Memorial Day Weekend 2026 In Leelanau County
Looking for something to do in Leelanau County over Memorial Day weekend? Here’s a guide to some of the events happening in and around the county over the holiday weekend.
Friday
>The Leelanau Conservancy’s annual plant sale kicks off this morning (Friday) at 9am on the Village Green in Leland. Available plant varieties will include native ferns, trillium, and more. The sale will continue Saturday, also starting at 9am.
>Jacob’s Farm will mark its grand opening for the season at 4pm Friday. The business is celebrating the start of its 2026 season with half-price pizza and beer all weekend, as well as live music from Tower of Bauer (Friday), TC Knuckleheads (Saturday), and Gemini Moon (Sunday).
>Today also marks the grand opening of Heartwood Ciders, Leelanau County’s brand-new cidery. Heartwood will be open all weekend for pints, tasting flights, growlers to go, snacks, and grand opening giveaways. Hours are 11am-9pm Friday and Saturday, 12-6 Sunday, and 11am-8pm on Memorial Day.
>Also now open: Paradise Cove Bar & Grill at the base of the Leelanau Peninsula, Carp River Bottle & Tap in Leland, and the Big Hot Woody in Northport, all of which kicked off their 2026 seasons yesterday (Thursday). Capital Dog in Lake Leelanau will open today.
>The Glen Arbor Players will kick off their production of Love Letters, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated play by A.R. Guerney, tonight at 7pm. The show runs for six performances over the next two weekends at The Leelanau School auditorium.
>The Bay Theatre in Suttons Bay is kicking off a run of showings of An Autumn Summer, a Michigan-made independent film produced by Traverse City filmmaker JohnPaul Morris of Practical Films.
Saturday
>In addition to its plant sale, the Leelanau Conservancy is hosting a “Bird Detectives” hike for 4th-8th grade students on Saturday, starting at 9:30am. The guided hike will take place at Lighthouse West Natural Area and will teach students “how birds live and migrate, what makes different habitats unique, and how to use binoculars properly for the best viewing experience.” Sign-up information can be found here.
>Farm Club’s annual plant sale runs from noon to 4pm, featuring “over 60 varieties of vegetables, flowers, and herbs,” as well as “farmers on-site to help with plant selection and answer questions.” The sale will spill into the following Saturday, May 30, as well, with the same hours.
>Saturday is Cars in the Park day in Northport. “Leelanau County’s longest-running auto show” will kick off at 10am at Haserot Park, with awards announcements scheduled for 3pm. The show is free to all spectators.
>The Northport Arts Association will kick off is annual Northport Photo Exhibit with an opening reception running from 5-7pm on Saturday at the Village Arts Building at 301 North Mill Street in Northport. The event is free and open to the public, with a cash bar and complimentary appetizers. The photo exhibit itself, now in its ninth year, will open the following day and run until June 13, with gallery hours of noon-4pm, Tuesdays through Sundays.
Sunday
>Lively Acres and the Lively NeighborFood Market in Empire will host the second annual NeighborFest community gathering from 1-7pm. The event will feature live music from The Burdickville Boys (1-2pm), The Luke Woltanski Band (2:15-3:15pm), Fern and Faj (3:30-4:30pm), Clint Weaner (4:45-5:45pm), and The Fabulous Horndogs (6-7pm). The event itself is free and open to the public, but all food sales from the NeighborFood Market and Café will be donated to a pair of local nonprofits: Leelanau Investing For Teens (LIFT) and the Empire Area Community Center.
Monday
>The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 7731 in Lake Leelanau will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony starting at 10am. The event is a way to “honor those who have sacrificed the ultimate cost for the freedom's that we are allowed to experience today.” The event will take place at the Veterans Memorial Plaza on the Leelanau County Government Center campus.
>Leelanau Township will hold its annual Memorial Day ceremony at 10:30am on Monday, at the Leelanau Township Cemetery. As part of this year’s remembrance, the township will dedicate a new plaque to honor war veterans buried locally. The plaque was paid for in part thanks to a grant from the Leelanau Township Community Foundation. Prior to the event, the Northport Community Band will perform the song "Taps" throughout the village of Northport.
Outside of Leelanau
Beyond the borders of Leelanau County, here are a few other major Memorial Day weekend events happening in other nearby areas:
>Today is the final day of the annual Interlochen Arts Academy Festival, the “culminating event” for the boarding school and its arts program. The event features “three full days of concerts, performances, exhibitions, screenings, readings, and more by students from all seven of Interlochen’s artistic disciplines.” The program can be found here.
>Today is also the first day of Cherry Capital Comic Con, which runs until Sunday at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.
>Tomorrow is the Bayshore Marathon in Traverse City, the annual flagship race organized by the Traverse City Track Club. All three distances – a full marathon, a half marathon, and a 10K – have been sold out for months.
>Tomorrow also marks the 19th annual Beer & Brat Festival from 3-8pm at Crystal Mountain Resort.
>Traverse City’s Memorial Day remembrance ceremonies include an Open Space event hosted by Traverse City Veterans for Peace (from 9am-2pm) and a 10am ceremony at Veterans Park off 11th Street.