Bay City is a festival town. From a riverfront fireworks weekend that draws thousands to a late-June Polish festival and a late-September film festival, the calendar fills from June through December. This guide explains the major annual events, when they usually happen and how to plan a visit around them. Dates change, so use the organizer links and our events calendar to confirm.
Bay City Fireworks Festival (early July)
The biggest event of the year takes over the riverfront at Veterans Memorial Park and Wenonah Park around Independence Day. The 2026 festival was billed as the festival's 64th year, a four-day celebration tied to the nation's 250th anniversary. It features nightly choreographed fireworks, which typically begin around 10:12 p.m., along with a carnival, a vendor area called Trader's Alley and live bands at the Wenonah Park bandshell. The festival is run by volunteers as a nonprofit and is funded by donations, sponsors and VIP packages. Our calendar lists the 2027 festival for July 1-3.
Planning tips: book hotels early (see our Stay page), arrive well before dark, expect road closures near the river and remember that the festival says personal fireworks, pets and grilling are not allowed in the parks.
St. Stan's Polish Festival (late June)
This is one of the city's longest-running community festivals. It has been held for 75-plus years, usually over four days from Thursday through Sunday in late June, at the St. Stan's Athletic Club complex on John Solinski Drive. The 75th festival in 2025 opened with a 5K road race and ended with a Family Day, and the 2026 festival was billed as the 76th. Expect Polish food, music and community, and in some years free admission and parking. Learn about the community behind it in our Polish heritage guide.
Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival (late September)
A four-day festival of independent film and live music, held each year in downtown Bay City, usually Thursday through Sunday in late September. The 2025 festival was its 19th year. Films screen in venues ranging from the State Theatre to the Delta College Planetarium, and music appears in pubs, clubs and other unusual spaces. The name, according to a local roundup, comes from the 1800s, when lumberjacks left the forest and came to Bay City to drink, gamble and get into trouble. See our State Theatre guide for the history of a key venue, and the festival's website for the lineup.
River Roar
The River Roar has been described as a professional powerboat race on the Saginaw River, with concerts on the festival evenings and races through Sunday. It has run in past years as an annual summer event. Check the downtown events listings to see whether it is scheduled in the year you plan to visit.
Art, mural and beer festivals
- Riverside Art Festival: a city calendar listed a Riverside Art Festival downtown on June 13, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- City of Mural Community Festival: described by a regional public-media calendar as Bay City's fourth annual edition in August 2026.
- Hop Riot Craft Beer Festival: an event listing put the 2026 edition at Wenonah Park on October 3. See our craft beer guide.
Smaller festivals come and go, so use these as a starting point and confirm details with the organizer.
Fall and Halloween
October fills with spooky programming: free Halloween movies at the State Theatre and Court Street Theatre, midnight screenings at the Historic Masonic Temple and haunted-themed events. A public encyclopedia entry also lists the Things That Go Bump in the Night Film Festival and the River of Time reenactment among the city's summer and autumn festivals. See our fall and holiday guide.
Holiday season
Late November brings Santa's arrival and tree lighting at Wenonah Park (November 27 in 2026), followed by free carriage rides downtown on three December Sundays, free holiday movies and the Krampus Walk on December 5. See the calendar for dates.
Summer concerts and community events
Wenonah Park's World Friendship Shell hosts concerts through the summer, and the downtown district runs a steady calendar of markets and community events. The events calendar pulls in dates from the State Theatre, the Historic Masonic Temple, Bay City Players and Downtown Bay City.
At a glance
- Late June: St. Stan's Polish Festival.
- Early July: Fireworks Festival.
- Summer: concerts, art and mural festivals, River Roar when scheduled.
- Late September: Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival.
- October: Halloween films, Hop Riot when scheduled.
- Late November to December: Santa's arrival, carriage rides, Krampus Walk, holiday movies.
Tips for festival weekends
- Book lodging early. Hotels near the river fill up first.
- Park once and walk. Downtown streets near events can close.
- Bring layers. Evenings by the river can be cooler than the afternoon, even in summer.
- Check accessibility with the organizer if you need it.
- Add events to your own calendar from our calendar page.
- For more planning help, see Best Time to Visit and Plan a Visit.
Sources
Fireworks Festival details come from a February 2026 news report, St. Stan's from WNEM, and Hell's Half Mile from WNEM and the festival's own materials. Other events come from city and event listings. Festival dates and lineups change every year, and some events are not held every year, so always confirm with the organizer.