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Events in May 2026
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Looking for live music tonight?
Visit our Nightspots listing.
May 22, 2026
“The Little Mermaid Jr.”: Professional Youth Theatre of Michigan
Observer Editor
May 22–25 & 29–31. Megan Wright-Jones directs local young actors grades 2–12 in a 60-minute version of the 2007 stage musical based on the 1989 animated Disney film and the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a mermaid who dreams of the world above the sea and gives up her voice in exchange for love. Music and lyrics by Doug Wright, Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Glenn Slater. 6 & 8 p.m. (today), & various times (May 23–25 & 29–31), Riverside Arts Center, 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. Tickets $20–$30 in advance only at pytmi.square.site/home.
Beginning Birders Series: Washtenaw Bird & Nature Alliance
Observer Editor
Every Fri., except May 29. Club member Gaia Stanley leads a hike through the Arb to observe and identify birds commonly found in town. All welcome, but geared towards birders with no experience. Bring binoculars if you have them. 9–11 a.m., U-M Arboretum, meet at the Dow Prairie entrance at Riverview Dr. Free. washtenawbna.org.
“Joe’s Breakfast Club”: Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society
Observer Editor
Every Fri. Moderate-paced ride, 20 miles or more, to Dexter and beyond. Pack a lunch or stop in Dexter. 10 a.m. sharp, meet at Delhi Metro Park parking lot (left of the tollbooth), E. Delhi Rd. off Huron River Dr. Free. [email protected].
“Investigate Labs”: U-M Museum of Natural History
Observer Editor
Every Tues.–Sun. All age 6 & up invited into the museum’s labs to use scientific tools and museum specimens to answer questions and solve problems. The newest program examines how Michigan animals get along with each other—or don’t. 11 a.m.–3 p.m., 1105 North University. Free. (734) 764–0478, ummnh.org.
Chime Concert: Kerrytown Market & Shops
Observer Editor
Every Fri., Sat., & Wed. All invited to play one of 200 songs, with melodies transcribed in numbers, on the 17-bell chime’s numbered keys. Ambitious players can add chords. Kids welcome. Noon–12:30 p.m. (Fri. & Wed.) & 10:30–11 a.m. (Sat.). Free. [email protected].
U-M Museum of Natural History Planetarium & Dome Theater
Observer Editor
Every Fri.–Sun. Three different audiovisual planetarium shows suitable for all ages. Sea Monsters (noon) follows an intrepid Dolichorhynchops osborni (an extinct species of marine reptile) as she travels through the most dangerous oceans in history; The Sky Tonight (1 & 3 p.m.) explores the current night sky, with tips on how to find the cardinal directions, constellations, and planets on your own; and T. Rex (2 p.m.) describes the iconic dinosaur’s scientific and cinematic history (includes scenes of dinosaur violence). Noon, 1, 2, & 3 p.m., 1105 North University. $8 at the gift shop. Limited capacity. (734) 764–0480, ummnh.org.
Duplicate Bridge: Ann Arbor City Club
Observer Editor
Every Fri., Tues., & Thurs. All invited to play ACBL-sanctioned duplicate bridge (Fri. & Tues.) and a 499er game (Thurs.) for players with no more than 499 ACBL master points. 1–4 p.m. (arrive by 12:45 p.m.), 1830 Washtenaw Ave. $9 per person. If you plan to come without a partner, email [email protected].
Friday Night Live Music at Lake Forest Golf Club: Lake Forest Golf Club
Community Listing
🎶 Friday Night Live Music at Lake Forest Golf Club 🎶
Join us Friday, May 22nd at 5:30 PM for an evening of live music featuring local musicians on piano and bass, Louis Johnson and David Stearns. The night features a variety of music from Jazz, Motown, R&B, and Standards.
Come early and enjoy Happy Hour from 3–5 PM featuring food and drink specials before the music begins. Open to the public. Enjoy corn toss, and other lawn games. Practice Facility and Golf!
