The Michigan Glass Project Main Event Returns to Detroit this Weekend

This weekend The Michigan Glass Project will return to the City of Detroit for its 7th annual Main Event. This event celebrates the art of glassblowing and brings this art form to the general public.  This event is also an amazing fundraiser that single handily supports the art programs of multiple schools within the City of Detroit. It is a true celebration of art and creativity that directly supports the future of the artistic community of Detroit.

This year's festivities will take place inside The Russel Industrial Center and the three day fest will feature live glassblowing, live painting, local vendors, two stages of music, a silent auction, and of course, lots of good food and drinks. There are 75+ blowers that are scheduled to show off their skills and lots of great musical artists will be performing throughout the weekend, including Eastside Jon, Matt Clarke, Crate Digga, ERNO, Jefferson, and more. This year's vendor lineup includes some great companies like Outerspaceways, Aptemal, Over the Moon Clothing, and many many more.You can see the full lineup and what time every artist is performing by clicking here.

The best part about this fest is that you are partying for charity. Proceeds from this year's event will help fund an art program for at least four local Detroit schools who no longer have a budget for these types of classes. In fact, if things go as planned, this year they will raise enough money to fund five different schools' art programs next year!

This weekend's Main Event will take place from noon until 10 p.m. on Friday, 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Saturday, and noon until midnight on Sunday. Passes to come and go as you please all three days are $30 and daily passes are $15 a piece. You can purchase advance tickets here.

There are also two hip after parties that you need to know about. The first takes place Friday night at Marble Bar from 10 p.m. until 2 a.m. The second takes place Saturday night at The Whitney Garden. Both parties feature a solid lineup of DJs and performers and it's only $5 to get in the door with a weekend pass or $10 to get in without a pass. You can find out more about the after parties here.

~S

Check Out Willis Show Bar for La Femme Wednesdays

In the 50's, 60's, and into the 70's, the Willis Show Bar was a hot jazz club in the middle of the Cass Corridor. The bar first opened its doors in 1949 and continued to entertain its patrons until 1978. Now the Willis Show Bar has opened its doors again and is better than ever. The new bar stayed true to its classic roots, even restoring the stage that is located behind the bar.


The Willis Show Bar is bringing some great acts to that stage, from musicians to burlesque dancers. Nightly, the bar brings music to its stage, with a wide variety of acts ranging from crooners to jazz bands. This Wednesday night, it's all about females for their La Femme Wednesdays, a weekly event that the bar will host. This week's La Femme night will feature Willa Rae & The Minor Arcana along with female DJs Amanda LeClaire and Shiva Honey, and dancers Sophia Von Stardust and Céleste Vé Dette. It is sure to be a magical evening featuring some amazing women! The bar will open at 7 p.m. with shows at 8 and 10 p.m. and they are asking for a $10 suggested donation at the door.


The Willis Show Bar is open Wednesday through Saturday from 7 p.m. until 2 p.m., with entertainment nightly. They serve cocktails and punch bowls, along with wine and beer. Upscale attire is encouraged for attendees, to help enhance the overall experience of the space. Walk in guests are always welcome, but you can also reserve your spot up front at the bar. For everything you need to know about the Willis Show Bar and to see a full list of upcoming events, click here.

We cannot wait to check this space out and La Femme Wednesdays seem like the perfect excuse to head to the show bar! Willis Show Bar is located in the Cass Corridor at the corner of Willis and Third at 4156 Third. To stay in the loop on all of the happenings at the bar, make sure you follow them on Facebook here.

~C

Win Tickets to See Alex Cameron at El Club

Last year, Alex Cameron released his second studio album Forced Witness. Since releasing his first album back in 2013, Cameron has been busy touring and writing music, not only for his own project, but also for others. He wrote 5 songs for The Killers' latest album Wonderful Wonderful, and their frontman Brandon Flowers is even featured on a song on Cameron's latest album. Give that track a listen below.

Alex Cameron will be performing live at El Club this Saturday, July 21st. Joining him for the evening is Jackie Cohen. Tickets for the show are $13 in advance or $15 the day of the show. You can purchase your tickets in advance here. You can also enter to win a pair of tickets to the show by sending your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #cameron in the subject line. We will draw our winner on Saturday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize. 

All ages are welcome to attend this one. The patio will open up at 7 p.m. and the venue will open at 8. 

~C

Win Tickets to See Tunde and Raphael Saadiq at MOCAD

A few weeks ago we had the pleasure of attending the first homestead show at the MOCAD. This new summer series takes places outside as soon as the sun goes down and has a lot to offer! For a single ticket price, you get to see live music and walk through MOCAD at your leisure. The entire inside and outside space are open and there are drinks and food for sale. You feel like you are at a festival without all of the stress of parking, walking, or fighting through crowds. We had an excellent time at their first show featuring Princess Nokia and Flint Eastwood, so we couldn't be more excited for the second show featuring Tunde Olaniran and Raphel Saadiq.

