What to do in Detroit this week: ride free with MoGo Detroit, Michigan Beer Fest, Corktown Pumpkin Festival and more

Volunteers planting a Tree of Life at Comstock Park with the Greening of Detroit

We’re almost to the end of October, which means spooky season is in full swing! There are plenty of excuses to get dressed up and ghoul wild for the rest of the month.

Last Saturday I participated in The Greening of Detroit’s Tree of Life planting event on the city’s west side. As a group we planted 50 trees in a memorial grove to honor the lives of 50 lost loved ones. The Greening of Detroit has been inspiring sustainable growth of a healthy urban community through trees, green spaces, healthy living, education, training and job opportunities since 1989. There are still a few more plantings left for this year, and I can’t recommend it enough. Sign up to volunteer! 🌳

In the meantime, we’ve got lots of great stuff going on in the city this week. Get your brain juices flowing at trivia, move those legs and take advantage of free MoGo Detroit rides on Thursday, get out to Corktown’s pumpkin patch or tour a cemetery to get into the spooky spirit, and so much more.

Wednesday

🧠 Bar trivia is one of those things I didn’t even realize I missed in the pandemic, but alas I did. Put your thinking caps on and head over to Firebird Tavern in Greektown for some friendly competition. Quizzo is back, tonight and every Wednesday! Plus they have a soft pretzel to die for. Win-win! Oct. 20, free, info.

Thursday

🌍 Detroitist and The Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands are hosting “In Talks” with Industry Leaders from Detroit and Eindhoven this week. This virtual experience is focused on melding minds and developing creative solutions through a global yet hyperlocal program focused on Sustainable Urban Design and Planning and the Circular Economy. Oct. 21, free, info.

🚴🏾‍♀️ MoGo Detroit’s final Free Ride Day of the year is happening this Thursday. Be sure to download the Transit app so that you can cruise around and enjoy unlimited 2-hour trips all day long! Oct. 21, free, info.

🗳 The local election is less than two weeks away, and Citizen Detroit is working until the final hour for democracy. Tune into their virtual Dinner and Dialogue this Thursday on Zoom. The discussion will consider the question on the November ballot for the city of Detroit which seeks to establish a city Reparations Advisory Committee. Get informed and get to the pools! Oct. 21, free, info.

🖼 This weekend local artists Francois Dillinger, Light Bender and Ashely Worden will be hosting an exhibition at The Annex Gallery in Highland Park. The show is all about “Reconnecting our scene one face at a time through living portraits of Detroit’s underground community.” Oct. 21-23, free, info.

This weekend!

🎃 The return of the annual Corktown’s Children’s Pumpkin Festival is upon us! This Saturday, bring out the whole family for fun for little ghouls and goblins of all ages. There will be costumes, a spooky photo booth, fortune telling, trick-or-treating and games. Oct. 23, free, info.

💎 Artist-in-residence at Dearborn’s Arab American National Museum Zahra Almajidi invites members of the community to attend a two-part storytelling session this Saturday. The workshop is centered around the mementos, family heirlooms, amulets and charms taken up by those in our local communities.  Oct. 23, $12, info.

👻 Visit a creepy, yet beautiful landmark, and participate in Mt Olivet’s Historic Detroit Cemetery tours scheduled for each Saturday in October. Learn about the notable Detroiters who are buried in our city’s cemeteries. Hear the stories behind the famous (and infamous) buried within Detroit’s cemeteries. Marvel at the historic art and architecture of the mausoleums and headstones. Oct. 23, $20, info.

🍻The Michigan Brewers Guild Beer Fest is back in Eastern Market this Saturday. Enjoy beer samples from breweries around the city and the state. There are so many great options, you might want to just arrange for your ride home ahead of time and enjoy ‘em all. Oct. 23, $50, info.

🍂 This Saturday, join the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy for their fall cleanup along the Dequindre Cut Greenway and Atwater, Woodbridge and Franklin streets. The Dequindre Cut is such a magical place, and we are lucky to have such an amazing community asset. It’s up to us to keep our favorite places beautiful! Oct. 23, free, info.

🎨 Along with the Dream Machine, Spread Art is offering a free pitch workshop facilitated by Jonathan Williams on Sunday. Whether you’re an aspiring, emerging or established artist, Spread Art supports projects that range from the conceptual, work-in-progress or completed stage. Oct. 24, free, info.

🏥 On Sunday, BrightlyTwisted and the Detroit Dye House in Corktown are hosting an extra special workshop on hand-dying. Participants we will tie-dye ultra soft beanies to donate to Detroit Children’s Hospital Oncology Department. Oct. 24, $75, info.

Next week

🐶 Woof! Drinking with Dogs is the monthly celebration of puppers, hosted by Canine to Five. This month the four-legged fiesta takes place at The Congregation, taking full advantage of the expansive patio and backyard while we still can. Oct. 26, free, info.

👟 Our friends over at the Downtown Boxing Gym, an amazing youth program on the east side, are hosting their first big fundraising event. The “UnGala” celebrates all the little joys of being a kid. Enjoy music, food, drinks, outdoor activities and so much more. Oct. 26, $50+ info.

🇮🇹 Calling all bocce enthusiasts! American Bocce Co. is bringing back the indoor league games at Brew Detroit in Corktown after a long pandemic-induced hiatus. Starting Oct. 26, and every Tuesday for six weeks, teams of four will gather on the bocce battlefield and duke it out for a chance at the Golden Keg. If you’re looking for some friendly competition and a weeknight out… it’s time to throw your pallino in the ring! Sign ups are live, league starts Oct. 26, $65, info.

Last call!

🔗 Detroit Nonprofit Day is a one-day event with workshops, fireside chats, networking and skills-building exercises to strengthen Detroit’s dynamic nonprofit and social enterprise communities. This is a great opportunity for nonprofit leaders and community organizers to connect and learn. Detour Detroit reader receive $25 off admission when they use the discount code DDDND2021. Oct. 30, tickets start at $75, info. (Detour is a media partner of Detroit Nonprofit Day)