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How to navigate the Coast Guard Festival

Find out which roads are closed, where to park and more.

GRAND HAVEN, Mich. - It will be very crowded downtown during the Coast Guard Festival and many of the normal roads and parking lots will be closed or blocked for the festivities.

The Grand Haven Department of Public Safety has issued the following traffic control orders -- some lasting until the end of Coast Guard Festival:

Road closures

Washington Avenue between Third and Fourth streets shall be posted as “No Parking, Tow Away" from 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31. 

Additionally, Washington Avenue between Third and Fourth streets will be closed to thru traffic from 5 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 31 to facilitate the USCG Water Ball Competition.

Many of the downtown streets including Washington and Columbus avenues stretching from 7th Street to Harbor Drive will be closed throughout the week for the festivals, carnival and parades. This story will be updated as changes come down. 

RELATED: Everything you need to know about Coast Guard Fest 2019

Municipal Marina parking lot

The east and west sides of the Municipal Marina Parking lot, north of the entrance, will be “Handicap Parking Only” starting 8 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30 through 1 a.m. on Sunday, August 4.

Six spaces located directly behind the marina office shall be posted “No Parking Tow Away, City of Grand Haven Staff Only."

South of the entrance, the east and west sides of the lot shall be posted “No Parking Tow Away” from Tuesday, July 30 through Sunday, August 4. This is to allow for the staging of vehicles and equipment for the entertainment at Lynne Sherwood Waterfront Stadium.

Other parking lot closures

Eighteen spaces in the SE portion of City Lot #4 will be posted “Coast Guard Festival Vendors Only, Tow Away." The remaining spaces shall be designated for “Handicap Parking Only” from Tuesday, July 30 through Sunday, August 4.

The angled parking adjacent to Bicentennial Park on Harbor Drive shall be closed to parking, except those vehicles authorized by the Coast Guard Festival Committee or the Public Safety Department, for the placement of vendors beginning 7 a.m. on Tuesday, July 30 through 12 a.m. on Sunday, August 4. 

Mulligan’s Hollow East Hollow Lot (next to Imagination Station) will be closed to traffic and posted as “No Parking Tow Away" Tuesday, July 30 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. for Kids Day.

The four parking spaces north of the Waterfront Stadium service drive shall be posted “No Parking Tow Away" from Tuesday, July 30 through Sunday, August 4 to facilitate loading and unloading to the stadium.

The Board of Light and Power Parking Lot on Harbor adjacent to the BLP Diesel Plant will be closed. It will be used exclusively by the Coast Guard, Reserves, and Auxiliary during the week of Coast Guard Festival and be posted and enforced as “Coast Guard Personnel Parking Only, Tow Away Zone” from Saturday, July 27 through Sunday, August 4.

Avoid driving

Shuttle Opportunities: If you park at Harbor Island, a shuttle will take you to downtown Grand Haven. It's $10 per carload. The shuttle starts running at 9 p.m. and wraps up after the fireworks.
Park and Ride: You can park in a few different places in the Tri-City area, pay $1 and ride into the festival. 

  1. Grand Haven
    • Griffin Elementary School
    • Trinity Reformed Church
    • First Christian Reformed Church
    • Ferry Elementary School
  2. Ferrysburg
    • Ferrysburg City Hall
  3. Spring Lake
    • Spring Lake Presbyterian
    • First Baptist Church

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