Final Friday Experience events will replace Friday Night Live.

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Final Friday Experience events will replace Friday Night Live.

LUDINGTON — The Downtown Ludington Board will be kicking off its new summer event series, Final Friday Experience, this Friday, May 28 from 3 to 9 p.m. The events are replacing the traditional Friday Night Live events for 2021 and will continue on the last Friday of each month through September.

Friday Night Live has traditionally been held four times throughout the summer and features several family-friendly exhibits and activities. The Final Friday Experience events will be held in the city’s new Ludington Outdoor Social District.  Events later in the season will include more activities similar to Friday Night Live. The outdoor social district allows consumption of alcoholic beverages purchased from participating establishments within the district.  

Spectrum Health’s Veggie Van will be also be giving away 100 bags of produce on Melendy near Ludington Bay Brewing Company starting at 6 p.m. during this Friday’s event. 

Live music schedule for this Friday is as follows:

• Jim Dodson, alley behind Sportsman’s Bar, 3-6 p.m.
• Ben Paetz, Foster Street near Jamesport Brewing Co, 4-7 p.m.
• Lynn Callihan, Loomis Street near HumaniTea, 4-7 p.m.
• Jason Hargreaves, Filer Street near Q Smokehouse, 5-8 p.m.
• Serita’s Black Rose, Melendy Street near Ludington Bay Brewing Co, 6-9 p.m.

Final Friday Experience events on June 25, July 30, August 27, and September 24 will include Baby Badger and pony rides, street food, and activity booths. Organizations are welcome to reserve a booth space by contacting Jen Tooman at 231-845-6237 or jen@downtownludington.org.

“The Downtown Ludington Board wasn’t comfortable moving forward with our traditional Friday Night Live events this year, so these new Final Friday Experience events were created as a way to offer smaller, safer event spaces,” said Jen Tooman, Downtown Ludington marketing and communications manager. “We know that the regulations for outdoor gatherings are being lifted, but even if our board was comfortable, our events depend on sponsorship dollars and organization participation, both of which are down this year.”

Other downtown events planned for this summer include the Live In The Plaza music series on Thursdays and Farmers Market on Fridays. Start dates for both of these have been delayed due to construction in the Legacy Plaza, the former James Street Plaza. The Farmers Market will start June 11 from 3 to 7 p.m. in the open lot near Loomis and Robert streets and will continue in that location until the plaza opens.

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