Sidewalk Festival returns with dance, theater, art installations, more in Old Redford

Artist Village and the surrounding streets, alleys, and sidewalks will be alive with artists, dancers, theater ensembles, installations, food, and activities this weekend. The sixth annual Sidewalk Festival, with over 100 Detroit artists and 45 artist groups, kicks off Friday, August 3 from 7-10 p.m. and runs Saturday, August 4 from 3-10 p.m.

The theme this year is Source←→Future, with work meant to, “explore concepts related to the sources in our world that determine our future: how the two interact, flow, and engage in an interplay of positives and negatives.”

Visitors will also notice a Midtown mainstay set up during the festival. Mike Kelley’s Mobile Homestead—a white mobile home typically set up outside of the MOCAD—is hitting the road this summer. In collaboration with performance group The Hinterlands, they’ll be open Saturday for their ?topian Dinner, which “looks at how we break bread at a table with those across a variety of divides.”

Sidewalk Detroit director and founder Ryan Myers-Johnson, an accomplished dancer and choreographer who was born and raised on the west side, says, “Attendees can witness the creation of a live mural by fine artist Sydney James as she explores the sources of neighborhood strength as embodied by black women. Artists will explore the theme Source←→Future through experimental theater, dance, and installation topics ranging from mental health issues, to race, class, and privilege.”

If you’re planning to come in and watch some of the performances, you may want to bring a chair or blanket. Free parking lots are located just north and east of the event itself (more here). The festival is free and family-friendly, but donations are welcome to support the effort.