31st Michigan BluesFest opens with new Fish Ladder Stage

The 31st annual Michigan Bluesfest opens Wednesday, Sept. 16, in Old Town Lansing with four days of live blues across three stages.

The festival, organized by the Michigan Institute for Contemporary Art, runs through Saturday, Sept. 19. It begins with two nights of intimate listening-room shows at UrbanBeat, 1213 Turner St., before expanding into the streets Friday and Saturday with outdoor stages, food, vendors and KidzBeat workshops for families.

This year's lineup includes a new venue: the Fish Ladder Stage, located at the Fish Ladder Music Park on the riverfront at 216 E. Grand River Ave. A second outdoor stage, the Cold Plunge Stage, will be set up on Turner Street, according to the festival's official schedule.

The Fish Ladder venue made its debut at JazzFest in August, when the festival expanded beyond its traditional Old Town footprint onto the riverfront, WILX reported. Bluesfest is now the second MICA festival to use the space.

Wednesday and Thursday shows at UrbanBeat start at 7 p.m. Greg Nagy and Ray Goodman play the opening night. Tom Duffield takes the stage Thursday, according to Lansing City Pulse.

The Stan Craig Band is also on the bill. Band members Ron Bretz and Stan Budzynski appeared on WILX's The 517 Report to discuss the festival's 31-year history and the role of blues music in Old Town.

The outdoor portion runs 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Sept. 18, and 3 p.m. to midnight Saturday, Sept. 19.

Late-night jam sessions are planned both nights.

Old Town's annual music festivals, including JazzFest, draw thousands of visitors each year and provide a boost to businesses along Turner Street. MICA also organizes the annual Lansing FunkFest, part of a slate of festivals known around the state for featuring Michigan-grown talent, according to a Michigan State University Spartan Newsroom report.

Tickets are available at michiganinstituteforcontempora.ticketspice.com. More information is available at micharts.org.

What's coming up: