A free family celebration of Día de los Muertos: children's storytelling (11am), arts and crafts, food trucks and vendors, live music with Luna (noon), Ballet Folklórico Moyocoyani Izel (1pm) and Mariachi Mexico de Detroit (2pm). Add a name or message for a loved one to the community ofrenda. Register for free online.
Verified Oct 27 · detroitriverfront.org
Catch: Free registration on the Riverfront Conservancy's site
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History · Detroit
Cards & Culture returns to the Wright with a night of dominoes hosted by comedian Crystal P is Crazee. Experienced players and first-timers are both welcome: play, learn the game and enjoy the evening. Free; register on the museum's site.
The annual ceremony honoring those lost on the Great Lakes: a memorial wreath is carried from the Detroit River to the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald anchor, bells ring for the Fitzgerald's crew and an honor flotilla of U.S. and Canadian vessels passes. Afterward, warm drinks and Great Lakes songs by balladeer Lee Murdock inside the museum. Admission is free this year; register on the Society's site.
Verified Oct 27 · detroithistorical.org
Catch: Free registration on the Detroit Historical Society website · Driving onto Belle Isle needs a Michigan Recreation Passport (no cost on foot or by bike)
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History · Detroit
Elizabeth Catlett's son Francisco Mora Catlett and grandchildren Naima Mora and Mahalia de Los Angeles Mora Perez talk about the sculptor and printmaker as an icon and as a mother and grandmother, alongside the Wright Museum's exhibition of her work. Free; register on the museum's site.
Downtown Detroit's free holiday kickoff: live music from national and local performers, figure skating shows, food trucks and lighting displays, ending with the lighting of Detroit's Christmas tree in Campus Martius Park.
Detroit's 100th America's Thanksgiving Parade marches down Woodward Avenue on Thanksgiving morning, stepping off at Kirby at 8:45am for a roughly hour-and-a-half march south to Congress. Watching from the curb along most of the three-mile route costs nothing; reserved grandstand seats ($60–70) and parking are extra.
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History · Detroit
Detroit-area teen poets ages 13–18 go head to head for cash prizes in a two-round poetry battle, presented with InsideOut Literary Arts and hosted by La Shaun phoenix Moore. Audience admission is free: come cheer them on. Doors open at 4pm and the program runs 5–7:30pm.
Verified Oct 27 · thewright.org
Catch: Teens who want to compete must register in advance (no day-of sign-up)
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