JACKSON, MI - A new, five-day music festival that celebrates the city's diversity is coming to Jackson, and it has Detroit roots.
The first Jackson Unity Festival is set for July 11-15 at venues throughout the city, including the Michigan Theatre, 124 N. Mechanic St., and Weatherwax Hall, 215 W. Michigan Ave.
The festival is an off-shoot of the long-running Concert of Colors music festival in Detroit every July.
That festival, now entering its 26th year, was created as a way to bring world-class musicians to diverse communities. More than 90,000 people attend every year.
Jackson residents will now have that same experience, said Nathan Mack, Downtown Development Authority executive director.
Detroit musician and producer Don Was and the 11th Detroit All-Star Revue will bring artists ranging from classical to contemporary, Mack said.
The full music lineup will come out at the end of May, Mack said.
Each concert, in addition to a community forum on culture and race, is free and open to the public.
In addition to great music, the festival will showcase Jackson's diversity, Jackson Mayor Derek Dobies said in a release.
"The Jackson Unity Festival was born out of a desire to bring world-class music, arts and thinking from around the world to downtown Jackson," Dobies said. "As a sister festival of the Concert of Colors in Detroit, Jackson Unity Festival becomes a conduit for our city to take an active role in understanding every individual's importance. We are proud to be a part of this event."
The festival is a product of a collaboration between the Jackson Downtown Development Authority, Michigan Theatre of Jackson and the Jackson Symphony Orchestra.
Talks between the DDA, Michigan Theatre and JSO to bring the Unity Festival to Jackson began at the end of summer 2017, Mack said.
"We saw an opportunity to bring something good to Jackson and we were able to get a lot of support from the community through our fundraising efforts. We are very grateful for that. We're just excited to make it happen."
Funding for the festival has come from various community sponsors, Mack said, including Consumers Energy, Tripp's Auto Shop Collision Center, CP Federal Credit Union and more.