ESCANABA, Mich. (WJMN) – Country music star Keith Urban will headline the first-ever Northern Lights Music Fest, a summer music festival announced by Visit Escanaba on Monday. The two day festival will be held this July, featuring rock and country music performances, food vendors, and on-site camping for attendees.
Northern Lights Music Fest will take place on July 21-22 at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba. Tickets for the event are set to go on sale later this week.
“We’ve had a growing demand from locals and tourists for more live music events to
supplement our annual U.P. State Fair grandstand performances and various Ludington Park
music series,” said Visit Escanaba CEO Robert Micheau. “The fairgrounds have a capacity of
15,000 and we hope this event sells every seat in the house! This is really the first event of this
magnitude and we intend to make it an annual summer occurrence.”
The festival will begin on Friday, July 21 with Rock Night, featuring American 80’s rock band Steelheart, the original voice of Skid Row, Sebastian Bach and Michigan hard rock band Pop Evil, to close the night. Escanaba native Kevin Chown will take the stage on bass guitar for both Steelheart and Bach.
Saturday, July 22 will feature country performances, beginning with “grunge country” performer Austin Snell. He will be followed by Grammy-winning singer Keith Urban. Urban, an Australian-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter is known for hits like “Days Go By,” “Somebody Like You,” and most recently, “Street Called Main.”
Tickets for the festival will go on sale on March 31 and can be purchased at NorthernLightsMusicFestival.com and VisitEscanaba.com.
Tickets for Friday, July 21 are $46.50 with all ticket fees included. Ticket prices for Saturday, July 22 range from $52.50 to $120.50 with all ticket fees included.
“It’s very exciting to have these talented, well-known names performing for the first year of our festival,” Micheau said. “We’re setting the bar high for upcoming years and hoping to draw a new crowd to Escanaba, not only for the live music scene but to enjoy the gorgeous Bays de Noc region’s nature, culture and attractions during its peak season.”
Showtimes for the event will be released closer to the festival weekend. Attendees who purchase a ticket for Saturday’s lineup shall receive FREE entry for Rock Night on Friday, July 21, if they present a valid ticket at the gate.
Visit Escanaba encourages potential business partners, food vendors with unique eats, and organizations who would like to be involved to email Morgan@visitescanaba.com to learn more and apply to join the festival lineup. The event is being sponsored and presented in part by the Delta Chamber of Commerce, Radio Results Network, and the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds.
