The Emberlight Festival enters its sixth season with the theme "New Ways to Dream," reflecting its remarkable journey from a pandemic-era concept to a premier two-month cultural destination. Running from June 27 to August 22, 2026, the festival transforms Ironwood, Michigan, and Hurley, Wisconsin, into vibrant artistic epicenters featuring over twenty-five events across five distinct venues. Artistic Director Miles Mykkanen envisioned this year's theme as a celebration of the festival's rapid growth and its expanded multidisciplinary lineup, which blends music, film, photography, visual art, and workshops to bring world-class culture directly to the Upper Great Lakes region.
Watch an excerpt of Mason Bates' "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," featuring Ironwood's own Miles Mykkanen in one of the starring roles at The Metropolitan Opera:
This season boasts an historic collaboration with The Metropolitan Opera to screen the acclaimed production of "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay," a show that famously featured Mykkanen in a starring role on the New York stage. The cinematic momentum continues with the Emberlight International Film Festival, which saw its acceptance rate plummet to a competitive 2.35% after receiving more than 950 global submissions. Amidst managing these massive logistics alongside film festival director Colton Pometta, Mykkanen is also embracing the creative chaos of his dual role as administrator and performer, preparing to take the stage himself to headline the festival's grand finale concert, "Something Wonderful," alongside The Broadway Strings.
Public Radio 90's Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Mykkanen about the festival:
At its core, Emberlight remains deeply rooted in local collaboration and accessibility through its "Art for All" initiative, which guarantees free admission for everyone aged twenty and under to all ticketed events. A crown jewel of this year's community programming is a massive visual arts installation in Miners Memorial Heritage Park, where more than 230 regional students worked with professional creators and an Ojibwe elder to craft sixteen totems honoring Indigenous heritage. Ultimately, Mykkanen aims to dismantle the barriers surrounding art forms like opera, offering locals and tourists alike a profound, world-class cultural experience right in their own Northwoods backyard.
Visit emberlight.org for more information.
