January ANN ARBOR FOLK FESTIVAL
Ann Arbor; theark.com Fundraiser for the Ark venue.
February ROYAL OAK WINTER BLAST
Royal Oak; winterblast.com Annual winter celebration moved from Detroit to Royal Oak in 2022. THE DIRTY SHOW
Detroit; dirtydetroit.com Erotic art exhibition features a gallery show and burlesque performances. CUPID’S UNDIE RUN
Must-do annual events in Southeastern Michigan
Detroit; tangentgallery.com
Detroit; movement.us The world’s longest-running electronic music festival.
June FERNDALE PRIDE
Ferndale; ferndalepride.com Metro Detroit’s gayborhood celebrates our local LGBTQ communities with vendors, drag, live music, a 5k Rainbow Run, and lots of rainbow flags. MOTOR CITY PRIDE
Detroit; motorcitypride.org
Detroit; cupids.org Fundraiser for Neurofibromatosis research sees participants strip down for a good cause. EROTIC POETRY AND MUSIC FESTIVAL
MOVEMENT MUSIC FESTIVAL
parade down the streets of Ann Arbor. ANN ARBOR MONROE STREET FAIR AND HASH BASH
Ann Arbor; hashbash.com, monroestreetfair.com
Michigan’s largest pride event features live music, a parade, and more. HOEDOWN
Clarkston; wycd.radio.com Annual Country music festival put on by radio station 99.5 WYCD. ANN ARBOR SUMMER FESTIVAL
Ann Arbor; a2sf.org
HAMTRAMCK MUSIC FEST
Originally conceived as a protest in 1972, the Hash Bash has since grown into a rally in support of Michigan’s marijuana legalization movement. DETROIT MUSIC AWARDS
Hamtramck; hamtramckmusicfest.com
Detroit; detroitmusicawards.net
Royal Oak; artoffirero.com
Local music showcase. MOTOR CITY TATTOO EXPO
Annual award show recognizes Detroit’s best music makers. ASTRONOMICON
The annual Art of Fire Festival features more than 100 artists working in clay, glass, and metal. SUMMER SOLSTICE JAZZ FEST
Poets, writers, and performers explore the power of sexuality.
March
Detroit; themotorcitytattooexpo.com Tattoo convention features seminars, vendors, live music, and more. AUTORAMA
Detroit; autorama.com America’s greatest hot rod show. ST. PATRICK’S DAY PARADE
Detroit; detroitstpatricksparade.com Detroit’s historic Corktown honors its Irish heritage with a parade. MARCHE DU NAIN ROUGE
Detroit; marchedunainrouge.com
Livonia; astronomicon.com A pop culture convention conceived of by hip-hop duo Twiztid. STRATFORD FESTIVAL
Ontario, Canada; stratfordfestival.ca This annual theater festival is worth the international trip.
May CINETOPIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Mardis Gras-style parade to ward off the mischievous Nain Rouge, a folkloric imp who cursed Detroit. ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL
Ann Arbor, Detroit; cinetopiafestival.org
Ann Arbor; aafilmfest.org
Novi; motorcitycomiccon.com
Weeklong event features dozens of indie and experimental films.
Michigan’s answer to Cannes, with dozens of films screened. MOTOR CITY COMIC CON
April
Annual ode to geek culture has celebrity, artist booths, a marketplace, cosplay contests, and more. EAST LANSING ART FESTIVAL
DETROIT TIGERS OPENING DAY
East Lansing; elartfest.com
Detroit; mlb.com
Since its inception in 1964, this community event showcases the work of artists, performers, and craftspeople of all kinds. KENSINGTON ART FAIR
Tigers fans celebrate the start of the season of America’s pasttime. FOOLMOON AND FESTIFOOLS
Ann Arbor; wonderfoolproductions.org Illuminated costumes and contraptions
Milford; kensingtonartfair.com Juried art fair in Kensington Metropark.
56 | METROTIMES | City Guide 2022 | metrotimes.com
More than 20 nights of programming and more than 175 events, featuring music, art, film, and more. THE ART OF FIRE FESTIVAL
East Lansing; eljazzfest.com Features hours of jazz performances and includes youth and community education programming, complete with a New Orleans-style parade. JOBBIE NOONER
Gull Island Known as the “Mardi Gras of the Midwest,” this aquatic fest attracts up to 10,000 boats and more than 100,000 people around Lake St. Clair’s Gull Island. ELECTRIC FOREST
Rothbury; electricforestfestival.com A camping music festival that draws fans the world over, featuring jam bands, DJs, and psychedelic rock. GM RIVER DAYS
Detroit; riverdays.com During summer, the revived Detroit riverfront comes alive with music, special events, food, and activities for the kids. FORD FIREWORKS
Detroit; theparade.org/ford-fireworks Detroit’s annual pre-Fourth of July fireworks show along the scenic riverfront.
