One of Ann Arbor's biggest events is temporarily looking for a new home. For only the second time in 32 years, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival's Top of the Park is moving.
Work on the steam tunnels under North Ingalls Mall is forcing Top of the Park to shift to a different location for 2015. The Summer Festival is working with University of Michigan and Ann Arbor officials to find a venue that can handle a month's worth of concerts, movies, and other spectacles.
Executive Director Amy Nesbitt says the goal is to limit the disruptions from a move. "We're going to do everything we can in that decision to make sure that the things the community loves, we'll be able to continue to present. It may be different, but we hope it's going to be fantastic and dynamic, and the festival that everyone loves," Nesbitt says.
Nesbitt says a one year return to the top of the Fletcher Parking Structure hasn't been ruled out, but also isn't a guarantee. That's partly because since the 2006 move to North Ingalls Mall, Top of the Park has expanded with the Grove Stage, the Kids Zone, and additional food options that likely won't fit on the parking structure.
A special fundraising campaign is underway to help cover any additional costs the re-location may create.
A decision on the location of the event is expected soon. The 2015 Summer Festival runs June 12th through July 5th.
Like 89.1 WEMU on Facebook and follow us on Twitter— Andrew Cluley is the Ann Arbor beat reporter, and anchor for 89.1 WEMU News. Contact him at734.487.3363 or email him acluley@emich.edu.