Tunde is fresh off the release of his latest singles "I'm Here" and "Vunderable". Two new songs that show that the artist is willing to pull back more of the curtain and expose himself to his fans and followers. You can listen to both of his new tracks as well as others that he has released here.

Then you can see him take the stage outside at the MOCAD this Sunday alongside Raphael. Tickets to attend the show are $23 for MOCAD members and $25 for non-members. You can purchase advance tickets here. You can also win a pair of tickets to the show by sending your full name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with the subject line #summer. We will draw one lucky winner the morning of the show and they will get to check out Tunde's killer set and the cool set up at MOCAD for free!  P.S. the parking lot right next to MOCAD is open and only $5 a car during these events. So don't drive around fighting for parking, just head right there and walk right in!

~S

Catch a Free Flick on The Riverfront this Summer

The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy has worked really hard over the last decade to clean up the riverfront to make it place where people can gather. Once they got everything looking good, they started creating new events to bring people down to the waterfront to see all of their hard work. Some of those events include yoga in the park and group walks on the the riverfront both with and without your four legged friends. You can learn more about the weekly events that they host on the riverfront by clicking here.

One of the coolest events to come to the river this summer will be movies on the riverfront. This five week series is not only free, but features some of our favorite classic flicks, including Beverly Hills Cop, Black Panther, and Jumanji. This also includes a people's choice week where viewers can decide between The Lion King, The Wiz, Purple Rain, or Fate of the Furious, you can click here to vote.

The free movie series kicks off this Thursday and runs through Mid-August. People are welcome to bring their own chairs and blankets and you can start staking your space around 7 p.m. The movie will start around 8 p.m. each night and will run till 9:30/10 p.m. The movies will be shown at Gabriel Richard Park, which is located at 7400 E Jefferson. There will also be food trucks present for you to purchase food, drinks, and popcorn for you to enjoy during the movie. To learn more about the movie series, click here. For a full list of movies, scroll below!

Movies: 

July 19 - Beverly Hills Cop

July 26 - People's Choice

Vote by clicking this link: www.facebook.com/events/1984847981826364/?ti=icl

August 2 - Black Panther

August 9 - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

August 16 - Thor: Ragnarok

~S

Get Hip to Ladysse

Detroit pop artist Ladysse is a up and coming import that has been making a name for herself in the City of Detroit. She has played all around town and even took the stage at this year's Motor City Pride Festival, but this week she will make two of her biggest moves yet.

Today she is releasing her first EP called Not The One and next week she is celebrating the release by performing live. Ladysse will be headlining The Loving Touch on Friday, July 20th alongside nydge & Small Stresses. We had a chance to chat with Ladysse (aka Stephanie) in person this week. So instead of us telling you about her, just hear what she has to say for yourself! Then click here to buy a copy of the EP and a ticket to her live show!

~S

Armageddon Beach Party Stakes their Claim on Detroit

Detroit is a mecca for arts, music, and culture. The once underground art scene of the city has been thrust into the spotlight with the addition of spaces like like Red Bull House of Art, the Library Street Collective, and the Tangent Gallery. These institutions have helped cultivate a new era where a hard working artist can create a name for themselves and actually realize the dream of dumping their 9 to 5 career to become a full time creator. Something that two local artists Elena and Aubrey Smyth have been doing for the last half of a decade.

  

 

This married duo creates one of a kind art together. Then, they turn that art into pop pieces that can be purchased by the masses. Put it this way, they are Andy Warhol's counter culture dream couple. Together they have created beautiful iconic pieces that have gotten them noticed by some pretty big names in the business. This lead to residencies all over the US where they did everything from live painting at some of the world's biggest music festivals to creating custom one of a kind pieces for one of the worlds current top selling groups, The Zac Brown Band.

But, that wasn't enough for them. After traveling all over the place and supporting themselves with their art for the last five years, they decided to come back to Detroit to set up some roots in the city that their families have always called home. They came back to Detroit to open up a brick and mortar space right in the heart of the city. A place where people could come together to celebrate community, a place where they could create, and a place where you you can step inside an Armageddon Beach Party and truly experience what is going on inside their psychedelic head space. But, like most things worth doing, there were a lot of speed bumps along the way, speed bumps that delayed the opening for almost two full years. Luckily, after getting a preview of the space, I can assure you that it was well worth the wait!

When you walk into the gallery, you are immediately transported inside an entirely different world that Elena and Aubrey have created. Every detail of the a space has been addressed and everything is there for a reason. There are vintage items, paintings, prints, and tons of cool things to look at. And the longer you look around, the more you see. There is a stage for music to be played on, a couch for conversations to take place, and eventually there will be an outdoor patio for people to kick back and have a cup or coffee or tea from the soon to be space opening next door. It is a place where the local music and artistic community can gather to create, as well as a place for Aubrey and Elena to take their art to the next level.

