Kinde Polka Fest 2026 returns Sept. 19-20 with five band performances, Polish-American tradition, food and a special anniversary raffle as organizers look toward the festival’s next generation.

KINDE, Mich. — For two decades, September in Kinde has meant accordions, brass bands and a crowded dance floor. That tradition returns this weekend as the community marks the 20th Kinde Polka Fest.

The family-oriented Kinde Polka Fest 2026 festival runs Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 19-20, at the Friends of Kinde Polka Palace, 414 Main St. The weekend will feature several polka bands, food concessions and dancing, along with an anniversary quilt raffle and fundraising for area nonprofit groups.

The festival traces its beginnings to 2006, when Friends of Kinde formed to bring a community celebration back to town and promote Kinde’s Polish heritage. The group later built the permanent Polka Palace in 2017, giving the festival and other community events a year-round home.

Five Performances Planned for Anniversary Weekend

Saturday’s musical lineup includes Darrel Weltin & New Brass Express, StyleStix and the EZ Tones. Sunday brings the Steve Drzewicki Band along with another performance by Darrel Weltin & New Brass Express. Organizers had not released individual performance times as of this week.

Children under 15 will be admitted free, as part of an effort to encourage families to introduce younger people to polka music and dancing. Longtime organizer Helen Jean Wiley told the Huron Daily Tribune that bringing another generation into the festival has become increasingly important as the number of longtime volunteers declines.

That concern has taken on added importance during the anniversary year. Wiley and her husband, Kevin, were among the original Friends of Kinde members who helped launch the festival. Newer volunteers, including Karagen Harwood, Hannah Mills and the Wileys’ daughter Lucy, are now helping develop ideas for its future.

Pasta House Takes Over Festival Food

Food will remain a major part of the weekend. The Pasta House in Kinde will manage concessions this year, with new selections including pizza by the slice.

The festival has long paired music and dancing with community fundraising. Friends of Kinde says its activities provide more than $2,000 annually in scholarships to North Huron High School students. The organization has also supported groups including the North Huron band, FFA, athletic boosters, National Honor Society and other community programs.

Proceeds from this year’s festival will again assist local nonprofit efforts. Organizers specifically identified a pop-up food pantry truck serving Port Hope as one of the programs expected to benefit.

Anniversary Quilt Links 20 Festivals

One of this year’s most unusual attractions will carry pieces of Polka Fest history.

Organizers created a commemorative quilt using T-shirts from previous festivals. The quilt will be raffled during the weekend, providing a visual record of the event’s two decades in Kinde.

The milestone comes one year later than organizers originally expected. The festival was canceled in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, interrupting what would otherwise have been an uninterrupted run since its 2006 beginning. The 19th festival returned in 2025 with organizers already placing greater emphasis on attracting younger volunteers and participants.

Twenty years after a group of local residents set out to bring a festival back to Kinde, Polka Fest remains closely tied to the community that created it. The bands and dancing draw the crowds, but the larger goal remains supporting local groups while keeping a regional tradition alive.

More information and event updates are available through the official Kinde Polka Fest website.