Kalamazoo & Portage Have a LOT Going On This Weekend

Every once in a while, we sit down to put together KPVibe and discover the opposite of our usual problem.

There's TOO MUCH going on!!

This is definitely one of those weekends.

Between festivals, an airport event, college football, live theater, comedy and enough live music to keep you wandering around for days, Kalamazoo and Portage apparently decided to cram half of fall into one weekend.

So rather than try to do everything, here's our suggestion:

Pick a few. Have some fun. And don't turn your weekend into a job.

THURSDAY: JUST WANDER DOWNTOWN

Thursday is a perfect night to head downtown without much of a plan.

269 Fest has a free interactive scavenger hunt on the Kalamazoo Mall, while Sounds of the Zoo offers two completely different musical choices.

Jazz Night at Crawlspace Comedy Theatre runs from 6–10 PM with After Ours, Brandon Fitzpatrick & The Element and the WMU Latin Jazz Ensemble.

Or head over to Cityscape for an evening of Hip Hop & R&B.

Our pick?

Start somewhere. Walk around. See what you stumble into.

FRIDAY: FOLLOW THE BRASS BAND

This might be one of the most unusual events of the weekend.

At 4 PM Friday, Great Lakes Brass kicks off a New Orleans-style Second Line Parade from the Radisson through downtown Kalamazoo.

In other words, if you hear a brass band coming down the street...

FOLLOW IT.

The parade leads into Sounds of the Zoo at Bronson Park, with free live music from 5–10 PM featuring Great Lakes Brass, Chris Canas, Yellowhouse and Desmond Jones.

That's a pretty good Friday night for exactly zero dollars.

SATURDAY: YOU MAY ACTUALLY NEED TO CLONE YOURSELF

This is where things get ridiculous.

Start the day with the Kalamazoo Airport Air Fair, a free family event from 10 AM–2 PM at the Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport featuring aircraft, aviation displays and interactive activities.

Then head south to Portage.

Oktoberfest takes over South Westnedge Park from 1–7 PM, bringing a little Germany to Portage with food, beer, music and plenty of fall atmosphere.

Meanwhile, downtown Kalamazoo isn't slowing down.

Sounds of the Zoo takes over Bronson Park from 3–10:30 PM with another full afternoon and evening of free live music.

And then there's football.

Western Michigan hosts Boise State at 3:30 PM at Waldo Stadium in the first-ever football meeting between the two programs.

Still awake?

Michigan's own The Verve Pipe plays Bell's Saturday night at 8 PM. Yes — The Freshmen Verve Pipe.

Unfortunately, that show is already sold out — apparently quite a few other people remembered The Freshmen, too.

Good luck fitting all of THAT into one Saturday.

SUNDAY: SLOW IT DOWN

After Saturday, we're going to need Sunday.

The Portage Zhang Farmers Market runs from 9 AM–1 PM, giving you a much calmer way to start the day.

Later, Sounds of the Zoo wraps up its festival with another free afternoon of music at Bronson Park.

Or skip the lawn chair and grab a theater seat instead. Anything Goes plays at the Kalamazoo Civic Sunday at 2 PM, while Farmers Alley Theatre has My Mother and the Michigan/Ohio War Sunday evening at 7:30 — which may win our award for Most Michigan Play Title Ever.

The bigger point?

We occasionally hear people say:

“There's nothing to do around here.”

This weekend, that argument isn't going to get very far.

Kalamazoo and Portage are absolutely packed with things to do.

So pick something you've never tried, grab somebody you enjoy spending time with, and go.

You might be surprised by just how much is happening in your own backyard.