Dlectricity to Return After Three-Year Hiatus

The festival known for lighting up Midtown Detroit is back on Sept. 22-23
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While Dlectricity was forced to take a hiatus during the construction of the Qline on Woodward Avenue (it’s hard to light up an area that is already vibrant with orange and yellow construction gear) the free outdoor art festival will finally return September 22-23.

Annemarie Borucki, director of Dlectricity, says the break gave her team time to tweak the festival. “We have a tightened footprint this year,” she says. “Instead of going from the DIA to the DSO, we’re going from the DIA to MOCAT. And we’re not reducing the number of projects. So the projects are more densely located, which is great.”

Borucki expects the smaller space will give attendees a more immersive experience. Instead of walking from project to project, people will be surrounded by light and art everywhere they turn.

This year’s festival will feature 36 local, national, and international artists, showcasing various installations of light, video, performance, and other unexpected works.

Multidisciplinary artist Rashaad Newsome, a headliner this year, says he’ll be busy both nights, showcasing both the “Shade Composition” exhibit, which highlights self-identifying African American women though gesture and music, as well as the much-anticipated “King of Arms Parade,” an annual traveling performance featuring renowned LGBTQ figures.

The parade will be led by the Cass Technical High School Marching Band and the Gabriel Brass Band, and will include members of the Miami Bike Life motorcycle crew, the Detroit Vogue scene, Philadelphia LGBTQ rapper Kevin JZ Prodigy, and more.

Newsome says the parade is meant to be a celebration of diversity and to give a voice to those that don’t have one. “The plan is to add even more local people to the parade,” he says. “The great thing about mass processional performance is that you can watch and participate simultaneously.”

More interactive favorites like the Light Bike Parade will also return this year, which more than 3,000 are expected to participate in.

For more information and a full list of this year’s exhibits, visit dlectricity.com