“Life is short, and life is beautiful, and everything is lovely. Love it, embrace it, smell the lilacs, play with the dog, and love endlessly and fiercely with everything you’ve got. Live without regret.” – Daisy Whitney
The Mackinac Island Lilac Festival kicks off the summer tourist frenzy. In 2022, I planned ahead and booked my Black Friday hotel deal for the weekend of the 2023 Lilac Festival Grand Parade.
But, like this season, the lilacs bloomed early and were about finished by the time we arrived. We still had a good time. It’s hard to have a bad time on Mackinac Island.
Mackinac Island in June
As self-proclaimed Mackinac Island addicts, we try to visit the island at least once a year. We’ve averaged twice a season since before the pandemic.
The island seemed like a safe place to visit during COVID-19, so we bucked the stay-at-home trend and visited in June 2020. The Lilac Festival was canceled, but we still enjoyed our weekend trip there. We took advantage of minimal people, outside dining, and beach glass hunting. We found lots of beach glass since not many people had been there.
Traveling in June also let us try some different accommodations on the island. We really like staying at the Chippewa Hotel, but we usually reserve that for our October trip.
I came across a pretty sweet lodging discount at Metivier Inn, a top-rated Bed & Breakfast on Market Street, in June 2020. The historic inn was a private residence and has meticulously landscape gardens. We also met the winner of the 2020 Lilac Festival Poster contest. Watercolor artist J.C. Demers was there signing posters at a gallery across the street.
We fit in a full weekend of activities, ranging from bike riding to The Inn at Stonecliffe and Sunset Rock to visiting Arch Rock. We did our usual bike ride around the island and through the interior.
Mackinac lilacs in bloom
We returned in June 2023 to experience the Lilac Festival. My Black Friday deal at Murray Hotel was a budget-friendly option right on Main Street, but I thought our small room was cute.
The Murray offers free donuts and discounts on fudge and food for guests. And our room had an angel theme and a cardinal painting across the hall. I saw that as synchronicity since I love cardinals and welcome the protection of angels!
We even saw a freak carriage accident on that trip while drinking our coffee on the morning of the Lilac Festival Parade.
The crowds swelled throughout the day and it became too busy for my tastes. I personally enjoy visiting during the shoulder months of May or October, but it is worth it to see all of the lilacs in bloom.
Like the tulips at Holland’s Tulip Time Festival, the lilacs are blooming early this season, so get there sooner than later!
Lilacs flourish on island
Mackinac Island Lilac Festival is one of the island’s most anticipated events. Held annually in June, the festival is the first and largest event of the summer, which is always short but sweet.
The 10-day festival celebrates the lilacs and their uniqueness and history on Mackinac Island. Some lilac bushes grow from stems that date back more than 200 years. You really do notice how many there are when you visit during the lilac bloom.
An 1861 journal entry by Henry David Thoreau mentions, “Apple in bloom and lilacs.” Harbour View Inn has the oldest known lilac on Mackinac Island. Lilac bushes also grow around Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church, where they hold lilac planting and pruning seminars during the festival.
Lilacs are not native to the United States. These early blooming bushes have thrived on Mackinac Island and become some of the oldest and largest lilacs in the world. Learn more about their history on the island here.
Mackinac Island Lilac Festival events
The 2024 Lilac Festival runs June 7-16 with the theme “Petals & Pedals.” Some of the events include:
- Lilac Queen’s Coronation and Lilac Festival poster reveal
- Lilac Festival 10K Run/Walk
- Lilac walking tours various days throughout the festival
- MSU Master Gardener activities throughout the festival
- Lilac planting seminar at Ste. Anne Catholic Church
- Bounce house/family activities and Michigan Cornhole tournament
- Vintage Bicycle Rally on the Rock
- Line Dancing in the Street on Market Street
- Movie in the Fort, cannon firing, and other special programs at Fort Mackinac
- Grand Parade Pre-Party at Marquette Park
- Lilac Festival Grand Parade
Mackinac artist date options
Many of the festival’s activities repeat throughout its 10-day run. You can participate in lilac walking tours, garden tours, planting seminars, special programs at Fort Mackinac, and live entertainment at Marquette Park.
