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MISHAWAKA — A full day of throwback entertainment is coming to Mishawaka this weekend.

Mishawaka RetroFest returns for its third year on Saturday, June 14th, celebrating culture from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s. The event at Ironworks Plaza includes a family-friendly day of live music, activities, games, and food, with gates opening at 2pm and the event lasting until 10pm.

“RetroFest is a celebration of all things retro,” according to Dan Vukmirovich, who helps organize the event.

Vukmirovich is also a member of the band The 1985 and brought the idea to the Mishawaka Parks & Recreation Department a few years ago. He saw a need for more music festivals in the area. He was inspired by Chicago’s long-running Retro on Roscoe event and the familiarity of music from the past that people of all ages have thanks to movie soundtracks and games like Rock Band.

The Crawpuppies kick off the live music at 3pm, taking listeners back to rock and roll from the 60s and 70s, with covers of bands like the Doobie Brothers, The Beatles, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Vukmirovich’s The 1985 hits the stage at 5:30pm, playing a live “mixtape” of all genres of music from the 1980s, from pop and rock to new wave, metal, and club music. The audience will hear hits from artists like Bon Jovi, Culture Club, the B-52s, Simple Minds, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston, and Madonna.

Fool House will finish the evening with a tribute to the music of the 90s at 8 p.m. The band focuses heavily on pop music from the era, while also weaving together pieces of songs from all genres and bands such as Nirvana, No Doubt, and The Spice Girls. 

Attendees are encouraged to dance and come in costume. For those not on the dance floor, an area will be available to bring lawn chairs for comfortable seating.

In addition to live music, there will be family-friendly activities, retro merchandise available for purchase, a “retro photo op”, and two free arcade trailers packed with vintage video games. The free arcade will feature games like Pac-Man, Asteroids, Street Fighter, and sit-down racing arcade games.

Food and drink will be available for purchase from six food trucks and three bars on site.

Tickets are available now for $5 or at the gate for $10, with children age 12 and under allowed in for free with an adult. Both gate entry and the bar are cashless, though food trucks will be able to take both cards and cash for payments.  More information on tickets, parking, and more can be found at mishawakaretrofest.com.