All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre has partnered with Ring of Steel Action Theatre & Stunt Troupe to offer two one-day workshops this month.
The workshops will introduce participants to theatrical combat and will teach them techniques with longsword, broadsword and cutlass. Participants will also learn how to correctly fall and about placement and stance.
Workshops are open to youth, ages 9-18, and will take place at the East Lansing Hannah Community Center (ELHCC) on Aug. 16 and Aug. 18 from 6-9 p.m. The cost to participate is $50 for theatre members and $65 for non-members. Interested participants can register for the workshops by visiting the online registration portal, calling the ELHCC at (517) 333-2580 ext. 0 or visiting the ELHCC, 819 Abbot Road.
All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre to Bring “Alice in Wonderland” to the Stage
All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre (AECT) is excited to bring “Alice in Wonderland” to the East Lansing Hannah Community Center (ELHCC) stage, 819 Abbot Road, from Aug 6-8.
The Friday, Aug. 6 show will take place at 7 p.m. and the Saturday, Aug. 7 and Sunday, Aug.8 show will take place at 3 p.m. More than 60 area youth, ages 8-18, make up the cast and crew of AECT’s latest production. This is AECT’s first live performance in 16 months.
Tickets are $7 for youth (17 and under), $10 for adults (18 and older). Community members can purchase tickets ahead of time by visiting the ELHCC Box Office or by calling (517) 333-2580 ext. 0. For more information, visit https://www.cityofeastlansing.com/allofus.
This latest AECT production is generously sponsored by Michigan State University Federal Credit Union’s Desk Drawer Fund, Jackson National Life and the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs.
All-of-us Express Children’s Theatre (AECT) offers young people of all backgrounds, cultures and lifestyles the opportunity to produce professional quality plays, study many aspects of the dramatic arts and develop valuable life skills while providing outstanding entertainment to the community. AECT brings four major productions to the Greater Lansing community each year with the help of hundreds of youth from throughout the region.
Featured Youth Sports
Girls Volleyball
Tryouts for MacDonald Middle School girls volleyball, grades 7-8, are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 24 and Wednesday, Aug. 25.
A ten-game schedule will begin mid-September and will go through the end of October. The program costs $200 and all participants must have a physical (completed after April 15, 2021) on file at the school office prior to competing. Additional information about tryout times and registration are posted online at www.cityofeastlansing.com/sports.
Cross Country, Girls & Boys
MacDonald Middle School students, grades 6-8, are invited to run with the cross country team Aug. 23-26 from 3:15-5 p.m. each day. Students can also participate in optional pre-season conditioning Aug.16-19.
This season's cross county meets will begin mid-September and will conclude in mid-October. The program costs $160 and all participants must have a physical (completed after April 15, 2021) on file at the school office prior to competing. Additional information, including how to register, is posted online at www.cityofeastlansing.com/sports.
Limited Space Available in Summer Drama Camps
Due to recent scheduling changes, there are a limited amount of spaces available in the East Lansing Department of Parks, Recreation and Arts (ELPRA) summer drama camps.
Each of ELPRA's one-week performance camps are theme based and conclude with a small performance on the last day of camp. Throughout the week, participants will determine how they want to tell their story, whether using an existing script or creating a new one based on the theme. Each performance will feature simple props, sets and costumes needed to tell the story effectively.
