Northville Arts and Acts Schedule Brimming with Things to Do

Arts and Acts is jam-packed with activities this year. You don't want to miss out on all of the fun this weekend, so Patch is here to let you know about all the great goings-on.

The most well-known part of the festival, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is Art in the Sun. There will be 65 artists in the juried fine arts show, said Joan Potter Thomas, director of the Northville Art House. This event is entirely free and will be set up along the streets of downtown Northville all weekend.

Another free thing to do all weekend are the children's activities at Town Square, like the fairy door scavenger hunt. Fairy doors are hidden throughout downtown Northville and its up to the kids to find them.

"It's more than that. We have sets of clue cards that are age appropriate," Thomas said. 

The children will have to do tasks like draw the shape of the fairy door to complete the hunt, she said.  Another free children's activity is "Arts Opens Doors," where children can paint murals onto doors donated by Northville Lumber. 

"Then, we'll polyurethane them and put them in the Art House yard," she said. 

Arts and Acts is also a great time for film and plays. The Reel Michigan Film Festival, for Michigan-made films, will be in downtown Northville this year on Saturday at the historic Marquis Theatre. There will be screenings of a diverse collection of Michigan-made short films at the Marquis Theatre and a special screening of Judith R. Burdick's documentary, “Transforming Loss."

If you'd like a break from films, try checking out the live plays at the Sandbox Play Festival, a juried theatre festival, at Genitti's Hole-In-The-Wall all weekend. The Tipping Point Theatre received over 50 play submissions from playwrights across the state of Michigan and picked the top four plays to perform. Attendees can watch the plays and vote in a viewer's choice award, Thomas said. Tickets are $12 and reservations are recommended. 

If poetry and short stories are your cup of tea, check out the second annual Short on Words literature contest Friday evening. It is sponsored by Preservation Dental, the office of William S. Demray whose photos the entries are about, Thomas said. The most popular picture to inspire the writers was "Stairway," and entries came from adults and children in Northville, Novi, Livonia, Plymouth and as far away as Grand Rapids. Learn more about the contest and see the photos here.

And don't forget about the music stirring up the festival all weekend from Northville Town Square. See who's playing here.

Arts and Acts hours:

Friday - 3 to 9 p.m.
Saturday - 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Sunday - 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Another event to check out this weekend is the Northville Summer Carnival just a few steps away at the Northville Downs parking lot.