We have no doubt that the space will become one of the go to spots to see music and connect with the culture of the city. So, we encourage you to stop by this weekend during their three day grand opening event to see the magic for yourselves. Each day they will have a DJ in house as well as a variety of musical acts throughout the day, including Sisters of Your Sunshine Vapor, Sheefy McFly and The Imaginatron. Amanda Knox will also be hosting a screening of her new show, The Scarlet Letter Reports. Vegan food truck Nosh Pit will also be serving up some food and their will be drinks available for a small donation to the gallery. Kids are welcome and the space will be open 7 p.m. until midnight this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. After that they will keep normal business hours Tuesday through Saturday. Make sure you are following them here to stay up to date on everything that they are doing. These two people are creative, talented, smart and full of life. They are exactly what the city needs and we cannot wait to see what they do!

~S

Head to Belle Isle for Havana Nights

This Saturday night, feel like you have traveled to Havana by just crossing the bridge onto Belle Isle. Havana Nights is a charity event that will take over the Casino on Belle Isle this Saturday, July 14th. The Casino is one of our favorite historic buildings in Detroit and this is a great reason to check it out if you haven't been inside before. The Casino was designed by Van Leyen & Schilling and opened in 1908. This building wasn't a casino for betting on games and playing poker though, it was created as a meeting place. The building has hosted all sorts of events over the past century, from weddings to fairs. In fact, one of the first events that Hip in Detroit ever covered was the Solid Dudes Kitchen Season 2 launch party at the Casino.

Well this Saturday night, the Casino will host a very fun event and this time there will be some gambling! Havana Nights will feature drinks, food, Monte Carlo style casino games, and live music from Mariana Risquez & her 7 Member Band. There will even be cigars being rolled on site! Tickets for this event start at $30 and can be purchased here. For $45 you will not only get admission to the event, but also 10 tickets to sample drinks and you will get entered in some awesome giveaways! Proceeds from this event will go towards the restoration of the Boat House at The Detroit Boat Club. To see the full schedule for the evening and to find out more about what you can win in the raffles and by playing casino games, click here.

Havana Nights will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, or 6:30 for VIP entry. The party goes until Midnight and 21+ are welcome.

~C

Win Tickets to See Fetty Wap at St. Andrew's Hall

This Saturday night, the one and only Fetty Wap will be hitting the stage at St. Andrew's Hall. The rapper is headed to town as part of the Swisher Sweets Artist Project, an initiative by Swisher Sweets to bring their company together with the world of music. As part of the Artist Project, Swisher Sweets will be hosting six Pack Nights across the country, featuring some of the biggest names in hip-hop performing in cities like LA, Philly, and Detroit. You can check out the full lineup for the summer here. For the Detroit Pack Night, Fetty Wap will be joined by LaBritney, Snap Dogg and Taylor J.

Tickets to see this lineup of artists live are only $20 and can be purchased in advance here. Thanks to Swisher Sweets, we are getting one lucky reader into this show for free! To enter, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #fetty in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Saturday morning and they will get two VIP "skip the line" tickets to the show that night.

Doors are set to open at 9 p.m. on Saturday and 18+ are welcome. For more info on this event, click here.

~C

Everything You Need to Know about Pig & Whiskey 2018

This weekend Ferndale's Pig & Whiskey Festival will return to the alley in-between the WAB and The Emory for the 9th year in the row. The three day festival features bbq, booze, and live music. It's also a charity fundraiser for some of our favorite local non-profits, including Suck It Suicide and Girls Rock Detroit. This year event will expand to include a top shelf tent and more booze and barbecue than ever before!

This year's festival will include food from a variety of vendors, including Detroit BBQ Company, Slows BBQ, Mac Shack, El Guapo, Alley Taco, Treat Dreams, Joebar, and more. They will be serving up sips of lots of different liquors, including Ann Arbor Distilling Co., Bulleit Bourbon, Jack Daniels, Old Forester, Rebel Yell, Wild Turkey, and many more. They will also have live music all weekend, including performances from The Messenger Birds, Bearvs Shark, Pokey LaFarge, Ben Keeler Band, Laith Al-Saadi, Electric Six, Ancient Language, The Beggars, Kimball, and more.

The festival will also have three new features this year. The top shelf tent is an exclusive drinking area featuring tastes of things like Wild Turkey Rare Breed, Glendronach, Buffalo Trace, Blantons, Four Roses, and more. There will also be a cocktail corner that will feature rotating cocktails from some of the area's best bars. This includes cocktails from bars like The Peterboro, Grey Ghost, Public House, Wright & Company, and more. Finally, this year the festival became even more dog friendly by featuring two Titos drinking lounges where dogs and their owners can drink together in harmony! 

