top of page
Our Events
Here is a look into our events: make sure to click on each logo to head to the event's website!
Festival Fridays
May - August | 4 Mini-Festivals www.FoodTruckRallyKZ.com
It’s a pop-up festival. Everything you expect from a festival: live music, food trucks, merchandise vendors, games, and adult beverages. The attendees are diverse in ethnic backgrounds, they love music, unique food experiences, and they like drink pairings. They typically range from 18-55, they have jobs and love urban settings and classify themselves as “foodies.” The events attract about 800- 1,500 attendees.
Tuesdays On The Road
June, July, August
This event series travels to unique locations throughout Kalamazoo County. It ‘s placemaking focusing on mid-week food experiences, acoustical music, yard games, and community gathering. the series features 4 locations that are visited each month. The event is organized to offer a diverse array of food trucks, so it’s perfect for families and picky eaters.
KalamaTopia
Do-Dah Parade
November & December
www.KalamaTopia.com
KalamaTopia is an outdoor, cold-air makers market that celebrates the holidays. This market is designed to attract shoppers, urbanites, and people who love to support small businesses. The attendee also looks for downtown/ urban events that celebrate local retailers.
June | First Saturday www.DoDahKzoo.com
The parade has been part of the Kalamazoo landscape for 33 years. It’s a tradition and it is the funniest parade. If families are your target audience, this event is a must because they come to laugh, point fingers, and know that Kalamazoo is just plain fun. It’s a parody parade.
-01.png)
Vineyard Classic Bike Tour
September Paw Paw Wine & Harvest Festival www.VineyardClassicBikeTour.com
The Paw Paw Vineyard Classic Bike Tour has been a tradition in Paw Paw for more than 40 years. The event features three bike tour routes (23 miles, 43 miles, and 57 miles) that pass through lush vineyards and orchards right at the peak of the harvest season.
Pedal The Zoo
Spring
Ever heard of Detroit Slow Roll? This event is a bike tour in the city that explores economic development projects and neighborhood spaces unknown. Working with neighborhood stakeholders, the route is designed to “pedal” as you explore new community development projects that make Kalamazoo unique. Combining health/ wellness with exploration is the key to this event’s impact. Community members, bicycle advocates, and neighborhoods are the target audience
Kalamazoo Block Parties
June - October
A series of five neighborhood block parties designed to meet marginalized families in their front yard connecting youth with community programming. The event is designed to be a highlight in the neighborhood’s summer event schedule. Police officers support the event by helping with activities and creating conversations. As a summer event student-athletes run this event learning business, event, and community engagement and responsibility
Kzoo Event Academy
Quarterly Events
The Kzoo Event Academy is a workshop focused program that allows college students the opportunity to host and direct an educational workshop within the field of event planning and management. The process of learning by teaching isn’t just limited to comprehension. It helps students develop essential social-emotional learning skills improving efficacy, confidence and communication skills. The target audience group is topic specific which allows for a results-based sponsorship.
Scripps Spelling Bee
Kalamazoo Digital Media
March 9
It’s the real Scripps National Spelling Bee that is hosted in Kalamazoo County in March. KELC events agreed to be the fiscal sponsor for the event, coordinate the regional competition, and then raise the funds to support the winner and their representatives to attend the National Spelling Bee in Washington DC. This event accentuates community learning, academic competition outside the classroom, and social/emotional learning.
Focusing on small businesses and nonprofits
Since 2009, Kalamazoo Social Media Week has partnered with brands, companies and organizations to foster connections with industry thought leaders, local experts, and the diverse, passionate community of current and aspiring social media marketing professionals in Kalamazoo. In 2022, Kalamazoo Social Media Week changed its name to Kalamazoo Digital Media Meetup. The networking group hosts events and meetings for anyone looking to expand their Digital Media and technological knowledge. The events take different forms and it really depends on the topic as to whether it is a meeting or a half-day conference. The event hosts local speakers and media ‘experts’ where they present and then attend a social gathering afterward. This event allows small business owners to build connections and gain knowledge to better propel their business forward on all digital platforms
bottom of page