Top of the Park : All posts

Ann Arbor Summer Festival announces lineup for 2013 Top of the Park music, movies

The last night of Top of the Park 2012.

The Summer Festival runs June 14-July 7 this year. Top of the Park, which takes place in the Ingalls Mall area of East Washington Street, features live music six nights a week, along with socializing, food booth, special events and more. As in recent years, voting by the public helped determine the movies being shown. Sunday and Tuesday-Thursday nights, the evening ends with a movie on a large inflatable screen; on weekends, the music goes later, ending with a DJ set. Top of the Park admission is free, though donations are encouraged.

Help choose Ann Arbor Summer Festival's Top of the Park movies with 'Pick a Flick'

A Top of the Park movie crowd in 2010.

Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com file photo

"Pick-a-Flick" is the festival's online promotion that lets the public vote on the movies for this year's ToP, which runs June 14-July 7 at Ingalls Mall.

photo gallery: Images from the closing night of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival

The Ann Arbor Summer Festival held its closing night festivities Sunday at Top of the Park in Ingalls Mall.

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: Ariel, Zoey & Eli Too; George Bedard & the Kingpins; 'Dirty Dancing'

Tonight is Day 21—"So Long Sunday," the final night this year—of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

Ariel & Zoey & Eli, Too release anti-bullying song ahead of Top of the Park performance

Ariel, Zoey and Eli Engelbert with Jim Peterik.

photo courtesy of Matt Engelbert

Called "Hey Bully," the song was written by Jim Peterik, who also produced the recording, according to the kids' father, Matthew Engelbert.

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: Thornetta Davis, Nervous But Excited, and more

Tonight is Day 20 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: Pop from Khalid Hanifi and Taylor Fernandez, R&B from the Saints of Soul and Brother Joscephus

Tonight is Day 19 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: 'Answer This!,' trivia contest with movie director, electronic pop

Tonight is Day 18 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: Latin jazz, wine tasting, 'Forrest Gump'

Tonight is Day 17 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: Summer beer tasting, photo night, roots rock, 'Close Encounters'

Tonight is Day 16 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

Tonight at Top of the Park: Madcat & Kane; family rock; 'Jurassic Park'; and more

Tonight is Day 15 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

with video: A kid's-eye report from Erth's 'Dinosaur Petting Zoo' at Top of the Park

Photo by Jeffrey Smith | AnnArbor.com

On Saturday, by way of an introduction to Erth’s Dinosaur Petting Zoo - a free Ann Arbor Summer Festival special attraction that offers its final shows at 4 and 6 p.m. on Sunday - the woman who runs the show made a point of telling the hundred-plus kids who sat on the shady grass in front of the Power Center that there were no real, living dinosaurs in Ann Arbor, and that what they were about to see were just extremely life-like, very convincing puppets.

“Fortunately, though, you’ll forget everything I’ve just said in about one minute,” she added.

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: 'Dinosaur Petting Zoo' continues; swing music; and more

Tonight is Day 14 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

photo gallery: Scenes from the 'Dinosaur Petting Zoo' at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival

This weekend, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival is presenting a special attraction as part of its free, outdoor Top of the Park events: a family-oriented show called "Erth's Dinosaur Petting Zoo," in which prehistoric creatures interact with the audience.

Photographer Jeffrey Smith captured these images.

Additional performances are scheduled for 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on the lawn of the Power Center, 121 Fletcher St. The show lasts 45-60 minutes. Admission free; donations appreciated; blankets recommended.

Check out this mother-and-child report (with video) from one of Saturday's performances.

Top of the Park visitors get sneak peek at 'Dinosaur Petting Zoo' creature

One of the creatures make a preview appearance at Top of the Park last night, and the Summer Festival posted a brief video of the visit on its Facebook page.

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: 'Dinosaur' show, the Macpodz, Tree City, Alejandra O'Leary and more

Tonight is Day 13 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

video q and A: Macpodz members talk about Friday's Top of the Park show

Over the last few years the Macpodz have become one of the mainstays of the local music scene, playing an infectious style of music incorporating funk, rock and beyond.

Macpodz shows are a highlight of the outdoor concert season, and this Friday finds the band returning to Top of the Park, the free component of the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, on East Washington Street at Ingalls Mall. The Macpodz play at 9 p.m. as part of a great bill that also includes the remarkable blues/jazz singer and musician Gwenyth Hayes; rising local pop / rock talent Alejandra O'Leary; and accomplished hip-hop collective Tree City and Contraband.

Macpodz cofounders Brennan Andes and Ross Huff sat down with AnnArbor.com in the Roots Lounge area at Top of the Park on Wednesday to talk about the band, Friday's concert and the state of the local music scene. Here's what they had to say:

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: Country music, trivia contest, 'The Big Lebowski,' and more

Tonight is Day 12 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

with video: Tonight at Top of the Park: world music, wine tasting, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's,' and more

Tonight is Day 11 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions:

event preview

Tonight at Top of the Park: Photo night with ticket giveaway, beer tasting, alt country music, 'Ghostbusters'

Tonight is Day 10 of Top of the Park, the popular, free (donations welcome) outdoor happening featuring music, movies, kicking back, running into friends, and a variety of other attractions.

Each day in cooperation with the Ann Arbor Summer Festival—which presents Top of the Park as well as main-stage ticketed events—AnnArbor.com is publishing a rundown of the night's happenings. Here's an overview of tonight's schedule, followed by a more detailed look at the events and attractions: