April Festivals in Michigan

National Trout Festival

• The annual National Trout Festival kicks off the start of the trout-fishing season in Kalkaska, Michigan, located four hours northwest of Detroit. The festival was established in 1933 and has been running strong ever since. Like many festivals in smaller parts of the country, the National Trout Festival is ruled by a trout Queen and King, who are crowned at the start of the festivities. For five days at the end of April, trout-related activities flood the town of Kalkaska, including a youth parade and a larger Grand Royal Parade. Local restaurants enter a trout-cooking contest with samples of dishes. Children can also take part in a fishing contest. There are also shopping-cart races, a memorial foot race, a flea market and a carnival.

  National Trout Festival
  P.O. Box 541
  Kalkaska, MI 49646
  (231) 258-9103
  nationaltroutfestival.com

Chef's Challenge

• Food and drink are universal tools for bringing people together, bridging gaps and fostering community. Since 2008, the Boyne Mountain Resort in Boyne Falls, Michigan has held a Chef's Challenge food and wine festival at the end of April. Teams of chefs from around Michigan representing the north and south parts of the state with their own particular culinary nuances come to compete. These teams face off in Iron Chef-style cook-offs that are open to the public. Tastings are also offered. In addition to getting to know the work of some of Michigan's finest chefs, local microbrewers, spirit distillers and wine makers set up vendor booths to offer samples. These are judged by both a panel as well as by the general public.

  Boyne Mountain
  One Boyne Mountain Road
  Boyne Falls, Michigan 49713
  (231) 582-1186
  chefs-challenge.com

Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival

• Vermontville, Michigan has been the host of the Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival since 1940. Though there are several maple syrup festivals in Michigan, this is the original maple syrup festival in the state, held the last full weekend of April every year. This festival has it all. Two parades fill the streets, a fair brings rides, arts and crafts, and games to locals and visitors alike, and as its name suggests, there are plenty of local maple syrup distributors selling not only syrup, but candies and crèmes as well. Pancake and barbecue chicken meals and fundraisers are also part of the festival, offering plenty of food.

  Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival
  Vermontville, Michigan 49096
  (888) 482-8780
  vermontvillemaplesyrupfestival.org