Tec-Troit, Motor City Pride and more Detroit events

Hey Motor City! We hope the weather cooperates as summer social events begin to ramp up. Don’t worry if you didn’t score tickets to the grand opening concert at Michigan Central. There are plenty of chances to explore the renovated space. For now, check out our photos and video sneak peek inside.

This weekend, the city will be poppin’ with Pride events to celebrate LGBTQ+ residents and allies. Find a free techno music festival , a Black science fiction and comics conference and a community health summit in this week’s roundup of fun!

Show off your Pride this week

🏳️‍🌈 Let your colors shine at the Motor City Pride festival and parade at Hart Plaza starting Saturday. More than 50 different acts will perform across four stages in the heart of the city (see what we did there?), and 15 food trucks will serve up everything from noodles to ice cream. Entertainers include Loren Allred , the PRISM Men Chorus and Jair Alexander . Check out the Pride parade on Sunday, which kicks off at the corner of Fort and Griswold streets. Afterward, consider face painting and arts and crafts with your kids while jamming out to Kyle Dion , glimmers and Problematic Black Hottie (what a great stage name!). $5. Free for kids 12 and under.

💋 Find a new lady friend at Lesbian Social’s Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Block Party ! The Pride event will take over The Skip in “The Belt,” a downtown mural-saturated alley near Library Street. Yanna , Jeanine Styles , Ethereal , Stardust and DJs XO and Killa Squid will entertain those sipping on luscious cocktails and engaging in lively conversation. 21+ Free.

⚙️ Dance the night away at Motorball to celebrate its 30th year Saturday night. The event is hosted by Geared for Life , a nonprofit dedicated to community health and education. Get ready to boogie and shimmy to sets from DJ Jason Kendig of Honey Soundsystem, DJ Tylr , Darryl G , Ladylike and Garrison XR . 21+. $40-$45.

This weekend

🎛️ Get your groove on with Detroit-based techno musicians all weekend, starting Friday night at Tec-Troit Electronic Music Festival. The annual three-day festival highlights local talent like something blue , Underground Resistance , AK , Scan 7 , DJ Lynda Carter and Los Hermanos . Fun fact for you architecture lovers: The festival’s modular and mobile venue, The Container Globe, is inspired by the Globe Theater in London and looks well worth checking out! Free.

☝️ Learn more about an incredible community of clay artists and makers at the Pewabic House & Garden Show on the eastside. You can learn about the studio’s 120-year history through the expanded museum exhibition “Pewabic: Detroit’s Pottery.” Then peruse items for sale and enjoy a weekend “biergarten” (read: beer garden), outdoor sculptures, clay throwing demos by Pewabic artists and sculpture-making demos by artist Laurie Sharkus . Go for the pottery, stay for the beer (or vice versa). Free.

🩺 Take care of yourself (and some petting zoo pals) on Saturday at Bailey Park at the corner of Elmwood and Charlevoix streets for the Community Health Equity Summit . Dr. Darrius (not a real doctor) of 97.9 WJLB will keep the good vibes flowing, and you can catch up on health screenings, eat some free food, try your luck at raffles and move your body to exercise demos. Free.

💣 Explore the worlds of Black sci-fi, comics and manga at the Black Age of Comics and Manga Con at the ArtBlock on Saturday. The host organizations hope this event creates space for people of color to share their literary and cosplay gifts. Mix and mingle with creators Andre Batts , Thomas Johnson and others to hear about their works. Free.

📚 Secure a “Passport to Literacy” for your kid(s) to attend No Fear Cafe’s free event at O’Hair Park on Saturday. Students will get to choose free books (“Charlotte’s Web” or “The Giving Tree”?) and snacks (apple slices or carrots?). Students can read out loud, do puzzles, play games and make new friends to celebrate literacy with. 12 and under. Registration required. Free.

🧺 Grab your parasol and picnic blanket and head to Chandler Park for Sounds of Summer on Saturday, the kick-off to the park’s summer concert series. Musicians from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra , Lulu Fall , Ultimate Ovation and Brandon Waddles will share their music. To get in on the fun, make your way to the northwest corner of Frankfort and Gray streets. All ages. Free.

Next week

🎠 Party in style at Shimmer on the River , an annual fundraiser for all the pathways, green spaces, cafés and activities on the Detroit RiverWalk and the people that power them. Robert C. Valade Park will serve as the epicenter of live music and food, but there’ll also be a kid beach party to ensure fun for all. FYI: We won’t ruin your fun, but at least stay up to date on the Detroit RiverFront Conservancy’s embezzlement scandal while you’re at it. $150.

👯 Shake your booty on Tuesday at Cullen Plaza for the kick-off of weekly outdoor Zumba classes also taking place on the riverfront. This high-energy dance series fit for all fitness levels runs through Aug. 20. A little birdie told us you meet your best friends when drenched in sweat, so we’ll see! Free.

👮🏽‍♂️ Looking for a new job or a career change? The Eastside Community Network’s got you covered. Head to its Community Career and Job Training Fair at The Stoudamire Wellness Hub on Wednesday to explore open positions and job training programs. Registration required. Free.

Tec-Troit, Motor City Pride and more Detroit events · Outlier Media