The festival will run from 6 p.m. until midnight on Friday, 11 a.m. until midnight on Saturday, and 11 a.m. until 11 p.m. on Sunday. It is free for all ages to attend the festival and all of the tips that you leave will go to some of our favorite local charities, so tip often and tip heavily.

Don't forget, there are Pig & Whiskey after parties all three nights over at The Loving Touch. These events feature performances by some of the city's grittier bands, including Tart, The Dropout, and Kommander. 

~S 

Win Tickets to See Slum Village and Guilty Simpson @ St. Andrew's Hall

This Friday the 13th, St. Andrew's Hall brings Hip-Hop to the stage. Detroit's own Slum Village and Guilty Simpson will take over the hall along with Phat Kat, IllMac, Quest McCody, and Chise. Slum Village has been out on tour making their way across the US and Canada, but they're coming home this Friday night! This is a stacked lineup from start to finish and it's at one of the best venues in town!

We're sure this show will sell out, so make sure you pick up your tickets in advance. Tickets start at just $10 when you buy a bundle. There are also single tickets and VIP tickets available, if you want to watch from the balcony and grab a drink in The Society Room upstairs. You can purchase your tickets here. You can also enter to win a pair of tickets to this show courtesy of Hip in Detroit and Live Nation Detroit. To enter, send your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #Fridaythe13th in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Friday morning and will send them details on how to claim their prize.

Doors are set to open at 8:30 for this one and 18+ are welcome.

~C

The 2nd Annual Detroit Festival of Books Comes to Eastern Market

Tens of thousands of people will head to Eastern Market this weekend for the Detroit Festival of Books. Now in its second year, this event brings together bookworms of all ages to peruse a huge selection of both new and used books. There will be 200 vendors on site selling used, rare, antiquarian, and unusual books, as well as new books from local authors. In addition to all of the great books, you will also find vinyl records, comic books, vintage board games, and other unusual items. Plus DJ Zig-Zag will be there playing funk music, and there will be food trucks, and beer! There is definitely something for everyone at this event!

The 2nd Annual Detroit Festival of Books will take place this Sunday, July 15th in Sheds 5 and 6 of the Eastern Market. Admission is free and the event runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Make sure you come hungry because The Nosh Pit Detroit, Nu Deli, Big Dog's Hot Dogs, Detroit Gourmet Nut Company, Cosmic Burrito, and Cherry Pit BBQ will all be on site. After bookfest wraps up, head over to Eastern Market Brewing Company for the official after party. Admission is also free for the party, and there will be live music and good times once you're inside. For more information on the after party, click here.

Don't miss this awesome event this weekend! To get more information on the Detroit Festival of Books and to find out what vendors and authors will be at the event, "like" the fest on Facebook here and RSVP to the Facebook event page here.

~C

Win Tickets to See Faust at Outer Limits

This Friday, July 13th El Club Outer Limits will welcome Faust to their stage. The German experimental rock band has been making music for decades, first getting their start in the late 1960s. Nearly 50 years later, the band is still playing music, although the lineup has changed a bit over the years. Give the band a listen below to see what they have in store for you.

Faust will be joined by Chatoyant and Prognosis Negative for Friday’s show. Tickets are $17 in advance or $20 at the door. You can purchase your tickets in advance here. You can also enter to win a pair of tickets to the show by sending your name to hipindetroit@gmail.com with #faust in the subject line. We will draw one lucky winner on Friday morning and they will get into the show with a friend for free that night.

~C

Moonlight Yoga on the Detroit Riverfront is Back!

Over the last decade the Detroit Riverfront has undergone some major renovations. The transformation from a neglected space to  a haven of outdoor fun and actives is astounding. 

Photos from DetroitRiverfront.org

Now that the land has been transformed, it's time to turn the focus to community building. Which is why Blue Cross Blue Shield and The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy have teamed up to bring all sorts of amazing events to the waterfront this summer. This Thursday they will debut one of their most interesting events called Moonlight Yoga. This twilight exercise and stretch takes place right after the sun goes down. Attendees participate in a one hour long yoga session lead by local yoga instructor Michelle Moten of Detroit’s Urban Solace while wearing glow in the dark accessories. The idea is to have a little fun while getting a little end of the day workout in with some friends.
It's only $5 to attend the class and this is a great way to get outside to see the Detroit Riverfront for yourself. There is a good chance that a lot has changed since the last time that you were there and we can assure you that you are missing out!

Yoga on the Riverfront is $5 a person and tickets can be purchased here. If you cant make it this time, you can also purchase a tickets for their next event on July 25th. You can learn more about upcoming events and all the changes that have happened on the Riverfront here. Yoga takes place at West Riverfront Park located at 1801 W. Jefferson Detroit, Michigan, 48216

~S