The Metro Events Guide: Where to celebrate Pride in metro Detroit this weekend

This week, we’ve got the start of Pride Month, the Detroit Grand Prix and plenty of other outdoor celebrations to enjoy as we head into June.

Plus, the return of WDET’s comedy showcase. Read on to learn more.

Pride

Start your pride month with Ferndale Pride, the largest free-to-the-public LGBTQAI+ festival in Michigan. This year’s event takes place on Saturday, June 1 from 12:30-10 p.m. Located in the heart of downtown Ferndale, guests can expect over 220 vendors including local businesses and community resources. There will be two stage areas for live performances and a large children’s area. To learn more, visit ferndalepride.com.

Over the course of the next month, Mighty Reel/Queer Detroit will present ‘I’ll Be Your Mirror: Reflections of the Contemporary Queer.’ Now in its second iteration, this biennial exhibition explores the mirroring relationship between art and self as well as art and communities, highlighting the role of art in achieving personal visibility and social connection. The exhibition will be on display from May 31 through June 30 at 11 galleries across Detroit, featuring over 170 artists and over 800 works. To see the list of participating galleries and learn more, visit mrqd.org.

Inspired by the themes of this year’s Mighty Real/Queer Detroit biennial, the Detroit Film Theatre is screening a program of LGBTQ+ documentary shorts curated by filmmaker Adam Baran on Thursday, June 6 at 7 p.m. Drawn from films produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, “I’ll Be Your Mirror” assembles an intergenerational portrait of queer lives in these increasingly perilous times. Viewers will visit the sites of early rights rebellions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, experience a punk rock fairytale in Florida, observe three elders grappling with their place in the world, and witness firsthand lives filled with beauty, joy, and hard-fought freedoms, balanced against backgrounds of isolation, climate catastrophe, racism, and transphobia. Tickets are $10.50 for the general public or $8.50 for seniors, students and DIA members. For more information, visit dia.org.

Before the screening on June 6, the DIA’s LGBTQ+ and allyship employee belonging group, PRISM, is hosting a mixer in the DFT’s Crystal Gallery at 6 p.m. Guests can mingle with PRISM members and film program curator Adam Baran before the screening begins at 7 p.m. Refreshments will be available for purchase, and admission is free with registration. To learn more, visit dia.org.

Grand Prix

To celebrate the return of the Detroit Grand Prix, the Downtown Detroit Partnership is hosting two days of festivities in Campus Martius Park on Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2. The celebration includes a free concert on Saturday night at 6:15 p.m. with DJ Illenium and special guest JVNA, robust showcases of Detroit small businesses and food trucks throughout the weekend, and free Grand Prix viewing parties for select races. To see the full lineup of events, visit downtowndetroit.org.

Comedy

WDET’s comedy showcase “What’s So Funny About Detroit?” is back for the summer! In The Groove’s Ryan Patrick Hooper will introduce you to six of the city’s funniest stand-up comedians in the beautiful backyard of The Old Miami on Thursday, May 30. This month’s lineup features Brett Mercer, Brad Wenzel, Esteban Touma, Tam White, Pat Sievert and headliner T. Barb. Tickets are $25 and directly benefit Detroit Public Radio and the city’s comedians. Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit our events page.

Group skate

“Rollin’ on the River” is back on the Detroit Riverwalk for the 6th year. This skate meetup takes participants of all skill levels from Valade Park down through the Dequindre Cut on the first and fourth Tuesdays of each month. Each meetup starts with a 1-hour skate lesson for beginners at 6 p.m., followed by the official skate starting at 7 p.m. This event series is free to attend with free parking available across from the park. This month’s skating sessions take place on June 4 and June 25. For more information, visit detroitriverfront.org.

Fairs and festivals

The Blind Pig’s annual heavy rock showcase is back in Ann Arbor on Saturday, June 1. Burn Fest ’24 will feature a new single from the hosts of the evening, Black Note Graffiti, as well as live performances by Hillbilly Knife Fight, Abs0lute, Visitor and Saga. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $10 online or $12 at the door. This event is 18+. For more information, visit their Facebook event.

This year’s Palmer Park Art Fair takes place Saturday, June 1 through Sunday, June 2, featuring 100 juried and emerging artists. This year’s festival will have a focus on works from Indigenous artists, including Ojibwe, Ottawa and Potawatomi peoples. There will also be food trucks, a beer tent, live music, dancing, hands-on art projects and more. Admission and parking are free. Festivities go from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For more information, visit palmerparkartfair.com.

The 23rd annual VegFest, the state’s largest plant-based event, returns to Eastern Market on Sunday, June 2. The festival will include 100 plant-based restaurants, 15 food trucks, specialty items and eco-friendly shopping. There will also be cooking demonstrations, presentations, free plant-based food samples, live music, family-friendly activities and free massages from Irene’s Myomassology. The event takes place in Sheds 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, visit vegmichigan.org.