Tacos, pierogi and boat races: Festivals all over metro Detroit this weekend
During this last weekend of August, metro Detroit will come alive with several festivals welcoming crowds to assemble for art, food, music, entertainment and celebrations of both the Hispanic and Polish cultures.
Here are five things to do for the weekend of Aug. 25-27:
Novi Taco Fest
This festival will celebrate Hispanic culture with with nearly 40 taco trucks, live Latin-style music, Lucha Libre wrestling, three stages of entertainment and activities for all ages.
Entertainment will also include traditional Mexican Folklorico Dance, taco and hot pepper eating contests, cutest dog contests, lawn games, vendors and more.
5-10 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday; and noon-7 p.m. Sunday at Twelve Mile Crossing at Fountain Walk, 44275 W. 12 Mile in Novi (in the lots near Chuck E Cheese). Daily tickets are $6 in advance; $10 at the door.
Dragon on the Lake Festival
This 14th annual event presented by the Orion Art Center will have dragon boat races, a dragon pub with live music, an arts and crafts fair, a chalk art challenge, a kids zone, vendor marketplace, a lighted boat parade and more.
The entertainment lineup for the dragon pub includes Ryan Jay, Rob Stone, Sunset Blvd, Square Pegz and more.
A lighted boat parade will take place at 8:30 p.m. Friday in Green’s Park.
A kids zone will feature performances from Amazing Clark, Zippity Two Dads, Juggler Tim Salisbury, demonstrations from the Lake Orion Robotics Team and more.
Festival hours will be 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday in downtown Lake Orion. Dragon Pub hours will be 5-11 pm. Thursday; 5 p.m.-midnight Friday and Saturday. Cover charge at the Dragon Pub for Thursday is $5 and ladies are free; $10 Friday and Saturday.
Clawson Fest
This third annual celebration sponsored by Weiss Distillery showcases music, food, a kid’s zone and artistic expressions.
A highlight of this year’s fest will be three different live painting performances by Dave Santia. Paintings will be auctioned off, with half the proceeds donated to the Alex Verner Scholarship, supporting education in the community.
Music performances will include Caleb Ford, Drew Schultz & the Broken Habits, Oak City Roots, and Barelyon.
2-8 p.m. Saturday on Main Street in downtown Clawson (between 14 Mile and Tacoma). Free.
Cherry Hill Village Festival
This third annual art festival will feature Village Arts Factory resident studio artists, food trucks, live entertainment on two stages, face painting, kids’ activities and games, food trucks, the Canton Farmers Market, more then 40 local vendors and more.
There will be music performances by Kimmie Horne, Blue Ensemble, the Tequila Mockingbirds, Mad Mad World Band and others.
Festival hours will be 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday at 50755 Cherry Hill Road in Canton.
Polish Festival
This 49th annual event will have Polish music, Polish food, Polish beer, raffles, dancing, Bingo and a tour of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Wyandotte.
Box On Family, The Kielbasa Kings, The Polish Muslims, and Tony Blazonczyk will provide musical performances.
4-11 p.m. Friday and 1-11 p.m. Saturday at Our Lady of the Scapular Parish, 2609 Tenth Street and Vinewood in Wyandotte.
Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com. Support local journalism: Subscribe to the Detroit Free Press.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Festivals in metro Detroit this weekend: Tacos, pierogi and boat races
