An outdoor festival with some of the best Michigan has to offer in terms of art, music and food was the inspiration for MI Fest, which debuts Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.

The all-day event, which will be on the grounds of the speedway, not inside, will feature more than 20 musical arts on two stages, led by Sheryl Crow, the Raconteurs, Ronnie Dunn and Jeff Daniels.

“We wanted to do something that was unique and special for Michigan,” said MI Fest spokeswoman Alison Schwartz. “We wanted it to be outdoors, and that’s a very beautiful part of the state.”

MI Fest was the idea of George Gikas of TGIF Entertainment, a Farmington Hills-based company. The process of putting the event together began about a year ago, Schwartz said.

Most of the bands are from Michigan or have strong ties to the state. One exception is Crow, a Missouri native who, with more than 35 million albums sold, is the most commercially successful artist on the bill.

“We wanted to get artists that would appeal to many different people and get the very best of Michigan acts as well,” Schwartz said.

Crow and the Detroit-based Raconteurs, which features White Stripes founder Jack White, were announced as the co-headliners in the spring.

“Getting Jack White was a real coup,” Schwartz said. “People absolutely love (the Raconteurs).”

Ronnie Dunn (of Brooks and Dunn), Mark Farner (formerly of Grand Funk Railroad) and Jeff Daniels are some the other bigger names on the bill, which features everything from folk music to hip-hop to country to soul.

Detroit soul man Mitch Ryder is scheduled to perform, as is Alto Reed, formerly of Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

While music might be the main attraction, there will be plenty more going on.

Art galleries will feature the work of Carl Lungren, Stanley Mouse, Johnny Bee, Tom Weschler, Steve Galli, Ron Jacek and Mark Thompson. Some of the food and beverage vendors on site will be Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, El Guapo — Fresh Mexican Grill, Chicken Man, Bob Evans, SoL Garden, Randy’s Original Roadside BBQ & Ideal Bite Catering and American Badass Lager.

Also, a Walker Tavern Farmer’s Market will feature locally produced fruits and vegetables.

Schwartz said organizers are aiming for 15,000 people.