📍 Ellsworth Food & Spirits at Lake Forest Golf Club
🗓 Friday, May 22nd
⏰ Happy Hour: 3–5 PM | Live Music Starts: 5:30 PM
🎵 Live Music by Louis Johnson and David Stearns
View the full menu online: https://ellsworthannarbor.com/menus/#specials
3110 W. Ellsworth Road, Ann Arbor. Free. [email protected]. www.lakeforestgc.com 734-994-8580.
3110 W. Ellsworth Road ,Ann Arbor. Free. [email protected] www.lakeforestgc.com 734-994-8580.“Pages for Progress: A Nonfiction Book Club”: Booksweet Bookshop
“The Music of James Taylor with Nick Veine”: Ann Arbor District Library
4th Friday Cacao Circle: Dr Nurse Paula
Community Listing
Join us for a small community indigenous medicine circle focus on cacao every 4th Friday of the month (except June). We will enjoy one of the rarest cacao's in the world and connect with yourself, your ancestors, your gaurdians and cacao. Sick of feeling powerless in an out of control world? Take back control of your nervous system by building non human centered relationships. 3 in person spots available, and 4 online spots available per event. All proceeds got to support The Crow Colalition, a women focused health and education non profit. There will be some singing and drumming also a limited amount of smoke medicine with sage, palo santo or copal.
2800 S State St Suite 215 ,Ann Arbor. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-friday-cacao-circle-tickets-1982282048970?aff=oddtdtcreator $40 donation recommended. [email protected] drnursepaula.comD&D Adventurers League: Sylvan Factory
Observer Editor
Every Fri. All invited to play the current official campaign of the popular Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role-playing game, using 5th-edition rules. Kids under 13 must have parent or guardian accompaniment. 6–10 p.m., 2459 W. Stadium. $10. Space limited, preregistration strongly recommended. (734) 929–5877, sylvanfactory.com.
Triangle Fire, Black Market Kidney Surgeon, Mormon Mincers, Yaksaw, Teknokrat, and Tongue: The Regal Beagle
Community Listing
Tours collide at The Regal Beagle! Triangle Fire (Athens, GA), Black Market Kidney Surgeon (Murfreesboro, TN), Mormon Mincers (SF Bay Area, CA) along with Yaksaw (Pontiac, MI), Teknokrat (Detroit), and Tongue (Ypsi).
Wee Wah Productions
The Regal Beagle, 817 E. Michigan Ave ,Ypsilanti. $15. [email protected] 7342772466.“Discovery after Dark: Hand-Crafted Evening”: Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum
Observer Editor
Adults 21 & up invited to try different crafts, including linocut printmaking, fiber arts, clay trinkets, and painting. Tickets include 2 alcoholic drinks and snacks. 6:30–9 p.m., 220 E. Ann. $30 museum admission (members, $20) in advance only at discoverscienceandnature.org/aahom & at the door. (734) 995–9439.
“Euchre Change a Life!”
Observer Editor
May 8 & 22. Five-game euchre tournament. Sign up with a partner, or get paired with one by the organizers. Prizes. Food and beverages available for purchase. Proceeds benefit Haitian children via Haitian Christian Outreach. 6:30–9 p.m., HOMES Campus, 112 Jackson Plz. $15 (HOMES members, $10). [email protected], tinyurl.com/a2euchrechange.
Magic: The Gathering: Sylvan Factory
Observer Editor
Every Tues., Wed., Fri., & Sat. All invited to play both casual and tournament forms of the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering (MTG).
Tues. (6:30 p.m.): “Pauper.” A fun and fast format for all skill levels, three rounds. $5.
Wed. & Sat. (5 p.m.): “Commander.” A drop-in session of the most popular form of the game. Free.
Wed. (6:30 p.m.): “Standard.” Three rounds, with competitive tournament rules, prizes of store credit. $10.
Fri. (6:30 p.m.): “Friday Night Draft.” Cost and format vary.
Various times, 2459 W. Stadium. (734) 929–5877, sylvanfactory.com.
“Poems for the People: Celebrating Thirty Years of Ann Arbor Poetry & Community”: Dzanc Books
Observer Editor
Poetry readings by 2025 National Book Award winner Patricia Smith, along with Ross Gay, Hanif Abdurraqib, Shira Erlichman, Sarah Kay, and other local poets and youth poets in honor of the retirement of longtime Pioneer High School creative writing teacher, and award-winning poet, Jeff Kass. 7–9 p.m. PHS Schreiber Auditorium, 610 W. Stadium. Tickets $15 (students, $5) in advance at bit.ly/poemsforthepeople & (if available) at the door.
Nam June Paik: The Moon is the Oldest TV: CLUSTER Museum
Community Listing
As co-founder of the Fluxus art movement in the U.S. alongside John Cage, Nam June Paik’s exponential impact is often overlooked. Amanda Kim’s film dives into his personal and artistic life, which were one in the same. Dogged by visa and financial problems during his prolific time in New York, Paik finally returned to Korea and was hailed a national hero for his pioneering work.
