Dearborn Homecoming festival features largest-ever entertainment lineup

It’s approaching that time of the year again when Dearborn residents, past and present, and the metro Detroit community at large descend on west Dearborn’s Ford Field Park for Dearborn’s annual Homecoming festival.

“It’s about folks coming home from across the country, or wherever they reside, to celebrate the greatest city in the country, Dearborn, Michigan,” Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said. “We obviously have our alumni tents where people in the community can reconnect and get together under the fireworks. It’s a beautiful time in the city of Dearborn.”

There will be plenty of activities from Aug. 2-4 to come home to, starting with headlining live performances by internationally recognized Michigan-rooted alternative rock hit makers The Verve Pipe on Aug. 2, multi-platinum power pop-rockers The All-American Rejects on Aug. 3 and modern country chanteuse Kylie Morgan on Aug. 4. All shows begin at 8:45 p.m.

In addition to the festival headliners, there will be a plethora of diverse local and regional music acts, such as Michigan country singer-songwriter Rachel Brooke, Detroit mainstays Sunglasses After Dark, the bluesy Laura Rain and the Caesars and Motown festival favorites The Kielbasa Kings, to name a few.

The music will be performed on three stages throughout the festival grounds, 22051 Cherry Hill. There is the Sunset Stage (formerly “Main Stage”) where the headliners and regional artists will perform, the Sunrise Stage featuring an encompassing mix of Michigan talent and the Cultural Pavilion Stage where ethnic and heritage-based performers will display their musical and artistic wares.

“Our headliners seem to be getting bigger and better than ever,” Hammoud said. “This year we had a bigger budget than ever for the performing arts thanks to the City Council. And so we went big and got a lot of major talent.”

In addition to the music, there will be a classic car show; local artists exhibiting their work; carnival rides; multiple food vendors, including Polish, Italian and Arabic ethnic tents; a bocce ball tournament; and the Kids Stage.

Unique and essential to this year’s Dearborn Homecoming Festival will be the All-Stars Day from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Aug. 2. Programmed by Dearborn Specials, this will be an exciting event catered to children and adults with special needs and issues, such as ADHD, autism, physical or mental impairments and PTSD. There will be sensory-friendly games, select carnival rides, face painting, food and dance parties. The event will be available to those on a first-come, first-served basis, so registration is required at dearbornhomecoming.com/allstarsday. The deadline is July 31.

For more information on the event, visit dearbornhomecoming.com.