The Metro Events Guide: Earth Day, Record Store Day and Champions Day in Detroit
Discover unique arts and culture events in metro Detroit happening April 18 – April 25, 2024.
Painting with Plants workshop by Kayla Powers at the DIA.
This weekend is full of celebrations in metro Detroit — Record Store Day, Earth Day and City of Champions Day with the NFL Draft just around the corner. Plus, new restaurants and productions to check out in the area. Read on to learn more.
Earth Day
Celebrate Earth Day with the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy at their annual Dequindre Cut Spring Cleanup. On Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., volunteers will help remove litter from the Dequindre Cut Greenway and its surrounding streets. Volunteers of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate to help keep our city clean. For more information, visit detroitriverfront.org.
Then, stop by the DIA’s Art-Making Studio for a free Painting with Plants workshop. Guest artist Kayla Powers will teach visitors about the process of extracting pigment from plants and how to make paint using a natural binder. Then, participants can use those paints to contribute to a collaborative community painting in the museum. This workshop will be available on Saturday, April 20 and Sunday, April 21 from noon to 4 p.m. For more information, visit dia.org.
Record Store Day
This Saturday, April 20 is Record Store Day — an annual celebration of independently-owned brick-and-mortar record stores around the world. Some participating Detroit stores this year include (but are not limited to) Found Sound, Third Man Records, Paramita Sound, Slick Disc Music Inc, UHF Records, Dearborn Music, Flipside Records, Encore Records, Village Vinyl and Rock of Ages. To see special release recommendations from our music hosts, check out our Record Store Day highlights.
Plus, for the second year in a row, we’re partnering with Third Man Records to give away seven prize packages including exclusive vinyl releases, WDET and Third Man merch and a tour of the Third Man Pressing plant with WDET music hosts. Donations of any amount are eligible to win. For more information, visit WDET.org/give.
Champions Day
April 18 marks Champions Day in Detroit, commemorating the exceptional 1935–36 seasons for the city’s athletes, teams and fans. That year, the Detroit Tigers won the World Series, Joe Louis was the boxing champion, the Detroit Red Wings won their first Stanley Cup and the Detroit Lions won their first National Championship. To celebrate, the Detroit Historical Museum is offering free admission on Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be special events throughout the day honoring legends in Detroit sports including broadcasters, athletes and historians. For more information, visit detroithistorical.org.
Related: Detroit Historical’s director of collections and curatorial talks Champions Day on ‘The Metro’ »
Draft Day
For a celebration centered around the athletes of today, check out Draft Day in the D, a three-day party across Downtown Detroit’s award-winning parks and public spaces. From Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27, there will be ten 20-foot video walls around the city showing live feeds of the NFL Draft, accompanied by live music performances, over 30 food trucks, alcoholic beverages, corn hole tournaments and local shopping experiences. These events are free and open to the public. For more information, visit downtowndetroit.org.
New flavors
Dearborn Restaurant Week kicks off this weekend, spanning from Friday, April 19 through Sunday, April 28. This annual event showcases 26 local restaurants with fixed menu prices of $15, $25 and $40, so residents can try new establishments without worrying about the check. To see a list of this year’s participating restaurants, visit dearbornrestaurantweek.com.
Or for something within city limits, check out Vecino in Midtown. Spanish for “neighbor,” Vecino brings the flavors of Mexico City and Oaxaca to Detroit. They plan to offer an agave-forward bar and open-hearth kitchen, featuring Michigan’s first corn nixtamalization process. Their grand opening is on Friday, April 19 at 5 p.m. For more information, visit vecinodetroit.com.
New productions
Detroit Public Theatre’s newest production, “Clyde’s,” opens on Wednesday, April 24. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage tells the story of a truck-stop sandwich joint with a formerly incarcerated kitchen staff. They’re on a mission to create the perfect sandwich — and to move forward from past lives that were far from perfect. Hope and humor are the main ingredients in this entertaining but urgent play. Opening night is Friday, April 26 with pick-your-price preview shows on Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25. For more information, visit detroitpublictheatre.org.
On Saturday, April 20, WDET’s Liz Warner (host of Alternate Take Thursdays 8–10 p.m.) is moderating a Q&A with Michigan actor Christophe Zajac-Denek after a screening of his new film, ‘Sasquatch Sunset.’ Along with his co-stars Jesse Eisenberg, Riley Keough and Nathan Zellner, Zajac-Denek plays a Sasquatch in this film with no dialogue, no language and no humans. The screening will take place at Birmingham 8 Powered by Emagine at 7 p.m., followed by the Q&A. For more information, visit emagine-entertainment.com.
Related: Michigan-born actor Christophe Zajac-Denek talks ‘Sasquatch Sunset,’ dwarfism activism and more »
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