Common Ground Music Festival: Your guide to four days in downtown Lansing
Eric Lacy
LANSING -- Thousands of people are expected to attend the 20th annual Common Ground Music Festival to be held Thursday through Sunday at Lou Adado Riverfront Park.
Organizers say this year's festival has one of the most diverse lineups in its history, consisting of country, indie rock, rap, funk and electronic dance music.
What's missing is classic rock, a staple during the festival's early years.
Below is a guide to help attendees have a memorable, stress-free experience.
The lineup
Each day is a bit different.
This year's rundown:
Thursday
- Brandi Carlile
- City and Colour
- Robert Randolph and The Family Band
- Arlo McKinley and the Lonesome Sound
- Mike Mains and The Branches
- Motherfolk
- Ali McManus
Friday:
- Zedd
- Playboi Carti
- Elephante
- Yung Gravy
- Carlie Hanson
- Jack Harlow
- Juliana Hale
Saturday:
- Cole Swindell
- Chris Janson
- Tracy Lawrence
- Clare Dunn
- Eric Chesser
- Rachel Curtis
- The Swift Brothers
Sunday:
- YG
- Boogie Wit da Hoodie
- Big Boi
- Trap Manny
- Sway Boi
- 2 Live Crew
Weigh your ticket options
General admission single-day tickets for the festival range in price from $39 to $89.
Prices for four-day general admission passes range from $89 (general admission) to $240 (VIP).
Tickets can be purchased online at commongroundfest.com or the festival box office, located at the festival's main gate, 340 E. Saginaw St. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday.
Keep an eye out this week on Facebook for discount codes that can be applied to online ticket orders.
Children 5 and under are free in the festival's general admission area each day with a paid adult.
Plan your parking strategy
Want to eliminate pre-festival headaches and save some dough? Create a parking strategy before you head out.
If you head to the festival on Thursday or Friday evening, there's should be plenty of free parking downtown.
Parking meters aren't enforced on weekdays after regular business hours and aren't enforced at all on the weekends.
You may also want to consider parking for free in the city's Old Town neighborhood and walking along the Lansing River Trail to the park.
For those eager to secure spots in advance in parking ramps near the festival, passes for each day can be purchased online for $15 at bit.ly/2SND2f2.
Know the bag policy
Festival officials will enforce a strict policy each day that limits the size and type of bags that can be brought into the grounds.
A few ground rules:
- These bags are prohibited: purses larger than clutch bags, coolers, briefcases, backpacks, cinch bags, seat cushions, luggage of any kind, computer bags and camera bags.
- Bags made of plastic, clear vinyl or clear PVC are allowed — if they don't exceed 12-by-6 inches in height and length and 12 inches in depth.
- Ziplock bags, or similar bags, are allowed if they hold one gallon or less.
- Chair bags are allowed, but the chair must be removed from the bag prior to inspection at the festival entrance.
For more on the bag policy, visit the frequently asked questions section of the Common Ground website, commongroundfest.com/faq.
Consider a cheaper option
Don't want to buy tickets and hate crowds? There's another option.
Starting Thursday, people will have an opportunity to ride the Grand Princess Riverboat along the Grand River near Adado Park during nighttime festival hours.
The riverboat will be outfitted with LED lights and will anchor out in front of the park.
Tickets for riverboat rides are $35 each and include food catered by Saddleback BBQ.
River Town Adventures, a Lansing company, will also rent out kayaks. Rentals are $20 per person. Each kayak will also have LED lights.
For more riverboat ride and kayak reservations or more information, call 517-253-7523 or visit rivertownadventures.com.
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Eric Lacy is a reporter for the Lansing State Journal. Contact him at 517-377-1206 or elacy@lsj.com. Follow him on Twitter @EricLacy.
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