Afro Nation, Square Dance and more
Detroit, it’s that bittersweet time of year: the days are getting shorter and the end of summer is in sight, but that doesn’t mean the fun is stopping!
This week is jam-packed with rockstar-level events where you can dance, eat, and soak up every last ray of sunshine. Take some time to groove to global beats at Afro Nation, cheer on culinary masters at the Collard Green Cook-Off, or immerse yourself in Detroit’s rich literary scene to enjoy the city before summer bids us farewell.
PS: See you on the dance floor at Afro Nation! I’ll be celebrating my birthday on Sunday! – Meghan
Let’s get started. 💛
Thursday
🥬 Cheer on the five chefs who made it to the final round of the Detroit is Different Collard Green Cook-Off Championship. The stakes are high and the ovens will be hot as the finalists compete at the Joseph Walker Williams Center. Chief Buddhathe 2023 Collard Green Cook-Off Champion. Using locally sourced ingredients, these culinary artists will put their own spin on collard greens, a staple of Black culture—and you can help choose the winner! Free.
This weekend
🥂 Toast UFO Bar’s grand (re)opening on Friday night. Formerly known as the UFO Factory, the Corktown venue was purchased by the owner of Spot Lite in June. Roula David. Dance to DJs, feast on food from Gladys Nite and watch out for flying objects. 😉 21+. Free.
🌍 Experience world-class music from around the world all weekend long at Afro Nation. Headliner Rema And Lil Waynealong with an incredible lineup full of local and international artists, will take over a historically significant space for black Detroiters near Brush Park to showcase the music of the African diaspora. 17+. $70 for one day, $99 for the weekend.
🎻 Spend an intimate musical evening with Six Mile Strings at Next Chapter Books on Saturday. This Detroit-based string quartet with Yuri Popowycz, Natalie Frakes, Alycia Wilder And Tom Sullivan plays songs from a variety of genres. Plus, you can pick up a new book to read before fall arrives. $10.
📚 Experience poetry at its finest at 27th Letter Books on Saturday. Poets Topaz Winters, Patricia Killelea And Adia Micah Mohammed will take the stage to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Winter’s Portrait of My Body as a Crime I’m Still Committing. Pick up a copy of 10 new poems there. The event is free.
🥘 After working up an appetite dancing at Afro Nation, stroll over to Yaba Late-Night Food Village on Saturday to sample delicious local and West African fare. Yummy! This pop-up in the Eastern Market features a live DJ, tasty food trucks, a full bar, and even more dancing (if you’re up for it 💃). $2.
🏫 Get your kids ready for back to school with the Detroit Public Schools Community District on Sunday afternoon at Martin Luther King Jr. High School. Start the school year off right with back to school gifts, groceries, ice cream, and household cleaning baskets. Registration required. Free.
🤠 Head to Vamonos in the southwest for a Queer Potluck + Square Dance on Sunday. Lindsay McCaw will call out the dance steps as Aaron Jonah Lewis Violins, Alex Belhaj strums the guitar and Rachel Pearson holds it on the bass. As Dolly Parton once said, “Time to light a match and light this bar on fire!” $20 suggested donation.
Next week
✌️ Refresh yourself with Tai Chi with a therapist Dawn A. Sanders on Monday at the Detroit Abloom on Manistique Street. You’ll spend time in the outdoor pavilion, balancing your moves and clearing your head. If you miss it, Sanders is coming back for more sessions on August 25 and 26. Registration required. $15.
🚨 Consider a future without police with New York author Philip McHarris. His latest book, Beyond Policing, offers McHarris’ perspective on how society can make the police obsolete. Ask questions, listen to him read from his works, and get your copy signed. Free. $31.80, includes copy of the book.
🧒🏾 Learn more about the impacts of climate change on children’s health from our newsroom partner Planet Detroit during a live webinar on Tuesday. Moderated by Planet Detroit’s new Executive Director Laprisha Berry Danielsthe panel is Aisha Harris, Andrew Lewandowski and reporter Ambirr Momon. Registration required. Free.
📜 Help document Woodbridge’s history with the Woodbridge Neighborhood Development Corp. on Wednesday at the Detroit Public Library’s main branch. Participants can learn how the Woodbridge History Project is capturing the spirit of the evolving neighborhood by creating a multidisciplinary public document. Free.
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