Hoopfest, Bookfest, a Clark Park fest and more Detroit events

The city is absolutely buzzing with local and international music acts all week long. There’s no better time to get out and explore the 313!

From finding a new novel at Bookfest to shooting hoops at Hoopfest and dancing to the orchestra at Clark Park, we’re here to fill up your social calendars.

We’ve also found some nice ways for you to slow your roll at the Detroit Zen Center and Self Care Sunday if a more mellow weekend is calling your name. No matter where your dial’s at, we’ve got you covered.

Let’s get busy! 💛

Concert of Colors events

The Concert of Colors — Detroit’s free, annual, diversity-embracing music festival — continues all week long with a heavy-hitting lineup of shows, film screenings, workshops and lectures you won’t want to miss. Here are some of our picks:

🔉 Explore the complexity of human emotions on Thursday at New Music Detroit’s Open Channels at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. New Music Detroit members Jocelyn Zelasko and Justin Snyder will join Yvonne Lam and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s Cole Randolph for a sonic journey. Free.

🎬 Catch a screening of “ Nafada: An Audio Uprising ” at Spot Lite on Thursday. The film will showcase performer Gold Lyon from Canada, Detroit-based arts collective KNQSTDR , and artists from Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. Free.

💃 Dance Friday away at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History with shows from Rican Struction (Puerto Rico), Mokoomba (Zimbabwe) and Vox Sambou (Haiti). Make sure to stretch before all that boogying. Free.

👏 Delight in a Caribbean-themed showcase of performers on Saturday at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Then head across the street to the Detroit Historical Museum to watch some snazzy cars at the Lowrider Show . Free.

🎨 Indulge in work from more than a dozen artists at “ Mitli Mitlak (Like You, Like Me) ” at the Scarab Club on Sunday. The multimedia exhibition curated by Biba Sheikh will feature a lecture and performance. Free.

This weekend

🥳 Laugh your worries away with host Scott Sviland on Friday night at Tales from the 313 , a monthly storytelling night at Planet Ant Theatre in Hamtramck. Comedians Kyle Forsyth , Detroit Red , Kay Baratti , Kevin Key , Michael McChesney and Victor Paredes will share tales of party plans gone awry for this month’s theme, “Party Animals.” $10 in advance, $15 at the door.

🏀 Practice your fade away jumpers and play some tight defense this weekend at Hoopfest at Curtis Jones Park in NW Goldberg. This all-age event weaves together basketball, wellness and community. Show your skills in a H-O-R-S-E competition Friday, compete against other girls and boys on Saturday , and adults, get in on the action with a 3-v-3 tournament and special game. Stay for some special giveaways with City Council President Mary Sheffield and NBA legend Chris Webber on Sunday. Registration required. Free.

🎺 Immerse yourself in cultural arts on Saturday afternoon at the Clark Park Culture and Arts Festival in Southwest Detroit. Enjoy a soundtrack from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra , chat it up with community-focused nonprofits and meet neighbors in a casual picnic-style setting. Bring your own treats, or grab some bites from food trucks. Free.

🪴 Stop by the Detroit Zen Center in Hamtramck for the launch of the Shine One Corner initiative on Saturday and Sunday. Clayton Rugh , installer of the Ford Rouge Green Roof at the Zen, will host workshops on planting vegetation on rooftops and phytoremediation, a technique used to clean up contaminated environments. Later, participants can tour the new green roof and enjoy an organic vegan lunch buffet. Yum! Registration required. $20 suggested donations, $10 for young people from low-income households.

🧘 Take a pause to focus on yourself at Self Care Sunday , hosted by Abayomi CDC at the New St. Mark Family Life Center on the westside. You will be treated to fresh food, workshops on health and wellness and creative activities for some much-needed TLC. Registration required . Free.

📚 Literary enthusiasts who love to shop need look no further than Sunday’s long-anticipated Detroit Festival of Books — aka Detroit Bookfest — in Eastern Market. Whether your living room is lined with books or you are just a casual summer reader, you’ll have a great time perusing vendors selling rare, antique and used books, vinyl records, comics, vintage board games and other finds. And psst! We heard through the grapevine that author-illustrator DeAnn Wiley will be in attendance. 👀 Funk selector DJ Seven Whales will keep you grooving while on your book binge. Free.

🍻 Keep the vibe alive after Bookfest at Eastern Market Brewing Co. on Sunday! Detroit Blues Society will accompany your chat about your new books over some barbecue nachos, brisket and smoked mac and cheese from Detroit Sibling Rivalry BBQ. Sounds like a good time to us! Free.

Next week

🎨 Have you seen any Beavis faces on walls around the city? Find out what all the fuss is about (Butthead) on Wednesday at graffiti artist BVIS’ solo exhibition pop up at Motor City Brew Works in Midtown. Let’s show BVIS some of that Motor City love. Free.

🥁 Enjoy some percussive soul and funk from Aisha Ellis on Wednesday at the Black Bottom Live Music Series . A hometown fave, Ellis serves the community through her work with the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network. Mighty Rockets , a youth band at George Crockett Academy, will bring their passionate marching musical madness, making this an evening to remember. Free.

Hoopfest, Bookfest, a Clark Park fest and more Detroit events · Outlier Media