Dearborn Homecoming 2023: Here's Everything You Need To Know

DEARBORN, MI — The 42nd annual Dearborn Homecoming Festival returns to Ford Field Park this week.

Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud will open the festival at 22051 Cherry Hill Rd with a grand ceremony Friday, Aug. 4 at 12:30 p.m. The festival will run through Sunday, Aug. 6. The festival is open from noon to 11 p.m. each day.

The festival will include free musical performances and family activities, fireworks show, food and carnival rides, as well as other attractions.

Two fireworks shows will take place on Saturday and Sunday evenings, following headline musical performances from Natasha Bedingfield (Saturday) and Tenille Arts (Sunday).

Entertainment

On Friday, The Kielbasa Kings and Pat Brennan will perform at the Cultural Pavilion Stage at roughly 3:30 p.m. Tosha Owens and The Santana Project will perform on the Main Stage, followed by headliner Jody Raffoul Band starting at 8:45 p.m.

On Saturday, Brother Elsey and Vespre will perform main stage, followed by Bedingfield, who will take to the main stage at 9 p.m. Saturday. The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum singer made her solo debut in 2004 and has since delivered hits that have topped international charts, including "Unwritten," "These Words" and "Pocketful of Sunshine."

There will also be performances on the festival’s new Cultural Pavilion Stage from Thowra Dabke Troupe and Ceolsige on Saturday.

On Sunday, Billy Gunther & The Midwest Riders and Corey Dakota will perform shows on the main stage, while Kari Holmes and McKayla Prew will perform shows on the Cultural Pavilion Stage at 3:30 p.m.

Arts will take the main stage Sunday evening at 9 p.m. to wrap up the musical performances. Arts was inducted into the prestigious CMT Next Women of County Class of 2021 and named one of the five 2021 CRS New Faces of Country Music.

She was also nominated for the ACM New Female Artist of the Year, iHeartRadio Music Awards Best New Country Artist. Her "Back Then, Right Now" single led to CMT Music Awards nominations for Female Video of the Year and Breakthrough Video of the Year.

Food

New to this year's Homecoming festival is the Food Truck Corridor, which will offer a wide variety of cuisine on wheels. In addition to food trucks, the Cultural Pavilion will feature Polish and Arab food vendors.

Dearborn nonprofits and local vendors will sell beer and select non-alcoholic beverages. The fan-favorite corn sale, which will be hosted by the Dearborn Firefighter Burn Drive, also returns to the festival.

Activities

Traditional Homecoming classics, such as free children’s entertainment, art and crafts and carnival rides are open from 12-10 p.m. all three days.

A full-day wristband to enjoy carnival rides and other activities can be purchased online at the Dearborn Homecoming Festival website for $25 or at the door for $30 on Friday, and $35 on Saturday and Sunday. Individual tickets are also available for purchase at the festival.

Other special activities during the Homecoming Festival include:

• Homecoming Festival Arts District.
• All-Stars Day on Friday, Aug. 4 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
• The Dearborn Classic Car Show on Friday, Aug. 4 from 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.
• Bike Dearborn Family Ride on Saturday, Aug. 5 at 9:30 a.m.
• Dearborn Decades 5K on Sunday, Aug. 6 at 8 a.m.

Shuttles and Parking

Parking and a free shuttle service will be provided for attendees. Limited paid parking is available at Ford Field Park off of South Brady Street $10. There is no re-entry granted for parking if you choose to leave the lot and return later in the day.

Homecoming will provide a complimentary shuttle service with pickups from the following locations:

• Dearborn High School, 19501 West Outer Dr., Dearborn, MI 48124
• Dearborn Fresh, 13661 Colson St., Dearborn, MI 48126

Shuttles will run from noon to midnight each day of the festival. Shuttle dropoff and pickup will be located on the south side of Ford Field Park, near the parking and carnival areas.

Class reunions

Alumni of Dearborn Public Schools and Dearborn-based schools are invited to reconnect with classmates in the festival’s Reunion Area class reunion tent, presented by LaFontaine Automotive Group. Reunions will be held on the following days:

• Saturday: Dearborn High, Edsel Ford, Sacred Heart
• Sunday: Fordson, Lowrey, St. Alphonsus