Update: 2025 Michigan Olive Burger Festival Postponed

We were looking forward to devouring so many olive burgers at this year's festival. We are beyond disappointed to learn the 3rd annual event has been postponed.

Here's what we've learned about plans for the Michigan Olive Burger Festival moving forward:

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While I know olives aren't for everyone, you can't deny the olive burger is one of Michigan's signature culinary creations. That's why we were so excited when the first festival was held in its honor; it's about time this dish gets the recognition and celebration it deserves.

Invention of the Olive Burger

It wasn't until I moved away from Michigan that I learned just how Michigan-centric the dish was. While you can find a mushroom swiss burger on nearly every diner menu, why is it so difficult to find a restaurant offering green olives and swiss?

The origins of the Michigan staple go way back to 1923 at Kewpee Hotel Hamburgs in Flint, Michigan. Throughout various name and location changes you can still find the original burger with olive sauce at Kewpee's in Lansing and Halo Burger in Flint. Is it surprising to learn that nearly 100 years later and Kewpee's says their olive burger is still the most popular burger on the menu? Clearly there's a reason the olive burger stands the test of time.

So, What Happened to the Festival?

Event organizers Lansing Foodies shared the sad news on social media on Monday, May 19 writing:

We want to continue to throw an amazing burger party, but need some more time to pull it all together- so we will skip this year and throw the next Olive Burger Festival to 2026. There are a lot of factors that went into our decision, but ultimately it came down to wanting to make sure that our beloved Olive Burger was given the proper celebration it deserves

I'm sure it doesn't help that damaging high winds and tornadoes swept through the Lansing area less than a week ago. Perhaps that had something to do with this decision too? Either way I'm definitely disappointed by this news. Be sure to follow the event page here for the latest updates.