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Fall in the Keweenaw brings a wide variety of events and celebrations to get you in the autumn mood! From music festivals to Oktoberfests, there’s no shortage of ways to explore the Copper Country and soak in those glorious Keweenaw fall colors! We’ve got the shortlist of Keweenaw fall events to kick off your stellar fall Upper Peninsula adventure!
End of Summer Celebration
September 6, 2025
Hancock’s annual “End of Summer Celebration” bids farewell to a glorious Keweenaw summer in a big way. Tons of family-friendly events and entertainment will take place on Quincy Avenue and the Quincy Green, culminating in a laser show extravaganza.
Yoop! Fest
September 19 & 20, 2025
If you think you know Midwest Indie, you need Yoop! Fest. Get your education in Keweenaw and Midwest underground and indie music during this fall festival gem put on by local record purveyor, Kitschy Spirit Records. This multi-day event brings Keweenaw, Upper Peninsula, and Midwest bands to a historic Copper Country stage.
Parade of Nations Multicultural Festival
September 20, 2025
Cheer on the Parade of Nations during this annual celebration of worldwide culture and national awareness in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula! Michigan Tech International students and Keweenaw community members hoist their flags alongside themed floats from the J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library to the Dee Stadium! The parade is capped with multicultural food and family-friendly entertainment at the Dee Stadium.
The Parade of Nations celebrates diversity, unity, and community with flags, cultural display, and floats! (Photo: Deb Paver)
GeekU.P. Chibi
September 27, 2025
Located at MTU’s Memorial Union Building (MUB), GeekU.P. celebrates all things geek culture! This mini-con hosts workshops, panels, gaming tourneys, alongside art vendors, cosplayers, and more. Discover local comic authors, fellow cosplayers and geeks while raising money for charity!
Oktoberfest at the Harbor Haus
September 27, 2025
Get a kickstart on the fall season in Copper Harbor during the Harbor Haus's annual Oktoberfest! Held inside The Vue events center at the Haus, enjoy UP craft Oktoberfest beer, German/Austrian food, live polka music, and dancing! Enjoy the beginning of fall colors on your drive north and raise your mug to the Copper Country! Prost!
51st Annual Copper Country Color Tour
September 27, 2025
Cycling enthusiasts can get immersed in some serious fall color during the annual Copper Country Color Tour, hosted by MTU’s Copper Country Cycling Club. Since 1974, this event offers a variety of long distance cycling routes along Lake Superior shorelines and Keweenaw forests in full fall color. Routes are available for a variety of experience levels. 60K route goes Calumet, 115K route goes to Gay and Allouez, with the 210K route going all the way to Copper Harbor.
Music in the Mine
September 25 -26, 2025
Copper Country mining history meets incredible musical displays inside the Quincy Mine Hoist House. Michigan Tech music brings new music by contemporary composers into this historic acoustic Keweenaw mining marvel. Ambient and revelatory, this is sure to be the only sold-out show you’ll attend that requires a hard hat!
Plaidurday - Canal Colors Festival
October 3, 2025
Plaidurday is the celebration of the Yooper-beloved pattern plaid. Keeping lumberjacks, coal miners and true Yoopers warm and cozy for decades – you see it everywhere. It occurs on the first Friday of October each year, and was first observed in 2011. Many adaptations have evolved and you can celebrate the holiday by simply putting on plaid! The more plaid the better - join on Lakeshore Drive (behind the Keweenaw Brewing Company) in Houghton during Brew Street and be a part of the yearly record-breaking attempt!
The Keweenaw remains the champion in most plaid-wearing Yoopers in one location! (Photo: Michigan Tech)
Brew Street - Canal Colors Festival
October 3, 2025
Plaidurday evening, flannel-wearing folks can join Brew Street (Lakeshore Drive), to enjoy a lively beer garden with music, food trucks, and a brief history lesson about the Lakeshore’s development over the years by the Carnegie Museum. Once part of the original Lakeshore layout, "Brew Street" was located behind the former Haas Brewery, running from Dodge to Isle Royale Street, between the railroad track and Shelden Avenue. Brew Street is a fundraiser for the Carnegie Museum, a Keweenaw National Historical Park Heritage Site.
Keweenaw Color Run - Canal Colors Festival
October 4, 2025
This fun, untimed walk/run is the perfect way to celebrate fall and get active with friends and family. Get ready to be doused in vibrant colors throughout the course, and don't forget to wear your wildest outfit (especially if it's plaid)! The race culminates at the lively Downtown Houghton Fall Fest at the Houghton Waterfront Pier.
Houghton Fall Fest - Canal Colors Festival
October 4, 2025
Right after the Color Run, the pier turns into a family-friendly Fall Fest from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4. Expect tractor rides, apple cider pressing and even bring-your-own-apple pressing on the pier. Vendors will have fall themed items for sale, including pumpkins! Look for games for the kiddos like bowling on the pier and cozy decorations for autumn photo ops. The Brew Street fundraiser for the Carnegie continues into Saturday, so be sure to swing by the KBC to help raise funds for an important Houghton historical asset!
41 North FILM FESTIVAL
November 6-9, 2025
The 41 North Film Festival showcases recent independent films and filmmakers from around the region, country, and world. Located at the Rozsa, the 41 North Film Festival covers a variety of topics and themes in both short film and full-length features!
