Ramadan in Detroit: Food, Fun and Snakes at Midnight Festival (PHOTOS)
Dearborn Heights’ Ramadan Suhoor Festival is a late-night — or early morning — celebration for Muslims and non-Muslims alike during the Islamic holy month.
Suhoor is the Arabic term for the pre-dawn meal Muslims have each day before fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.
In Dearborn Heights, Ramadan Suhoor Festival is a food extravaganza that serves dishes as varied as cupcakes, cheesesteaks and churros for thousands of attendees during the late-night — or early morning, depending on your perspective — hours that observant Muslims can eat and drink.
“We’ve got people here from Houston, from California, that are foodies that flew out just for the event,” says Hassan Chami, the festival’s organizer.
The festival is in its second year, having started as a pop-up event last year. Its first weekend saw over 12,000 attendees, according to Crain’s Detroit Business.
But it’s not just the food that draws people out. The festival serves as space for celebration and outreach, says Chami. “It’s good for community, especially for Muslims and non-Muslims to bridge the gap.”
CultureShift sent reporter Ziad Buchh and photographer Malak Wazne to the festival to see what drew thousands of people for the festivities.
Ramadan Suhoor Festival is from 11:45 pm to 4:00 am Fridays and Saturdays through June 2nd in the parking lot of Hype Athletics at 23302 W. Warren Ave. in Dearborn Heights. Admission is free.
Click the audio player above to listen to Ziad Buchh’s story from Ramadan Suhoor Festival and see Malak Wazne’s photos of the event below.
