The Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the nearly month-long celebration that includes a variety of free and ticketed performances and other attractions, returns Friday for another season.

Top of the Park—the free (donations encouraged), outdoor component involving music, movies and other attractions—returns Friday to the area in front of the Rackham Building on East Washington Street. Ticketed events start Saturday, with a concert by Andrew Bird at the Power Center.

The previously released schedules for Top of the Park and ticketed events follows. For the latest updates on season information, visit www.annarborsummerfestival.org. And watch AnnArbor.com for daily updates on Top of the Park happenings, plus previews and reviews of main-stage events.

TOP OF THE PARK

Friday, June 17 | First Friday (Opening Night)
5:00 PM Body Masterpiece Extreme Face Painters
5:00 PM Planet Rock Climbing Wall
5:00 PM Ryan Racine - Americana
6:00 PM Lucciana Costa - pop
7:00 PM Detroit Party Marching Band
7:30 PM Superdot - reggae/rock
9:00 PM The Sun Messengers - funk/pop
11:00 PM After Dark with DJ Hardy

Saturday, June 18
5:00 PM Body Masterpiece Extreme Face Painters
5:00 PM Planet Rock Climbing Wall
5:00 PM Retreat: Yoga
5:00 PM Abagail Stauffer - acoustic
5:00 PM Theo Katzman - pop
7:00 PM The Jill Jack Band - folk/pop
9:00 PM Orquesta Sensacional - jazz/world
11:00 PM After Dark with Sean Masters

Sunday, June 19
5:00 PM Body Masterpiece Extreme Face Painters
5:00 PM Planet Rock Climbing Wall
5:00 PM Retreat: Tai Chi
5:00 PM Deep Fried Pickle Project - Americana
6:00 PM AADL’s Kids Rock Series: The Board of Education
8:00 PM Drivin’ Sideways - rock/country/blues
10:00 PM Movie: Despicable Me

Monday, June 20 (Top of the Park dark)
7:00 PM 33 1/3 Reading/Listening Party at Arbor Brewing Company featuring the music of the Pogues

Tuesday, June 21
7:000 PM Rock the Mall: Teen Music Competition
10:00 PM Movie: The Social Network

Wednesday, June 22
6:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday wine tasting
6:30 PM Monsieur Guillame and His Zydeco Hepcats - zydeco/Americana
8:00 PM October Babies - pop/techno
10:00 PM Movie: Back to the Future

Thursday, June 23
6:30 PM Dave Sharp's Secret Seven - jazz
8:00 PM Billy Brandt & Sarana VerLin - Americana/Celtic
10:00 PM Movie: Top Gun

Friday, June 24
5:00 PM Nathan K. - indie pop
6:00 PM Jim Roll - roots rock
7:00 PM Delilah DeWylde and The Lost Boys - Americana/swing
9:00 PM The Millionaires - big-band jazz
11:00 PM After Dark with Body Rock and Wally Sparks

Saturday, June 25
5:00 PM Retreat: BollyFit
5:00 PM String Cheese - acoustic/Celtic/classical
6:00 PM The Royal Garden Trio - vintage jazz
7:00 PM Funktion - funk/jazz
9:00 PM NOMO - world/jazz
11:00 PM After Dark with DJ Subvader

Sunday, June 26
5:00 PM Retreat: Gyrokinesis
5:00 PM Patrick Elkins & the Rainbow Vomit Family Band - kids
6:00 PM Detroit Fire Guild
6:00 PM AADL’s Kids Rock Series: The Boogers
8:00 PM Madcat, Kane, & Maxwell Street - Blues
10:00 PM Movie: How to Train Your Dragon

Monday, June 27 (Top of the Park dark)
7:00 PM 33 1/3 Reading/Listening Party at Arbor Brewing Company featuring the music of Tom Waits

Tuesday, June 28
6:30 PM Lake Folk - Americana
8:00 PM The Cadillac Cowboys - country/rock
10:00 PM Movie: The Phantom of the Opera (1925) with live carillon accompaniment

Wednesday, June 29
6:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday wine tasting
6:30 PM Los Gatos - Latin jazz
8:00 PM Zap Toro - funk/jazz
10:00 PM Movie: Inception

