CALUMET — The Yoop Fest is returning to the Keweenaw for its fourth straight year, this year at the historic Calumet Theatre. The event will run Friday, Sept. 20 and Saturday, Sept. 21. Friday’s line up runs from 3 p.m. to midnight and from noon to midnight on Saturday. Food and drink will be available.

The two-day event will feature nearly 30 “underground,” or independent, bands from the local area, as well as from around the Midwest: Marquette, Detroit, Green Bay, Madison, Cleveland, Minneapolis and as far away as St. Louis, and is hosted by Kitschy Spirit Records, a record store and record label, located at 307b Sixth St., in Calumet. Interestingly enough, their store is located next to what used to be the Royal Theater, which operated from 1909 to 1931, reflecting that Calumet has, for more than a century, been a hub for the fine arts.

Chris Joutras and Anna Greenwood, owners of Kitschy Spirit Records, moved to Calumet from Madison, Wisconsin, in the summer of 2020, and after working various jobs, in 2022, they opened a small record shop on Fifth Street. In Feb. of this year, largely due to rapid business growth, they relocated to their present location. They have put on the Yoop Fest since 2020.

“The fest is kind of a celebration of music and focuses on kind of underground bands that write their own music. It’s harder for those bands that do original music to break out, Joutras said. “I would say about half of the bands are local, but I’m mostly trying to get bands from around the region.”

It’s a celebration of what he calls DIY, or Do It Yourself music. The Yoop Fest has become an Indie Rock convention, said Joutras.

Tickets can be purchased the day of the show, including day passes or a weekend pass. Save money by purchasing tickets in advance. They are available at https://donorbox.org/events/654646, or at Kitschy Spirit Records.