What to do in Detroit this week: NA mixology workshop, Corktown Music fest and LGBTQ+ speed dating

What do rock stars, the Easter Bunny and Selena have in common? They’re all taking over Detroit this week! From springtime Easter fun to the annual Corktown Music Festival, there’s lots to do in the 313.

Whether you take your eggs painted, plastic or in a breakfast burrito, we’ve got you covered. Read on for events including a nonalcoholic mixology course, a discussion on hip-hop and mental health and an opportunity to dress up like the rock star you are.

Let’s get busy!

Easter weekend fun

🪺 Hop over to the Detroit Zoo with the family Friday through Saturday for Bunnyville! Activities include whisker painting, a golden egg hunt and a story trail. Bring a can of food for the Gleaners food bank if ya can. Admission to Bunnyville is included with entrance to the Detroit Zoo. Free for zoo members, $14-$21 for non-members.

🥚 Head to Crowell Recreation Center in northwest Detroit on Saturday afternoon for Easter Fun Fest and see the Easter Bunny IRL. Enjoy inflatables, a petting zoo, carnival games, a big slide, rides, food trucks and live entertainment. Free.

🥞 On Easter Sunday, grab brunch from The Egg Hunt pop-up at Two Birds near West Village. And if the line is long, snag yourself a cone from the Huddle Soft Serve window. As the adage goes, “Life is short, eat dessert first.” Free.

Thursday

🤩 Dress up like a rock star and take your fashion finds home at this season’s Sip & Shop . The networking and shopping event is hosted by Showtime Detroit, a Hamtramck go-to known for attracting out-of-town rockers. Light refreshments will be served. And yes, that pink leopard print jacket does look good on you! Free.

📖 Join author Ghassan Zeineddine on Thursday at Next Chapter Books on the eastside for a reading from his heartfelt and hilarious story collection, “Dearborn.” Stay a little longer for a talk with Tazeen Ayub about the book, which explores and celebrates Arab American communities around Detroit. Free.

🎶 Get your music fix at the Corktown Music Festival for three nights at four venues! The festival includes acts spanning punk and folk with some country and rock music. Party on with groups like Rob Zinck & The Collaborators , The Barley Brothers and The Five ‘n’ Dime Poets . Best part? All wristband proceeds go to the nonprofit Michigan United Cerebral Palsy. 21+. $20 for the full weekend, $15 for one day.

This weekend

😌 Find the bright side of life at the Higher Ground Music Hip Hop and Mental Health Symposium on Friday evening. Come together with like-minded people for a day of beats, discussions and support with mental health advocates, artists and professionals at the University of Michigan Detroit Center in Midtown. Free.

🧘 Reset and recharge with a yoga class at the Palmer Park Community House on Saturday. Hosted by Yoganic Flow, the class will let you channel your inner peace and connect with other yogis. Don’t forget your mat! Arrive 10 minutes early to get situated. $12.

🍷 Bring a friend and take a nonalcoholic mixology workshop with Absence of Proof at Post on the eastside on Saturday. Make three tasty cocktails and save the recipes for your next party. You can take as many sips as you’d like and still drive home after: Sounds like the best of both worlds to us! 21+. $45.

🏳️‍🌈 Dating apps got you down? On Saturday, meet other LGBTQ+ singles at a speed dating event at The Pearl Room in Royal Oak. Prepare your elevator pitch on how awesome you are (spoiler: really awesome!). Here’s hoping for a spring fling or a love connection. $30.

📽️ 💔 Relive the heartbreaking story of a late music icon with a film screening of “Selena” at the Senate Theater on Saturday. The Queen of Tejano Music put it perfectly: “Bidi bidi bom bom!” Your heart will sing. “Cómo me duele!” Your heart will break. $6.

🏠 Explore the rich history of one of Detroit’s many historic homes on Sunday. At a tour of the Frederick Stearns House , participants can explore the architecture and stories behind the palatial bed-and-breakfast in the West Village. $15.

🎉 Pop in to The Shadow Gallery in Eastern Market on Sunday for Afro-Brunch n Day-Vibes . Live DJ, drinks, hookah and games? Sign us up. Registration required. Free if you register before 5 p.m., $30-$50 to reserve a table or booth.

Next week

🐦 Don’t be a fool — flap on over to April Fools Escapades with Detroit Bird Alliance on Monday. Walk through the University of Michigan-Dearborn Environmental Interpretive Center and try to spot early spring (or maybe late winter?) migrating birds. Free. Donations encouraged.

🎲 ♟️ Let your competitive side loose at a board game night at Detroit Public Library’s Elmwood Park Branch near the riverfront. We don’t know about you, but we play a mean game of Scrabble. Free.

🧑‍🌾 Join The Outlier Collective and yours truly on April 4, for an afternoon of volunteering with Keep Growing Detroit in Eastern Market. We’ll be rolling up our sleeves to pitch in on spring planting, meeting new pals and feeling great about helping out an organization building a food sovereign city. Free.

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