CLUSTER Museum 307 N. Main St. ,Ann Arbor. Free.Nam June Paik: The Moon is the Oldest TV: Cluster Museum
Community Listing
As co-founder of the Fluxus art movement in the U.S. alongside John Cage, Nam June Paik’s exponential impact is often overlooked. Amanda Kim’s film dives into his personal and artistic life, which were one in the same. Dogged by visa and financial problems during his prolific time in New York, Paik finally returned to Korea and was hailed a national hero for his pioneering work.
Cluster Museum 307 N. Main St. ,Ann Arbor. Free.Ricarlo Winston: Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase
Observer Editor
May 22 & 23. Rising Muskegon comic and proud “blerd” (Black nerd) whose warm, playful act draws from his life experiences, from growing up with older parents to dealing with thieving cousins. Opening acts TBA. 7:15 (Fri. & Sat.) & 9:45 p.m. (Sat.), 212 S. Fourth Ave. $20 at aacomedy.com & (if available) at the door. (734) 996–9080.
“Much Ado About Nothing”: Brevity Shakespeare
Observer Editor
May 22–24 & 29–31. This local acting company performs a 90-minute abridged production of Shakespeare’s high-spirited, sharp-tongued comedy about 2 pairs of young lovers. One couple, both disdainful of love, are tricked into acknowledging each other, while the other couple’s love is nearly ruined by deception and suspicion. The play is best known for its charged sexual banter and for the penetrating wit and dark cast of its humor. 7:30 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.) & 2:30 p.m. (Sat. & Sun.), Ypsilanti Performance Space, 218 N. Adams, Ypsi. Tickets $15 (students & seniors, $10). Limited capacity; reservations recommended at brevityshakespeare.org.
“Indie Film Sampler”: Dreamland Theater
Observer Editor
26 N. Washington, Ypsi. Pay what you can at the door. facebook.com/theaterdreamland.
May 22: “Indie Film Sampler.” Experimental independent films: ‘Places in Pieces Vol. 4’ (Jason Pappariella, 2026) a non-narrative meditation follows the flight of a moth across Eastern and Central Europe, with a score by Adam Parks (Lighting White Bison); also, ‘A Gift for the Beloved’ (Robert Hughes) as well as two other short films by this local filmmaker. 8 p.m.
“Murder on the Links”: Purple Rose Theatre Company
Observer Editor
Every Wed.–Sun., Apr. 2–May 31. David Bendena directs Steven Dietz’s 2023 farce, based on an Agatha Christie whodunit, in which eccentric Belgian detective Hercule Poirot’s newest client is discovered, dead, on a French golf course. A cast of 6 actors embody a plethora of suspects in this high-energy, comic adaptation. Adult language and subject matter. 7:30 p.m. (Thurs.), 3 p.m. (Thurs., Sat., & Wed.), 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), & 2 p.m. (Sun.). PRT, 137 Park St., Chelsea. Tickets $31.50–$52.50 in advance at purplerosetheatre.org and (734) 433–7673, & (if available) at the door. Discounts available.
“The Last Wide Open”: Theatre Nova
Observer Editor
Every Fri.–Sun., May 22–June 14. Diane Hill directs the Michigan premiere of Audrey Cefaly’s “love song in three movements,” a multiverse musical about the romance between a weary waitress and an immigrant dishwasher/musician playing out in several different parallel universes. The time-bending plot asks: what if love is less about destiny and more about timing? 8 p.m. (Fri. & Sat.), 3 p.m. (Sat., except May 23), and 2 p.m. (Sun.). Theatre Nova, 410 W. Huron St. Tickets $30 (age 65 and older, $25; students with ID, $15 at the door) in advance at theatrenova.org/season11 & (if available) at the door. (734) 635–8450.
“Telescope Observing”: U-M Detroit Observatory
Observer Editor
Every Fri. All invited to drop in to use the Observatory’s 1857 Fitz telescope and other modern instruments. Exhibits are also open regardless of viewing conditions. Last visitors admitted 30 minutes prior to closing. 9–11 p.m., 1398 E. Ann at Observatory. Free, no registration required. (734) 763–2230, detroitobservatory.umich.edu.
“Tree Town Stand-Up Showcase”: Hear.Say Brewing + Theater
Riverside Swings: Riverside Arts Center
Observer Editor
Every Fri. Swing dancing to recorded music. No partner or experience required. Wear comfortable low-grip/tread shoes. Preceded at 7 and 8 p.m. by hour-long lessons. Followed by a “late-night blues-&-fusion” dance. The 1st Friday of each month is free, and the 3rd Friday includes a Charleston lesson. 9–11 p.m., 76 N. Huron St., Ypsi. $5 (students, $4). riversidearts.org/riverside-swings.