MARQUETTE — Dance, drink, feast and be merry at Marquette Fringe’s free Fall Phantasm 2024 with the theme “Journey Through the Underworld” on Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m. at Lakenenland Sculpture Park in Chocolay Township.

For those who haven’t experienced the wonder and whimsy that is the Fall Phantasm, this annual event is a celebration of all forms of performative art, such as music, theater and dance combined with interactive activities hosted by an organization called Marquette Fringe.

Marquette Fringe Board of Directors President Mike Bradford said the board and creatives behind the event “fell into” the phantasm becoming a pseudo-renaissance fair complete with lively tunes, intricate costumes, two performance stages, vendors and fairgrounds.

Lakenenland Sculpture Park will be transformed into a fantasy setting where “the veils are thin and beings from all realms, galaxies and mystical dreams gather to adventure through the unknown,” according to the Marquette Fringe website.

This unique event will not only have entertainment but the chance to interact with otherworldly and fantastical characters placed around the grounds played by actors.

“It’d be one thing if we just kept things to the stage and then scattered some vendors around, but we want to have these other installations and opportunities to engage and be acrtive and enthralled,” Bradford said.

Six “gateways,” or unique themed locations, will be spread out across the fairgrounds. These include the Hall of Myths, Black Stone Outpost, the Alchemists’ Guild, the Hall of Reflections, the Fire Temple and the Pleiades Portal. Another area is the Tree of Souls, located near the two main stages.

There will also be merchants at the Underworld Market and food and nonalcoholic beverages at the provisions section. This event will not provide alcoholic beverages, but attendees are welcome to bring carry-ins as long as they drink responsibly.

“Obviously, with the distance you’re driving and even with the shuttle, you’re still gonna have to drive from where you park and get on the shuttle, so be mindful,” Bradford said.

Musical acts include acoustic singer/songwriter Noah Bauer, Irish folk music group The Saucy Rovers, soul and blues rock from One Human Band and DJ’ing by Conway.

Some of the more mythic celebrations at the event are the Parade of Souls featuring Jesters of the Undead Monarch, the Tree of Souls Celebration, the Lucid Fyre Bellators and the World of Color drag show. Note that the drag show will include uncensored and/or adult content.

As for dress code, Bradford encouraged attendees to dress up as much or as little as they’d like; either way, he said attendees will want to bring some warm layers to fend off the cold as the sun goes down.

“It can be whatever you want to wear,” he said. “More than anything, you want people to be comfortable and have a good time. Do whatever you want to wear.”

In addition, Bradford also suggested bringing plenty of water since Lakenenland doesn’t have running water.

Event parking will be located at the Ojibwa Casino along U.S. 41 in Chocolay Township with free shuttles going in 10- to 15-minute intervals to Lakenenland from the casino from 2:45 to 11:30 p.m. Leashed dogs are welcome at Lakenenland and on the shuttle.

However, if one would like to upgrade their experience, VIP tickets are available and come with a variety of benefits, including special side-stage viewing, on-site parking and more unique interactions with character actors. Tickets are $75 for one person, $60 each for groups of two, $50 each for groups of three or $45 each for groups of four.

“The perks (a VIP ticket) give you the opportunity to maximize your experience at the event,” Bradford said. “It’s unique. Second, it also supports us, the organization, because we do a lot of our fundraising on the back end so that we can keep these events free for the public and that takes a lot of effort.”

Attendees should expect there to be somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 people attending the event.

The Fall Phantasm is made possible by sponsors that help Marquette Fringe in a variety of ways, including goods-in-kind, financial donations and manpower.

More information, tickets, a schedule and a frequently asked questions section are available at marquettefringe.org/fall-phantasm-2024/.