Thursday, June 30
6:30 PM Nervous But Excited - indie folk
7:30 PM Strange Fruit (aerial acrobats)
8:00 PM Chris Bathgate - pop
9:30 PM Strange Fruit (aerial acrobats)
10:00 PM Movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Friday, July 1
4:30 PM Strange Fruit (aerial acrobats)
5:00 PM Hannah Winkler - folk/pop
6:00 PM Dave Boutette & John Latini - Americana/roots
7:00 PM Lady Sunshine & the X Band - blues
8:30 PM Strange Fruit (aerial acrobats)
9:00 PM The Third Coast Kings - funk/soul
11:00 PM After Dark with DJ Special K

Saturday, July 2
4:30 PM Strange Fruit (aerial acrobats)
5:00 PM Retreat: Capoeira
5:00 PM Hana Malhas - indie/world
6:00 PM Joe Summers Gypsy Jazz Trio - jazz/swing
7:00 PM The Rusty Wright Band - blues/R&B
8:30 PM Strange Fruit (aerial acrobats)
9:00 PM Thornetta Davis - blues
10:30 PM After Dark with powdrblu

Sunday, July 3
4:30 PM Ariel & Zoey & Eli, Too - kids
5:00 PM Retreat: Middle Eastern Dance
6:00 PM AADL’s Kids Rock Series: Recess Monkey
6:00 PM Detroit Fire Guild
8:00 PM The Ultrasounds indie pop
10:00 PM Movie: Megamind

Monday, July 4 (Top of the Park dark)
7:00 PM 33 1/3 Reading/Listening Party at Arbor Brewing Company featuring the music of Bruce Springsteen

Tuesday, July 5
6:30 PM Tree City and the ContraBand - hip-hop
8:00 PM The Terraplanes - blues/rock
10:00 PM Movie: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Wednesday, July 6
6:30 PM Wind Down Wednesday wine tasting
6:30 PM One Love Reggae Band pop/reggae
7:30 PM Acrobatic Demo on the Lawn with Tom Tom Crew
8:00 PM Rupa & the April Fishes - jazz/Latin/swing
10:00 PM Movie: An American in Paris

Thursday, July 7
6:30 PM The Carolyn Striho Group -folk/indie/R&B
8:00 PM The Juliets - indie pop
10:00 PM Movie: Monty Python & the Holy Grail

Friday, July 8
5:00 PM Dixon’s Violin - experimental/jazz
6:00 PM Timothy Monger - Americana/rock
7:00 PM Nadir - runk/R&B
9:00 PM Foundation of Funk with Valerie Barrymore - funk/pop
10:30 PM After Dark with DJ Teddy Ruck-Spin

Saturday, July 9
5:00 PM Retreat: Yoga
5:00 PM Jetty Rae - indie pop
6:00 PM Stella! - folk/roots
7:00 PM The Saints of Soul - funk/pop
9:30 PM Ella Riot - indie dance pop
10:30 PM After Dark with Professor Purple

Sunday, July 10 | So Long Sunday (Closing Night)
5:00 PM Retreat: Pilates
5:00 PM Mr. Seley & the Troublemakers - family
6:00 PM Detroit Fire Guild
6:00 PM Igor & Red Elvises - comedy/rockabilly
8:00 PM George Bedard & the Kingpins - rockabilly/pop
10:00 PM Movie: Footloose

The Top of the Park activities are presented at Ingalls Mall, located directly in front of the Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studies on Washington Street near Burton Memorial Tower. The festival opens at 6:30 p.m on Tuesday through Thursday, with expanded weekend hours on Friday through Sunday, opening at 5:00 p.m. Top of the Park is closed on Monday nights.

