The Metro Events Guide: Picnics, tea parties and park concerts

This week, we’re highlighting local music showcases and internationally-inspired art exhibits you can see right here in Detroit.

Plus, picnics, tea parties and flower-picking. Read on to learn more.

Local music showcases

Join us on Thursday, Aug. 15 at New Center Part for our 2024 Sounds Like Detroit showcase! MI Local host Jeff Milo will introduce you to Detroit’s top five listener-voted Tiny Desk Contest participants: Drey Skonie & The kLOUDs, C3theartist, Elspeth Tremblay & The Treatment, Chris Lanard & One Band Global and Isis Damil. And as a thank you for supporting local artists, we’re offering WDET listeners half off tickets for you and a friend when you use the code “WDETVIP” at checkout. Food trucks and beverages will be available on-site and guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs and blankets. Gates open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 7 p.m. For more information, visit our events page.

Get a sneak peek of the Sounds Like Detroit performances at Detroit’s Annual Ribs and R&B Music Festival this weekend at Hart Plaza. Drey Skonie & The kLOUDs will be part of an all-star R&B and soul lineup featuring Next, Troop, Ro James, Glenn Jones and Adina Howard. Plus, local BBQ experts will be serving up ribs, brisket and chicken. Admission is free on Friday until 4 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday until 1 p.m. Otherwise, general admission is $15. For more information, visit ribsrnbmusicfestival.com.

International art exhibits

“Frontline Prophet: James Baldwin” is a traveling exhibition that features the artwork of Detroit-based creative Sabrina Nelson. In honor and celebration of his centennial birthday, Nelson provides an intimate, multi-sensory experience of James Baldwin and his legacy, including a seven-year sketchbook study, vivid works on paper and canvas, projected video, installations, collaborations with contemporary writers and thinkers, and augmented reality experiences. The exhibition is on display at The Wright Museum now through Feb. 28, 2025. For more information, visit thewright.org.

Related: Sabrina Nelson talks traveling art exhibit honoring James Baldwin’s legacy on The Metro

“A Modernist Regime: The Contemporary Cuban Lens” is the latest collection of exhibitions at the Cranbrook Art Museum. Focused on the decades immediately following the 1959 Cuban Revolution, these three exhibitions highlight a small but prolific cohort of artists, designers, and architects who responded to the demands of a newly centralized economy, including the material constraints imposed by ensuing embargoes, popular demands for more equitable access to goods, and initial excitement about the role modern design could play in shaping a new society. These exhibitions are on display now through September. For more information, visit cranbrookartmuseum.org. 

Picnics and flower-picking

The Heidelberg Project is partnering with Spot Lite to put on a public picnic on Saturday, Aug. 10 from 2-5 p.m. Detroiters are invited to have brunch at Spot Lite before walking over to the iconic art installation for an afternoon of festivities, including free popsicles, live DJs, site tours and Heidelberg Project merchandise available for purchase. This event is family- and dog-friendly, and guests are invited to bring their own food and blankets. For more information, visit the Heidelberg Project’s Facebook page.

Also on Saturday, Aug. 10, the Freedom Arts Festival comes to the Palmer Park Log Cabin to celebrate the music, art and food of the Middle East. Guests can enjoy traditional music by Victor Ghannam and Friends, visual art inspired by the beauty of the region and Middle Eastern cuisine from Mediterranean Express and Alina Alam Hi Tea. Guests are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. This event is free and open to all ages. For more information, visit their Eventbrite page.

Related: Detroit saxophonist talks Sounds from the Park series on The Metro

On Friday, Aug. 9, the Farmington Hills Nature Center is hosting a Garden and Tea Party featuring ingredients harvested locally in Heritage Park. Guests will enjoy tea, snacks and themed arts and crafts between 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $5 online and are open to ages 5 and up. For more information, visit recreg.fhgov.com.

The annual Sunflower Festival returns to Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill this weekend and next. Festivities include an open-air marketplace featuring over 150 Michigan artisans, DIY workshops, photo opportunities and more, all surrounded by lush sunflower fields. Admission is $12 on Fridays, $14 on Saturdays and Sundays, and free for children under 2 years old. For more information, visit blakefarms.com.