The festival also offers a variety of artist date options! Even if you travel to the island with friends or family, carve out some “me” time and go on an artist date. You can view the Mackinac Island Lilac Festival Poster Display at Mission Point, sign up for a craft or painting class at Watercolor Café, or attend a garden tour at a hotel or historic walking tour of the island.
Mackinac Island is one place where it’s safe to travel alone. It makes a great solo artist date vacation any time of the year. I took a solo trip to the island during my single years and had a blast! There are so many artist date ideas. Read my blog on how I found joy again by doing them.
For starters, you can easily spend a day (or several days) hiking and biking on the island. It’s fun to visit Fort Mackinac and related historic sites, tour Mackinac Island Butterfly House, book a carriage ride or horseback riding session, attend an art class at Watercolor Café, or explore the library or one of the island’s museums.
Check out the full Lilac Festival schedule at mackinacisland.org.
5 Tips to enjoy Lilac Festival
1. Take a lilac walk or attend a lilac seminar. In 2023, we attended one of the seminars at Ste. Anne’s Catholic Church and left with a lilac plant. We also learned tips on pruning and transplanting lilacs.
2. Get away from the crowds. We enjoy Mackinac Island for many reasons, but the crowds are not one of them. We try to get off Main Street as much as we can. We avoid peak summer season to avoid big crowds, long waits at restaurants, and high lodging prices. Visit the island on a weekday and make sure to hike in the interior or bike around M-185.
3. Make sure to get some sort of souvenir – a sticker, a poster, or a lilac plant. Or sign up for a class at Watercolor Café and take home your own lilac painting.
4. Don’t try to do everything. A day or weekend on the island flies by – it always does. You’re not going to have time to see and do it all. Pick a few activities and forget following a rigid schedule.
5. Remember to stop and smell the lilacs! You really do see how many lilacs are planted all over the island. They smell lovely. And some lilac bushes have a long history on the island.
Budget saving tips
When you visit the island, it’s easy to blow your budget. And that was before inflation and recent accolades like being named No. 1 Best Summer Travel Destination in USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards. Mackinac Island addicts liked it better before all the buzz (and excessive prices).
Mackinac Island continues to increase prices in about every category – ferry tickets, bike rentals, food, lodging, and attractions. So, if you’re planning a trip, I rounded up ways to save money even before post-pandemic prices surged. Read my budget saving tips: Mackinac Island on a Budget: 10 Tips to Save Money and Mackinac Island on a Budget: 10 Tips to Save Money (part 2).
Lilac Festival reflections
On our trip, we splurged a little and took a Sip-n-Sail sunset cruise. That was probably the highlight of the trip. We also did our usual bike ride around the island, indulged in good food and drink, and did some brief relaxing on the Murray Hotel’s sun deck. We stopped by the Great Lakes Pirate Festival shortly after our arrival.
To truly experience Mackinac Island, you have to stay overnight. The day trippers leave, the crowds disperse, and you understand what makes Mackinac Island magical. We also made sure to walk the boardwalk to see the sunset – something we try to do every trip. We cherish the walks after dark, either down to see the Mighty Mac lit up or the marina.
In the summer, both Mackinaw City and St. Ignace also shoot off fireworks, so check out the schedule for that! We saw them in the distance on this trip.
In retrospect, I am glad we made a trip during the Lilac Festival. The parade was fun to see once, but I’m not sure I would go back during the festival’s busiest weekends. I would probably wing it next time and monitor the lilac bloom.
Mackinac Island vibes
The nature and history and bike riding and clip clop of the horses draw us back to the island every year. And there are better times to enjoy the true island vibes than during Mackinac Island Lilac Festival.
June is the month of early sunrises and late sunsets, of carefree beach walks and sizzling bonfires, of airy sundresses and painted toenails, of blue-sky boat rides and sky-blue-pink bike rides.
In Michigan, we gladly say “Hello Summer” – thanks for reminding us why we live here. We celebrate the Great Lakes State and cherish the big lakes that delight us in three directions.
June reminds us to live in the now, pay attention to what brings us joy, and do more of that.
Whenever you decide to visit Mackinac Island, remember you’re on island time! And you work hard to vacation. Enjoy it!
“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
Marla R. Miller is an award-winning journalist, travel writer, and content marketing writer who lives in West Michigan. Please “like” or follow me on Facebook, X, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Let me help grow your business. Check out my Writing Services or Read My Work.