MAIN-STAGE EVENTS

Andrew Bird
With special guest Haley Bonar
Saturday, June 18
Power Center | 8:00 p.m.
$45, $40, $35, $30
Folk | Rock | Indie

Few artists better exemplify the term chamber pop than violinist, whistler, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird. A classically trained violinist, former swing jazz musician and now art rock virtuoso, Bird is one of the most imaginative and distinctive voices making music today. Essentially a one-man band, Bird plays and layers live loops, stacking sounds and rhythms, and offering an eclectic mix of Gypsy ballads, jazz, folk and rock. Opening set by indie singer-songwriter Haley Bonar.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
With special guest The Macpodz
Tuesday, June 21
Power Center | 8:00 p.m.
$35, $30, $25, $20
New Orleans Jazz | Funk | Soul

Equally adept on the trombone and trumpet, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is a man to be reckoned with on both. He draws unqualified respect of some of the most iconic legends in jazz and possesses the ability to deliver a high-energy funk rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue’s forward, high-octane music has become so popular that they created a tagline for it: SupaFunkRock! Opening set by jazz-fusionists The Macpodz.

The Moth Mainstage
Co-presented with Michigan Radio
Thursday, June 23
Power Center | 8:00 p.m.
$40, $35, $30, $25
Storytelling | Spoken Word

The Moth, New York's hottest literary phenomenon, is an acclaimed nonprofit organization dedicated to the art of storytelling. Having presented sold-out shows for over ten years, The Moth Mainstage descends on Ann Arbor for a night of wildly entertaining stories, told live without notes, by an all-star lineup of the best national and local raconteurs. This performance of the public radio favorite will be recorded for broadcast. Having spurred a revival in oral storytelling, The Moth Mainstage has featured stories by Malcolm Gladwell, Ethan Hawke, Margaret Cho, Annie Proulx, Salman Rushdie, and an astronaut, a pickpocket, a hot-dog eating champion and hundreds more. Airing weekly on Michigan Radio, The Moth Radio Hour is broadcast on over 200 stations nation-wide and sees more than one million online downloads a week. Full lineup announced in May.

Steve Martin
Performing with The Steep Canyon Rangers
An Evening of Bluegrass & Banjo
Saturday, June 25
Power Center | 8:00 p.m.
$75, $70, $65, $55
Folk | Roots | Americana

Actor, comedian and writer Steve Martin has become the surprise ambassador of bluegrass. A dedicated banjo player for 45 years, Martin's fleet-fingered virtuosity and playful songwriting garnered him a 2009 Grammy for The Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo. Playing alongside North Carolina's broadly talented Steep Canyon Rangers, Martin delivers an unforgettable evening filled with bright, energetic bluegrass and uproarious interludes in support of his latest release, Rare Bird Alert.

Los Lonely Boys
With special guest Alejandro Escovedo and The Sensitive Boys
Wednesday, June 29
Power Center | 8:00 p.m.
$45, $40, $35, $30
Blues | Pop | Rock

Two of the most revered artists in American roots music — fiery Texas blues-rockers Los Lonely Boys and genre-bending singer-songwriter Alejandro Escovedo — join forces for a double-bill of emotionally charged music steeped in the rich musical traditions of Texas, the American Southwest, and Mexico, Los Lonely Boys — a potent trio featuring Garza brothers Henry, JoJo, and Ringo, sons of Texas conjunto legend Ringo Garza, Sr. — soared to national attention with their Grammy-winning debut album, recorded with country icon Willie Nelson, plus tours and recordings with mentors Carlos Santana and Los Lobos. Now the Garzas connect with another musical hero in Alejandro Escovedo, the seminal roots-rock innovator. Escovedo has virtually defined the Americana sound over the course of an esteemed 20-year solo career, infusing lyrical Tex-Mex and folk balladry with rock and classical influences.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang
With special guest The Belle Brigade
Saturday, July 1
Hill Auditorium, 8:00 p.m.
$75, $65, $55, $45, $35
Pop | Rock | Alt-Country

Canadian superstar k.d.lang returns to the Hill Auditorium to headline a spectacular evening of new originals and soulful classics. The winner of four Grammy Awards and eight Juno Awards, k.d. lang's powerful, sultry vocals and astounding range have made her one of the most sought after live performers for the past 25 years. Her frequent collaborator Tony Bennett calls her "the best singer of her generation" and her performance of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Opening Games was nominated for a Juno Award for Single of the Year. Touring in support of her newest release "Sing It Loud," prepare to be astounded by k.d. lang and her new band Siss Boom Bang. Opening set by folk-rock siblings The Belle Brigade.

