From morning until late in the night on Saturday, thousands of metalheads made their way to Leila Arboretum for a celebration of heavy music and metal culture. Michigan Metal Fest, presented by Ardent Entertainment and Next Level Entertainment, is an annual event bringing bands and fans together for a day of headbanging festivities in the arboretum.
This year’s lineup featured 20 bands and was headlined by Cleveland-formed metal band Mushroomhead on the main stage. Throughout the grounds, vendors set up tents selling merchandise and food while scare actors from DarkSyde Acres haunted house roamed the festival in costume.
While fans flocked between the festival’s two stages, music filled the air as the arboretum was briefly transformed into a home for all who gathered to appreciate rock and metal from Battle Creek and beyond.