The Metro Events Guide: Where to celebrate Juneteenth in metro Detroit

This week, we’ve got several Juneteenth celebrations, featuring live music, interactive art, panel discussions and community. 

Plus, the start of summer series from cocktails in the park to free movie screenings. Read on to learn more.

Juneteenth celebrations

Neo-classical piano renegade and cultural innovator BLKBOK returns home to Detroit on Wednesday, June 19 for his second headlining Juneteenth Celebration. BLKBOK’s vision is to illuminate awareness for all, encouraging dialogue and counterpoint in the way we perceive ourselves and the world we live in together. His performance begins at 7 p.m. in the DSO Cube. General admission is $30, or $50 for VIP seating. For more information, visit dso.org.

Read more: BLKBOK talks Juneteenth, latest album and more at Willis Show Bar »

The Michigan Black Business Alliance’s annual Juneteenth Freedom Fest is on Sunday, June 16 from noon to 6 p.m. The celebration will feature live entertainment, activities for kids, Black-owned business vendors and more. Admission is free. For more information, visit eventbrite.com.

Or, celebrate Juneteenth on the Dequindre Cut with live music, vendors, food trucks and more on Wednesday, June 19 from 2-7 p.m. Located on the eastern border of the historic Black Bottom neighborhood, Juneteenth on the Cut will celebrate the legacy of Black Bottom with storytelling, performances and interactive opportunities hosted by WDET’s own Nick Austin (co-host of The Metro weekdays 10-11 a.m.). This event is free and open to all ages. For more information, visit detroitriverfront.org.

Read more: The impact of I-375’s construction on two historic Black neighborhoods »

The Detroit Historical Museum has two Juneteenth special programs on Wednesday, June 19, the first of which is called These Flowers Belong to Me. This family celebration features artist and activist Kwaku Osei-Bonsu and his exhibition “These Flowers Belong to Me.” From 1-4 p.m., there will be hands-on art activities for all ages, a presentation by the artist and plenty of time to check out his installation in the museum. This event is free and open to the public.

Then from 6-8 p.m., Detroit Historical is holding a panel discussion titled Lunch Counters and Activism in connection with their new exhibition “Kresge at 100: A Century of Impact, a Future of Opportunity.” Panelists Ken Coleman, De Witt S. Dykes Jr., Jamon Jordan and Sharon Sexton will explore the role of lunch counters in the South and picketing in the North to the larger Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. This event is also free and open to the public. For more information about both these events, visit detroithistorical.org.

Pride celebrations

On Friday, June 14, the Ruth Ellis Center is holding their fifth annual Catfight for the Crown at the Fillmore Detroit. This benefit event is a bold and heartfelt homage to ballroom culture from the drag community. Guests are encouraged to dress fun and fancy in celebration of Pride month. Tickets start at $30 and the event is 18+. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit ruthelliscenter.org.

Then, Saturday, June 15 is the third annual Queercore Pride Fest at Parts & Labor in Dearborn. Queercore is an unapologetic celebration of alternative LGBTQ+ music including hardcore, ghetto tech, rock, punk and rap. This year’s host is drag queen Baha Blast with performances by EKG, Sudden Death Syndrome, Sex Change, LVRS, Scums Queens and Clutterbitch. Doors open at 7 p.m., music starts at 7:30 p.m. and tickets are $10. For more information, visit Sudden Death Syndrome on Instagram.

Summer series

Detroit’s Bourbon Garden Summer Series kicks off at Grand Circus Park on Thursday, June 13, featuring cocktails, local food vendors, live music from a rotation of local jazz performers and themed activities in the park. Bourbon Gardens will be hosted weekly on select Thursdays throughout the summer from 5-9 p.m. Entry is free. For more information, visit downtowndetroit.org.

Plus, the Downtown Detroit Partnership and Corewell Health are introducing a new monthly series in Campus Martius this summer. Campus Kids Day will happen every third Sunday starting June 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., featuring family-friendly themed entertainment and hands-on activities like gardening, dance lessons and more. To see the full series schedule and learn more, visit downtowndetroit.org.

Free movies in Detroit

The Detroit Film Theatre inside the DIA is hosting a free screening of “The Wiz” (1978) on Saturday, June 15 at 2 p.m. Starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross, this Motown Productions film has become a cult classic and highly influential in Black cinema. For more information, visit dia.org. 

Movie Nights In The D returns to Campus Martius Park on Wednesday, June 19 with a free screening of “The Color Purple” (2023). Guests are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket to sit on the lawn, and popcorn is available for purchase from Poppin Top Hat. To see the full series schedule and learn more, visit downtowndetroit.org.

Exhibition opening

The Annex Gallery at 333 Midland is housing a new exhibition titled “Women Interrupted,” featuring the works of two unique painters, Linda Soberman and Deborah Friedman. An opening ceremony will take place on Friday, June 14 from 4-8 p.m., and the exhibition will run through June 23. For more information, visit their Facebook event.