Michigan’s “Largest Mac & Cheese Fest” Returns to Kalamazoo in 2024

This summer, Kalamazoo will once again host a festival celebrating the gooey, cheesy delicacy of Mac and Cheese.

Billing it as the “largest Mac & Cheese Fest,” Outlier Events, creators of “the world’s only donut and beer festival,” “the nation’s first Tots & Taps Fest,” and the Taco & Tequila Festival, are bringing their Macaroni & Cheese Festival back to Homer’s Stryker Field on June 29.

After being held in new markets such as Grand Rapids, Avon, Ohio, and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin in 2023, the festival will return to the home of the Kalamazoo Growlers in 2024. Homer Stryker Field was the first baseball stadium to host the festival in 2019.

“We can’t wait to bring the Mac & Cheese Festival back to Kalamazoo after a year of traveling,” said Kendall Soto of Outlier Events in a press release. “We hand-select each city for our events and are excited to announce Kalamazoo as the first Mac and Cheese Festival location this year.”

The festival promises “unique and local vendors offering more than 25 signature mac and cheese dishes, more than 150 beer/cider/mineral wine varieties and entertainment for all ages,” the press release states.

Tickets

Each visitor receives food and drink tokens, a drink cup and a branded lanyard with their ticket. There are a limited number of VIP tickets available, which allow 90 minutes early entry to the festival and an exclusive VIP gift.

Presale for Early Access tickets begins on Thursday. VIP tickets allow festival-goers access to the event from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event itself takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Entertainment

Lookin’ Back, a Bob Seger tribute band, and a tribute to “Return of the Mack” Mark Morrison will perform during the event. There will also be a cheese-filled dipping tank, rides and games, a mac and cheese eating contest and more.

There will also be a 40-yard dash competition with a prize for the fastest runner.

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This article originally appeared in the Detroit Free Press: Mac & Cheese Fest returns to Kalamazoo in 2024