As far as events go, you can’t get more beautiful than Charivari.
The festival, for me, reminds me of when I fell in love with Detroit music. The days when you’d have good times with good people, dancing to amazing music from DJs in tents not yards but feet away from you, and it didn’t cost a zillion dollars.
Some of my best memories of this city have been created at this festival. So this is a completely biased review.
If you have only experienced electronic music (especially House Music) at a super sized venue like Movement, I implore you to get down to West Riverfront Park this weekend and connect with the true soul of the Motor City sound.
Charivari features a variety of House, Deep House, Soulful House and then some other artists in nearby musical neighborhoods.
The vibe of Charivari is generally laid back – of course, you’ll be dancing to Detroit & midwest artists – but it doesn’t have the pretension of some other festivals. It’s also diverse in race, age, and walk of life.
This year brings three stages, with most of the action happening Saturday and Sunday (two stages will be open Friday night – if you go Friday, don’t forget to check out DJ Psycho at 9 p.m.).
The complete schedule is above (click to embiggen) and you can’t go wrong, but my Saturday and Sunday picks go as follows:
Kevin Bumpers –
CZ Boogie –
Do not miss the Godmother of Detroit House, Stacey Hale –
And then after that, head over to see Bruce Bailey –
Sunday:
Peter Croce –
Patrice Scott –
And Terrence Parker. See. Terrence Parker. Dance, to Terrence Parker.
In previous years the show was on Belle Isle, but with changes to the island and after talking to organizers it just makes sense to move this to West Riverfront Park. That’s tucked behind the giant U.S. Post Office, just west of downtown.
The cost for the festival is $40 for the entire weekend pass, a very kind deal. Tickets are here.
Parking promises to be easier and the scene just as magical with the Detroit skyline and the Ambassador Bridge in the distance.
And if you see a big guy dancing like no one is watching while wearing one of our Daily Detroit t-shirts, say hi.
