Mt. Pleasant’s Top 2026 Events

The new year is just around the corner, and to celebrate we’ve compiled a list of the most anticipated events happening in Central Michigan🙌 From summer festivals to cultural celebrations, it’s time to start planning your trip now and experience the best the Mt. Pleasant area has to offer⬇️

The Mt. Pleasant area offers a variety of events you ca enjoy all year long. Attend a sporting event, musical production, cultural celebration, speaker series, and more at Central Michigan University. In the fall, mark your calendars for CMU home football games & homecoming!

Visitor Tip: CMU homecoming is typically the second or third weekend in October!

Try your luck at the biggest gaming floor in Michigan, Soaring Eagle Casino or catch world-class entertainment year-round in the Entertainment Hall! In the summer, plan to attend one of the highly anticipated Soaring Eagle Outdoor Summer Concerts series and lose your voice with 13,000 other fans.

Visitor Tip: Be sure to follow the MPACVB on social media, we do concert ticket giveaways throughout the summer!

For over 35 years, the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and Central Michigan University have worked together to host the Celebrating of Life Pow Wow event, bringing people together to honor & celebrate Anishinaabe traditions through song, dance, and art. The pow wow includes traditional dances, fry bread, and the chance to buy beadwork and other crafts from local Anishinaabe artists.

Get your popcorn and a front row seat to the year’s most talked about films, including Oscar nominees, multiple genres, and international cinema at the Central Michigan International Film Festival (CMIFF). This five-day festival also includes independent and Central Michigan University student-produced short films throughout the Mt. Pleasant Community! Keep an eye of the CMIFF website for the movie lineup.

Meet the sweetest town around the last full weekend in April at the annual Shepherd Maple Syrup Festival! This never-ending event list includes a 5k run, an arts and craft show, a classic car and truck show, a horse pull, fair rides and games, a pancake breakfast complete with fresh maple syrup, and so much more!

Celebrate the history of Scottish traditions in Alma at the annual Alma Highland Festival. This festival unites clans and onlookers for a weekend of traditional Highland dancing, bagpipes, kilts and camaraderie.

Visitor Tip: People know Alma as Scotland USA.

Each year, SOMI transforms Central Michigan University’s campus into a giant sporting arena for the State Summer Games! Watch and cheer on the athletes participating in bocce ball, bowling, gymnastics, horseshoes, powerlifting, volleyball, swimming and more.

Help beautify downtown Mt. Pleasant with Art Reach of Mid-Michigan’s annual Paint the Pavement. Art Reach supplies all the paint supplies and the design that makes the corners of Broadway Street pop throughout the summer!

Step outside your comfort zone and sample something new or stick to your old favorites at the Annual Mt. Pleasant Craft Beer Festival (MPCBF) . Wander through historic downtown as you savor craft beer, wine, ciders, and meads from all over the state of Michigan, stop by a local food truck for a bite to eat, enjoy live music, or challenge your friends in street games. Keep an eye on the MPCBF website for 2026 festival updates!

All are welcome to learn, honor, and celebrate Anishinaabe Culture at the annual Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe Pow wow the last weekend in July. Pow wows are a vibrant celebration featuring competitive dance, song, and stunning regalia. While at the event, support Native artists and food vendors by purchasing beadwork, handcrafted items, and trying traditional foods.

Immerse yourself in over three blocks of handmade art, music, local food, face painting, tie-dye workshops, street performances, body art, comedy show, and so much more at For Art’s Sake Market for the Arts!

Come visit the sweetest town around for a spooky and illuminating display the last week of October leading up to Halloween. Inspired by a 5,000 pumpkin display in South Carolina, Shepherd local Kent Roth, brought this idea back to Michigan and brightens Wright Street with over 1,00 pumpkins every Halloween!

Celebrate the most wonderful time of the year at the Mt. Pleasant for the Christmas Celebration, held annually in historic downtown. Get in the festive spirit with the Jingle All the Way 5K, Candy Cane Lane activities, a delicious pancake breakfast with Santa, snapping a photo in front of the Christmas tree, shopping the winter market or watching the dazzling lighted parade.

Don’t just visit Mt. Pleasant, stay in Mt. Pleasant too. The area offers a variety of lodging properties including hotels, bed & breakfasts & vacation rentals to compliment your stay while you’re here for events! Learn more about our lodging properties here.

What event are you attending in Mt. Pleasant in 2026? Whichever you choose, don’t forget to take a photo or video and tag us on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok. Be sure to use #MeetMtP – we might just feature your photo or video!