Summer in the City

What is summer in Detroit without incredible summer events? Metro Detroit has loads of celebrations, festivals, anniversaries and fireworks throughout the summer. Watch as firecrackers light up the city skyline, enjoy live music, food vendors, and family fun at area festivals this summer as a the perfect time venture out to watch a live show, stroll down the river and watch a dazzling light show across many Metro Detroit locations.

by Darralynn Hutson

Light Up Livernois

Check out Light Up Livernois, Detroit’s premier fashion, art, and design street festival, with sponsorship from Amazon, is back and ready to shine a light on Detroit’s creative community. Held on Saturday, July 2, 2022, and presented by the Independent Business Association Detroit Community Development Corporation (IBA Detroit CDC), Light Up Livernois event takes place along Livernois Avenue between Six and Eight Mile Roads.

The day’s activities include open studios, a runway fashion show, and creative art installations amid a backdrop of eateries, music, and independent businesses along Livernois Avenue’s Avenue of Fashion. In addition to showcasing Detroit’s artists, Light Up Livernois serves to attract thousands of visitors and patrons to the business, salons, restaurants, and retailers along the avenue. In addition to helping small businesses generate more than $500,000 at past events, Light Up Livernois has become the impetus for new business development in the corridor including retail, dining, and professional service firms. Additionally, brands that launched or displayed at Light Up Livernois have gone on to attract national financing and independent visual artists who display at the event have grown their profiles and visibility, creating new audiences, clients, and viable income streams for their work.

Motortown Revue’ Motown Mile Outdoor Installation on the Riverwalk

Visit the “Motortown Revue: A Culture in Motion” created by the Motown Museum and Detroit Riverfront Conservancy along the Detroit River. The installation celebrates the Motown tours that help put Detroit musical artists on the world stage and remain a valuable part of our city’s tourism. The tour features eight kiosks between GM Plaza and Cullen Plaza which has been dubbed the Motown Mile. At each stop, visitors learn about how the label became a phenomenon particularly during the 1960s as they were part of the soundtrack to the Movement for Civil Rights. The kiosks are themed and feature texts and photos including rare images from the record label and its artists. Motown Museum CEO Robin Terry called the collaboration between the museum and the riverfront, “a perfect marriage” of the legacy institutions. 

River Blast’s Back at the Belle Isle

The “River Blast 2022” is back with a series of concerts, featuring different music groups each week during the summer months June, July and August. Each concert takes place Wednesdays starting at 7 p.m. at the Belle Isle State Park. Concert bands presenting free performances include: June 29: Farmington Concert Band, July 6: Motor City Brass Band, July 13: Farmington Concert Band M-1 Jazz Collective, July 20: Canton Concert Band, July 22: Downriver Community Band, August 3: Rock Bottom August 10: Warren Concert Band, August 17: Professor Vincent Chandler and the WSU Jazz Warriors, August 24: Dr Pocket, and August 31: Birmingham Concert Band.

30th Annual “Concert of Colors”

The 2022 “Concert of Colors” marks its 30th anniversary with a full music menu as it returns to the live, in-person event complemented by several live streamed events. The festival runs July 16-24, 2022 with events mainly held at outdoor stages and the Detroit Institute of Arts. As metro Detroit’s premiere free annual diversity-themed music festival, the “Concert of Colors” is a must-see experience for anyone looking for global music at its finest. This year’s festival will feature performances by: Eternal Spirit: The Music of Alice Coltrane on July 23, 2022 at 5:00pm, Amp Fiddler Featuring Urban Art Orchestra on July 24, 2022 at 5:00pm, Unity In Diversity on July 20, 2022 at 7:30pm, Nafada: Arab Women in Hip Hop on July 23, 2022 at 2:00pm, and DhakaBaraka on July 21, 2022 at 8:00pm.

Fireworks

Relish in Detroit’s largest fireworks display that illuminates the city skyline. The Parade Company and Ford present the 64th Annual Fireworks along the Detroit River. his year’s theme is, “Hey Detroit! The Sky Shines for You”. This year the show will feature a celebration at Hart Plaza, with the show taking place Monday, June 27, 2022 at Hart Plaza from 9:55pm-11pm.