GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Festival of the Arts, which has been running in Grand Rapids for more than 50 years, announced it is ending over the weekend.
2024 was the last year of the festival.
“When I saw the post, it took my breath away. It was such a bummer,” music teacher and longtime attendee Carrie Ledet said. “Unexpected, and very sad. Because it’s such a loved, beloved thing in West Michigan,” Ledet continued.
For longtime volunteer Eliza Bivins-Fink, the closing of the chapter doesn't come as a surprise.
“I wasn’t shocked,” Bivins-Fink said.
Bivins-Fink has volunteered at the festival since she was 4 years old. She believes a contributing factor to the decision to end the festival was it was simply too hard to find volunteers to run the event, which is a lot of work all year round, not just during festival weekend.
“It kind of breaks my heart, to think that this isn’t going to happen anymore, and particularly for me, that my kids don’t get to participate in this anymore,” Bivins-Fink said.
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church is one of the longest-standing food vendors, serving up souvlaki and baklava.
“Our church became involved in 1974, and has had a food booth at festival since. 50 years,” Chris Afendoulis said.
The church said they had a hard time finding volunteers too.
“It’s mixed feelings because every year it is hard to get volunteers. However, it really is an event that brought people together in the church. You’d have a parishioner that you’d see in the church, but you might not know them really well. But then next thing you know, you’re down at the festival working on the grill for four hours,” Afendoulis said.
For Bivins-Fink, it's a loss to a big part of her childhood.
"It was an all-year thing. It’s not just the kickoff to summer. It’s not just this one weekend. It was such... I was part of this constellation of people who believed in the power of community and believed that arts should be accessible for everyone,” Bivins-Fink said.
A city of Grand Rapids spokesperson released the following statement to FOX 17:
"We’re as disappointed as anyone in learning of the Board’s final decision. Festival of the Arts has been a cornerstone of our community’s cultural history for more than a half-century, and one we would have liked to see continue well into the future. While we have offered assistance, and encouraged them to evaluate alternatives, ultimately, we must respect their choice."
FOX 17 also reached out to the West Michigan Asian American Association. They sent the following message:
"We are disappointed that the Festival has been canceled. It was an opportunity to introduce our Asian smoothies to the public and raise funds for our underserved communities. It was exciting every year to interact with other vendors and learning about a variety of cultural foods. The Festival committee was always helpful getting us through all the necessary paperwork and health department requirements. We will miss the relationships we built throughout the years."
Minnie Morey with the West Michigan Asian American Association also expressed her thoughts.
"I also direct the Pacific Island Dancers, who first performed on stage in 1984. Since then we have presented our cultural dances from the islands of Hawaii, Tahiti and the Philippines. We enjoyed sharing these cultural dances, which were both educational as well as entertaining and had looked forward to the festival to showcase our newest dances," Minnie Morey said.
For music teacher Carrie Ledet, it's a loss for years to come.
“[I] grew up attending Festival of the Arts and it was that event that inspired me to know I had to continue with a career in the arts,” Ledet said.
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