6 minute read
EVENTS
January
ANN ARBOR FOLK FESTIVAL Ann Arbor; theark.com
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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 Detroit; cupids.org
Fundraiser for Neurofibromatosis research sees participants strip down for a good cause. EROTIC POETRY AND MUSIC FESTIVAL Detroit; tangentgallery.com
Poets, writers, and performers explore the power of sexuality.
March
Local music showcase. MOTOR CITY TATTOO EXPO 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
Mardis Gras-style parade to ward off the mischievous Nain Rouge, a folkloric imp who cursed Detroit. ANN ARBOR FILM FESTIVAL Ann Arbor; aafilmfest.org
Weeklong event features dozens of indie and experimental films.
April
DETROIT TIGERS OPENING DAY Detroit; mlb.com
Tigers fans celebrate the start of the season of America’s pasttime. FOOLMOON AND FESTIFOOLS Ann Arbor; wonderfoolproductions.org
Illuminated costumes and contraptions
Must-do annual events
in Southeastern Michigan
parade down the streets of Ann Arbor. ANN ARBOR MONROE STREET FAIR AND HASH BASH Ann Arbor; hashbash.com, monroestreetfair.com
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 Detroit; detroitmusicawards.net
Annual award show recognizes
Detroit’s best music makers. ASTRONOMICON 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 Ann Arbor, Detroit; cinetopiafestival.org
Michigan’s answer to Cannes, with dozens of films screened. MOTOR CITY COMIC CON Novi; motorcitycomiccon.com
Annual ode to geek culture has celebrity, artist booths, a marketplace, cosplay contests, and more. EAST LANSING ART FESTIVAL East Lansing; elartfest.com
Since its inception in 1964, this community event showcases the work of artists, performers, and craftspeople of all kinds. KENSINGTON ART FAIR Milford; kensingtonartfair.com
Juried art fair in Kensington Metropark. MOVEMENT MUSIC FESTIVAL 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
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
More than 20 nights of programming and more than 175 events, featuring music, art, film, and more. THE ART OF FIRE FESTIVAL Royal Oak; artoffirero.com
The annual Art of Fire Festival features more than 100 artists working in clay, glass, and metal. SUMMER SOLSTICE JAZZ FEST 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.
HIGH TIMES CANNABIS CUP Clio; cannabiscup.com
The premier cannabis magazine judges the region’s best strains, edibles, and other products, alongside a hip-hop music festival.
July
WYANDOTTE STREET ART FAIR Wyandotte; wyandotte.net
Annual art fair draws more than 200,000 visitors and 200-plus artists from Michigan and beyond. BLUE WATER FESTIVAL Port Huron; thebluewaterfest.com
Downtown Port Huron’s annual event includes a parade, a carnival, live music, and other activities, leading up to the
Bayview Mackniac Race. CONCERT OF COLORS Detroit; concertofcolors.com
Annual festival celebrates world music, including the annual Don Was Detroit
All-Star Revue, plus food and other vendors. MICHIGAN ELVISFEST Ypsilanti; mielvisfest.org
A longstanding tribute to the one and only king of rock’n’ roll, Elvis. ANN ARBOR ART FAIR Ann Arbor; theannarborartfair.com
A massive art fair featuring vendors from all over. PIG AND WHISKEY Ferndale; pigandwhiskeyferndale.com
Metro Times’ annual festival featuring live music, food vendors, and plenty of whiskey. FASTER HORSES Brooklyn; fasterhorsesfestival.com
Massive camping country music festival features national headliners. STERLINGFEST ART AND MUSIC FAIR Sterling Heights City Center; sterling-heights.net
Live music, arts and craft festival, children’s activities, fireworks, and more. MICHIGAN SUMMER BEER FESTIVAL Ypsilanti; mibeer.com
The Michigan Brewers Guild’s annual fest features more than 1,000 Michigan-made beers from more than 150 breweries. MO POP FESTIVAL Detroit; mopopfestival.com
Indie music fest that has featured the likes of Lizzo, Tame Impala, the
National, Billie Eilish, and more.
August
BELLE ISLE ART FAIR Detroit; belleisleartfair.com
Juried art show features dozens of artists on Detroit’s island state park. MILFORD MEMORIES SUMMER FESTIVAL Milford; milfordmemories.com
Milford’s annual founding celebration includes an art fair, music, beer tent, kids’ activities, and more. RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL Holly; michrenfest.com
Huzzah! Costumes, jousting, and turkey drumsticks abound at this annual celebration of all things Medeival. THE WOODWARD DREAM CRUISE Oakland County; woodwarddreamcruise.com
A motorcade of classic cars and the cruisers down Oakland County’s major thoroughfare. HYDROFEST Detroit; detroitboatraces.com
The APBA Gold Cup is the oldest active motorsports trophy, featuring high-speed hydroplanes on the Detroit
River.
September
Formerly hosted at the Michigan State
Fairgrounds in Detroit for more than 160 years, the state fair now lives on at
Novi’s Suburban Collection Showplace. ARTS, BEATS & EATS Royal Oak; artsbeatseats.com
Live music including national acts, plus art vendors, food, and family fun. DETROIT INTERNATIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL Detroit; detroitjazzfest.org
The weekend-long event honors jazz in all forms with a lineup of world-renowned artists, as well as a celebrated resident artist. DALLY IN THE ALLEY Detroit; dallyinthealley.com
Detroit’s largest community festival features live music and vendors in the
Cass Corridor. HAMTRAMCK LABOR DAY FESTIVAL Hamtramck; hamtownfest.com
A weekend-long Labor Day music festival boasting local acts across all genres. ART & APPLES FESTIVAL Rochester; pccart.org
Exhibits the work of more than 250 artists from across the country. MURALS IN THE MARKET Eastern Market, Detroit; muralsinthemarket.com
Annual street art festival sees Detroit’s shopping district decked in murals from top-notch artists from Detroit and around the world. DIY STREET FAIR Ferndale; ferndalediy.com
Local vendors hawk their wares alongside a live music festival featuring local talent. FUNKY FERNDALE ART FAIR Ferndale; funkyferndaleartfair.com
A more traditional art fair held across the street from the DIY Street Fair.
October
THEATRE BIZARRE Detroit; theatrebizarre.com
Detroit’s Masonic Temple transforms into the “Greatest Masquerade on
Earth,” with fire dancers, burlesque, live music, and intricate costumes. DETROIT FALL BEER FESTIVAL Detroit; mibeer.com/detroit-fall-festival
Held in Eastern Market, this beer fest sees more than 800 craft beers from 120 Michigan-based breweries.
November
YOUMACON Detroit; youmacon.com
Metro Detroit’s annual anime and video games convention features cosplay, a
Japanese-style maid cafe, live gaming, vendors, and more. AMERICA’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE Detroit; theparade.org
One of the country’s largest and most spectacular parades features floats, marching bands, celebrity guests, and more. WHISKEY IN THE WINTER Detroit; mtwhiskeyinthewinter.com
Metro Times’ whiskey tasting event features food, music, and booze.
December
DETROIT URBAN CRAFT FAIR Detroit; detroiturbancraftfair.com
Michigan’s longest-running indie craft bazaar. NOEL NIGHT Detroit; noelnight.org
