River Days brings free family fun to Midland

Early August means it’s time for the return of a popular family event, River Days. The Midland area festival runs from Aug. 3-6, bringing free activities, hot air balloons, food and drink vendors, a firework show, and more. A project of the Midland Area Community Foundation for 30+ years, the inclusive community celebration honors the past and embraces the future of Midland. 

The Amazing Hot Air Balloon Glow is scheduled at 9pm on Friday & Saturday, August 4 & 5.
Midland Area Community Foundation Youth Impact Coordinator and one of the  River Days Festival organizers, Sara JacobsCarter, says the annual event works to bring live music, a community movie, food trucks, kids activities, and more.
Sara JacobsCarter is one of the River Days Festival organizers.
“We try to make it a great festival that every person in Midland can attend and enjoy,” JacobsCarter says. “It’s important for people to come together, and we want people to love living in Midland. We have a lot of things that other communities our size simply don’t. This is one of them that we can celebrate, enjoy the river space we have and the unique Tridge, and really come together to enjoy each other and what we have to offer.”

The event takes place down by the old Farmer’s Market pavilion near the Tridge, kicking off on Thursday, Aug. 3 with Hip Roc, a high-energy cardio workout using hip-hop moves at 6 p.m., watercraft jousting hosted by the Oil City Riff Rafters, the Downtown Main Street Hot Air Balloon Glow, and a silent disco hosted by DJ Nate. Returning this year will be the sunrise and sunset hot air balloon flights on Friday morning, weather-permitting. 
The Kids Zone takes place from 10am-4pm on Sat, August 5.
JacobsCarter says there are plenty of free activities for all ages, with a big focus on kid-friendly options, including a climbing wall, zipline, wood branding, axe throwing, bungee jumper, and educational and hands-on activities. 

“Our Kids’ Zone (Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) hosts area nonprofits who either provide a small takeaway, or have activities for elementary-aged kids and their families,” she says. 

Local participants include Shelterhouse, Midland Recyclers, Chippewa Nature Center, the Cultural Awareness Coalition, Dow High Robotics and Cultural Clubs. Last year’s popular event, the competitive hot dog eating contest, hosted by Nate’s Cart also returns this year. 

In addition to having several food vendors to choose from, the Midland Rotary Club will serve cheeseburgers on Friday night while the Midland Lions Club will sell barbecue chicken dinners on Saturday. The Rotary will also host a craft beer and wine tent both nights.

The Esther Gerstacker Fireworks Show starts at 9:45pm on Sat, August 5.
The event also includes the Run the River 5K Run & Walk, hosted by Greater Midland Community Center on Friday night from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Registration is available online. This year, attendees can also participate in a new chess event hosted by the Midland Chess Club. 

Live entertainment from Detroit Retro Society on Friday night, MOMsemble, the Keynote Sisters, and Lazo on Saturday night round out the weekend’s lineup. The Esther Gerstacker Fireworks Show starts at 9:45 p.m. to provide a colorful show to close out Saturday night. The full schedule can be found here. 

The goal of the event is to provide Midland residents with an inclusive entertaining experience, free of financial and physical barriers, says JacobsCarter. 

“We will have American Sign Language interpreters for our performers this year, and we walk the footprint with someone from Disability Network to ensure we don’t have any physical barriers for folks. We try to make everything free or really low-cost to attendees,” she says.

Behind the scenes are many volunteers and sponsors donating time and talent, and without their support, JacobsCarter says the popular family event simply could not happen. “We are really grateful to everybody who makes this possible. It really does take the whole community to make this possible,” she says.