CHARLEVOIX — It takes two hours by ferry from Charlevoix to get to Beaver Island — smack dab in the middle of northern Lake Michigan — but anyone who’s attended the Beaver Island Music Festival will attest that it’s well worth the trip to soak in this all-immersive experience.
Staging the 2025 edition that takes place in a remote location Thursday through Saturday (July 17-19) proved to be a much bigger challenge and a more herculean task than ever before: A spring ice storm created havoc and extensive damage to the festival site.
Indeed, it’s the festival that almost didn’t happen — if not for volunteers who helped with cleanup, donations from a GoFundMe campaign and the tireless efforts of festival director Carol Burton and her husband, Dan.
“It may be a little different, but the show will go on,” Carol Burton said of the annual music festival that’s taken place on the island for more than two decades, with 1,500 or so attendees making the trip for the event that rolls out with early attendees arriving Wednesday (July 16).
“The storm’s wrath left our festival grounds in peril, shrouded in a landscape of fallen trees and unsecured branches, posing significant safety hazards.”
The spring ice storm damaged festival buildings, picnic tables and the children’s playground, requiring extensive clearing of fallen trees by crews and volunteers “to ensure safe and functional facilities for artists, vendors and attendees.”
Despite the challenges of recovering from what was described by some residents as the worst storm in island history, the 2025 festival will roll out with a tantalizing mix of national and international acts (Carver Commodore, Katy Gullien & The Drive, South for Winter, Jonathan Plevyak) and regional favorites (The Whiskey Charmers, G-Snacks, Birdie Country, The Real Ingredients, Nathan Walton & the Remedy, Heat Above, Distant Stars and more).
Traverse City’s Chris “Wink” Winkelman — who returns to the island this week — has played the festival eight times, crediting the Burtons for their “incredible resilience and dedication to this amazing event,” especially after the storm did a number on the festival site.
Winkelman noted that he’s made “so many wonderful connections and experiences at this secluded place in paradise — too many to list. The grace of the islanders and the welcome is unmatched and makes all the experiences that much more memorable.”
Other returning performers also have raved about the cozy event, with Grand Rapids rock frontman Joe Bockheim praising “the intimacy and tranquility of the festival grounds” and Traverse City’s G-Snacks calling it “fun rockin’ out on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan.”
Of course, the musical escapade is a new one for bands such as Detroit’s Whiskey Charmers, who make their first appearance at the festival next week.
“Should be an adventure,” the band wrote on Facebook. “This is our first time. We are very excited.”