Taylor Mac in concert
"Comparison Is Violence or The Ziggy Stardust Meets Tiny Tim Songbook"
Saturday, July 2
Lydia Mendelssohn Theatre | 8:00 p.m.
$25 General Admission
Cabaret | Performance Art | Fringe
Recommended for mature audiences

Gloriously larger than life, the fabulous Taylor Mac draws from the traditions of drag and performance art to create a style all his own. Combining dramatic flair, searing satire, poignant honesty, and—of course—plenty of glitter, Mac’s newest show, "Comparison is Violence," was born after dozens of reviewers commented that he was a cross between David Bowie’s alter ego and the cult figure Tiny Tim. While praising his ukulele-playing and gender-bending performances, over 20 international publications have, of their own volition, described Mac as ‘Ziggy Stardust meets Tiny Tim’. Being a queen who can take a hint, he decided to write and perform an original conversation about comparison, while singing Tiny Tim songs and selections from David Bowie’s classic glam-rock album "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust." It promises to be a concert unlike any other.

The Capitol Steps
Monday, July 4
Power Center @ 5:00 p.m. & 8:00 p.m.
$45, $40, $35, $30
Comedy | Political Satire

The only group in America that attempts to be funnier than the politicians, the Capitol Steps provides an entertaining blend of musical and political comedy. Answering the call for more civil discourse, these former Congressional staffers' brilliant song parodies and hilarious sketches lampoon up-to-the-minute issues, events, and personalities, poking fun at both sides of the aisle.

Tom Tom Crew
Thursday, July 7 & Friday, July 8
Power Center @ 8:00 p.m.
$40, $35, $30, $25; Kids $10
Circus | Acrobatics | Family

Direct from sell-out seasons in New York, London, Berlin, Sydney and Edinburgh, experience a collision of super-charged circus and heart-pumping music for all ages. Australia’s hottest acrobats join forces with modern musical prodigies in a circus-music fusion unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. The Tom Tom Crew combines stunning aerial acrobatics, beat-boxing and dynamic drumming to create a high-energy show that has wowed audiences from Taipei to Broadway. This is circus at its most extreme, where skill and athleticism meet urban artistry.

Pink Martini
Saturday, July 9
Hill Auditorium @ 8:00 p.m.
$55, $50, $45, $35, $25
Pop | Jazz | Continental

Flaunting an intoxicating cocktail of musical styles from around the globe, the 12-piece Pink Martini returns to the festival with their spirited blend of Brazilian samba, '30s Cuban dance, Parisian café sensibility, and world-music flair. Enjoy a splash of orchestral strings, smooth lyrics, and a swig of a cha-cha as this vintage-chic ensemble makes an anticipated return to Ann Arbor.

SPECIAL OUTDOOR ATTRACTION: AMOCOCO
By Architects of Air
Thursday through Sunday, June 23-June 26
Palmer Field, near Top of the Park
Hours: June 23 and 24 from 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. | June 25 and 26 from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Admission: $5 per person; children 3 and under admitted free
Interactive | Family | Outdoor Spectacle

From the Guggenheim in Spain to the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the enormous,
interactive sculptures of the UK’s Architects of Air have astounded audiences across the globe. Making its Ann Arbor debut for four days on Palmer Field, the festival presents the renowned company’s biggest luminarium, Amococo, a walk-through inflatable sculpture featuring a dazzling maze of winding paths filled with radiant light and color. Linking 86 three-sided domes in a monumental labyrinth, designer Alan Parkinson creates an architectural marvel in which visitors are encouraged to wander, relax, meditate and enjoy the magical ambiance of Amococo.
Please note:
• Amococo is accessible to wheelchair users and people with mobility difficulties.
• Children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Shoes must be left at the luminarium entrance.
*• The last admission time is 8:40 pm each day, 20 minutes prior to closing.
• Patrons should allow 20 minutes to enjoy the full experience.
Tickets for this special outdoor attraction will only be available on the days of exhibition at the luminarium entrance on Palmer Field, a short walk from the Top of the Park site.