Central UP Events

The “big bear” of Upper Peninsula festivals returns for its twelfth year after an extended hibernation due to the Ore Dock Brewing Company’s expansion kicking off in 2025. Ore Dock Brewing Company’s Festival of the Angry Bear is a spirited street festival that has become an annual spring tradition in downtown Marquette. Since its founding in 2014, the annual festival has grown into a weekend long celebration as thousands of enthusiastic (and often fur-clad) celebrators gather to “wake the bear” and shed their winter fur in downtown Marquette.   “We’re so excited to be waking the Bear this year,” says

MARQUETTE – The “big bear” of Upper Peninsula festivals returns for its twelfth year after taking a brief hiatus in 2025 due to the opening of The Trestle Building. Ore Dock Brewing Company’s Festival of the Angry Bear is a spirited and much anticipated street festival that has become an annual spring tradition in downtown Marquette. Since its founding in 2014, the festival has evolved into a weekend long celebration as thousands of enthusiastic (and often fur-clad) celebrators gather to “wake the bear” and shed their winter fur in downtown Marquette. “After taking 2025 off so we could focus on

Saturdays, April (4, 11, 18), 2026.  11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  Peter White Public Library Great Room.  Songs, rhymes, stories and finger-plays geared towards babies through preschool with a loving adult. Older siblings and older children welcome. No admission charge. For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4323 or visit pwpl.info.  

Saturday, April 11, 2026.  11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.  Peter White Public Library Huron Mountain Club Gallery.  Toss it? No way! The Repair Café is back thanks to a partnership with the Marquette Sustainability Coalition. Bring in broken household goods such as appliances, clothing, or bikes and skilled fixers will assist you in repairing them. This is a great way to save money, learn valuable repair skills, and reduce your environmental impact.  No admission charge. For further information, please contact mqtsustainability@gmail.com or call 906-226-4311.

Festival of the Angry Bear Saturday, April 11, 3 pm

Marquette Symphony Orchestra   Kaufman Auditorium   BEETHOVEN’S 5TH SYMPHONY April 11, 2026, 7:30 PM   Revel in one of the greatest works ever composed: Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67 by Ludwig van Beethoven.  

Mondays & Thursdays April (6, 9, 13, 16, 20, 23, 27, 30), 2026.  10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Peter White Public Library Great Room.  For children 18 to 36 months with a loving adult, siblings welcome. Stories and songs to engage the curious mind and wiggly body, followed by sensory play activities.  No admission charge.  For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4323 or visit pwpl.info.  

Monday, April 13 11 a.m.  Storytime at 11 a.m. Monday, April 13, at the Negaunee Public Library will feature a special guest and focus on music and movement. Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this free event. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary/ or call 906-475-7700 ext.18. The Negaunee Public Library is hosting local poets Troy Graham and Soph at 5:30 p.m. Monday, April 13. The public is invited to attend this free poetry reading. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary/ or call 906-475-7700 ext.18.  

Monday, April 13 11 a.m.  Storytime at 11 a.m. Monday, April 13, at the Negaunee Public Library will be a special Financial Literacy Month program. Children of all ages and their caregivers are welcome to attend this free event. Every family in attendance will receive a free book to keep. For more information, visit the library’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NegauneePublicLibrary/ or call 906-475-7700 ext.18.  

Tuesdays & Fridays April (7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24, 28), 2026.  10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.  Peter White Public Library Great Room.  Preschool age children. Stories, songs, finger-plays, crafts and other school-readiness activities for preschool age children and a loving adult. Siblings welcome.  No admission charge.  For more information and to check the status of the program, call 906-226-4323 or visit pwpl.info.