WE HAD TO PAUSE OUR INTIMATE FESTIVAL IN 2020 DUE TO COVID-19. INSTEAD WE FOCUSED ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERT SERIES, ELIZA HOWELL PARK AND OAR. SIGN-UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH US AS WE CONTINUE CELEBRATING PUBLIC LIVE IN INNOVATIVE WAYS.
Sidewalk Festival is where Detroit's landscape and culture collide with performance, installation and interactive art. It’s arts festival meets neighborhood block party. Sidewalk Festival partners with artists, and community members to build a meaningful and inspirational experience for the Detroit community.
Each year the Sidewalk team partners with the Artist Village and community business owners to transform the streets of Historic Old Redford into a space for discovery, dancing, innovation, and joy. Sidewalk Festival doesn’t use traditional stages—artists are challenged to create site-specific performance and installation art for the alleys, gardens, storefronts, courtyards, parking lots and streets of Old Redford.
This festival serves as an annual sacred space on the first weekend of August for the gathering of boundary-pushing artists, residents, curious art-lovers, and those of adventurous spirit. The experience of being immersed in the Artist Village during Sidewalk Festival serves as an opportunity to shift your perspective about what to expect in Detroit and in yourself. Every wall is painted with splashes of color, and every turn through the winding corridors brings you to an unexpected performance or piece of art.
Our on-going work
As the producers and curators of Sidewalk Festival, our process includes:
Working with the community throughout the year through community meetings. We work closely with small businesses to be sure they are being served while maximizing festival opportunities for artists. We recruit local artists and youth projects for inclusion in our festival.
Our team works collaboratively with artists to develop a curatorial theme, host artist site visits, help artists market their projects, and support them in their processes to create performances and art for our festival.
We work on every facet of the production side of the festival as well. This includes fundraising, location scouting for site-specific art, logistics with the City of Detroit, rent festival equipment and needed contractors, recruit vendors, produce the festival grounds layout and so much more!
want to learn more about getting involved with sidewalk festival?
APPLICATIONS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED. JOIN OUR EMAIL LIST FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES.
