Acrisrue Amphitheater Community Celebration
All-day event to feature 20 local artists, food, venue tours, family-friendly activities and drone show
Grand Rapids, Mich. – Grand Action 2.0 will host the Acrisure Amphitheater Grand Opening Community Celebration on Saturday, May 16, inviting the community to experience Grand Rapids’ newest riverfront venue with a full day of music, food and festivities.
The free event will run from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and will feature 20 local artists, local food vendors, self-guided venue tours and family-friendly activities, ending with a community drone show presented by Meijer.
"This incredible entertainment venue belongs to the community," said Grand Action 2.0 Co chair Dick DeVos. "We hope thousands of families and visitors from across West Michigan come out and experience it together as we kick off our first season. This is more than just opening a new venue. It’s about celebrating what this community can accomplish together. It's going to be an unforgettable day on the riverfront.”
Beginning in January, Grand Action 2.0 partnered with Opnr to lead a community-driven artist sourcing process, resulting in a lineup of 20 artists that are local, musically diverse and reflective of West Michigan’s vibrant arts and culture scene. The regional lineup—drawn from within a 50-mile radius of downtown Grand Rapids—will perform throughout the day on three stages inside the amphitheater and on a stage in a street-party setting on Market Avenue just outside the venue.
“We have an incredible depth of talent here in West Michigan,” said Grand Action 2.0 Co-chair Carol Van Andel. “This celebration is about putting that talent front and center and creating a lineup that reflects this community. This diverse set of acts ensures that there is something for everyone.”
The celebration will close with a hip-hop/R&B medley featuring Lady Ace Boogie, Gwopped Up $peedy, Ajax Stacks, and Sonny Ski, followed by the Acrisure Amphitheater Community Drone Show, Presented by Meijer at 9:30 p.m.
“We can’t imagine a more exciting way to close the evening,” said Grand Action 2.0 Co-chair Tom Welch. “Picture a beautiful night along the riverfront, and then the sky comes alive.”
Special thanks to Meijer for its sponsorship of the community drone show and to Grand Valley State University’s support in making it all possible.
Bringing the community together in this way reflects the broader vision behind Acrisure Amphitheater. Designed as a public gathering space along the Grand River, the venue will host concerts, arts and cultural programming, and community events—strengthening downtown Grand Rapids as a regional destination and creating new opportunities for connection, family activity, and year-round vibrancy.
Band Performances
11:30 am– 12:30 pm: Girls Choral Academy/School of Rock House Band – Market Ave Stage 12 – 1 pm: Gunnar & the Grizzly Boys – Acrisure Amphitheater Main Stage 12:30 – 1 pm: Grand Rapids Children’s Museum – Acrisure Amphitheater East Deck Stage 1 – 1:30 pm: New City Kids – Acrisure Amphitheater West Deck Stage
1:30 – 2:30 pm: Brother Wolf – Market Ave Stage
2 – 3 pm: Grand Rapids Ballet/Vizions Dance – Acrisure Amphitheater Main Stage 3 – 4 pm: LVNDR – Acrisure Amphitheater East Deck Stage
3:30 – 4:30 pm: Mark Lavengood Band – Market Ave Stage
4 – 5 pm: Brie Stoner – Acrisure Amphitheater Main Stage
5 – 6 pm: Jamie Dionne – Acrisure Amphitheater West Deck Stage
5:30 – 6:30 pm: Mexicuba – Market Ave Stage
6 – 7 pm: The Hacky Turtles – Acrisure Amphitheater Main Stage
7:30 – 8:30 pm: Kanin Wren – Market Ave Stage
8 – 9 pm: Lady Ace Boogie, Gwopped Up $peedy, Ajax Stacks, Sonny Ski – Acrisure Amphitheater Main Stage
9:30 – 10 pm: Acrisure Amphitheater Community Drone Show, Presented by Meijer
Food Trucks
Local food trucks will be available from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
El Caribe
Furniture City Creamery
Ohana Hawaiian Ice
Meijer Food Sampling Trailer
Patty Matters
Pressed in Time
Two Bones BBQ
What You Need to Know
Doors open at 11 a.m.
Admission is free for all. We ask that guests get tickets ahead of time by visiting the Acrisure Amphitheater website. Tickets are not required for entry, but strongly recommended: https://www.acrisureamphitheater.com/events
All ages welcome. Driver’s license or valid state ID required to purchase alcohol. • Chairs are not allowed in the venue, but blankets are welcomed. Please review the venue’s bag policy here: https://www.acrisureamphitheater.com/p/about/faqs • Attendees are encouraged to use the City of Grand Rapids parking guide for the Acrisure Amphitheater: https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/departments/mobile-gr/parking/venue parking/acrisure-amphitheater-access-guide/
Market Avenue will be closed between Wealthy Street, south of the venue and Cherry Street, north of the venue starting at 8 a.m. Please plan accordingly.
About Grand Action 2.0
Grand Action 2.0 is a not-for-profit economic development organization. Its primary mission is to identify transformational capital-intensive projects in downtown Grand Rapids and adjacent neighborhoods, galvanize public opinion and support, leverage public and private investment
and formulate and implement funding strategies including securing private sector funding in support of requests for primary public sector funding. Grand Action 2.0 is co-chaired by Dick DeVos, Carol Van Andel and Tom Welch.
About Acrisure Amphitheater
Located along the Grand River in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids, Acrisure Amphitheater is a 12,000+ capacity outdoor entertainment venue designed to host premier national touring acts and live entertainment along with community and private events. Opening May 2026, the cutting-edge performing arts venue is projected to welcome more than 300,000 visitors each season. Acrisure Amphitheater joins a trusted network of Grand Rapids entertainment venues that have been successfully managed for more than 30 years. To learn more, visit AcrisureAmphitheater.com or follow Acrisure Amphitheater on social.
About Meijer
Meijer is a privately owned, family-operated retailer that serves customers at more than 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets, and express locations throughout the Midwest. As the pioneer of the one-stop shopping concept, more than 70,000 Meijer team members work hard to deliver a friendly, seamless in-store and online shopping experience featuring an assortment of fresh foods, high-quality apparel, household essentials, and health and wellness products and services. Meijer is consistently recognized as a Great Place to Work and annually donates at least 6 percent of its profit to strengthen its communities. Additional information on the company can be found by visiting newsroom.meijer.com.
