Cigar fest, auto show and zombie paintball: 7 things to do in metro Detroit this weekend

Outdoor attractions are plentiful as we make our way into the last weekend of summer in metro Detroit. The return of the Detroit auto show and its new outdoor extension will be the biggest draw of the weekend, but there's also an art fair, cigar and beer celebrations, community festivals and an early Halloween event.

Here is a list of things to do for the weekend of Sept. 16.

Common Ground's Birmingham Street Art Fair

More than 100 jury-selected artists will line the streets of downtown Birmingham in and around Shain Park for this 48th annual event that will include a silent auction benefiting Common Ground to help raise funds and awareness around suicide prevention.

Live music will include Ellen Wallenfang, Jeremiah Mack & the Shark Attack, Mayflower Music and Axis Music Academy.

10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday at Shain Park, 270 W. Merrill in Birmingham. Free.

Smoke on the River Detroit

This 3rd annual cigar festival presented by the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resorts will feature more than 20 premium cigars, cigar brand ambassadors, exhibits from more than 10 top cigar manufacturers, specialty cocktails, food and live music by Nicole New, Os Clavelitos, New World Soul, Sky Covington and DJ Emmett.

Proceeds to benefit the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy.

3-8 p.m. Sunday at Gabriel Richard Park, 7130 East Jefferson in Detroit. Tickets are $75 and up.

Haunted Weekends at Blake’s Big Apple

Spooky evenings return with haunted hayrides, a 3-story haunted barn, spookyland and zombie paintball at this premier metro Detroit apple orchard.

All attractions begin at sunset Friday-Sunday through the end of October at Blake’s Orchard & Cider Mill, 71485 North Ave. in Armada. Visit blakesbigapple for advance tickets.

Flat Rock Riverfest

Family fun will include live music and entertainment, a beer tent, fireworks on Friday, food, bounce inflatables, dunk tank, kids games and crafts, a fire department obstacle course, cornhole tournament and more.

Music lineup will include Tequila Mockingbirds, Category 5, Phoenix Theory, Jimmy and Jay, Sarah Sherrard Bank, Daniel Harrison and the $2 Highway and Mega 80’s.

4-11 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday at Huroc Park, 28700 Arsenal Road in Flat Rock.

Rockin’ the Shores Beer & Music Festival

This festival presented by Roy O’Brien Ford will have food trucks, a fun zone and live music that will include Vertical Horizon, Sponge, Eastside Still Alive, Visitor and others.

1 p.m.-12 a.m. Saturday at 9 Mile and Greater Mack in St. Clair Shores. All ages until 9 p.m.; after 9 p.m. 21 and older. Entry is $5 after 5 p.m.

Wyandotte Beer Fest

More than 30 breweries will offer limited releases, seasonal craft beers, ciders, meads and seltzers on the riverfront in downtown Wyandotte. There will also be live music from Power Play Detroit and the Sea Monsters, games in the Faygo Fun Zone, food trucks and more.

Beer tasting is 6-10:30 p.m. Friday and the after party continues until midnight at the Riverfront parking lot in downtown Wyandotte.

Beer tasting packages are $25 in advance, $30 the day of the event and include: 14 sampling tickets and a commemorative tasting glass.  Entry only (no tasting) is $10. Advance tickets can be purchased at wyandottebeerfest.

North American International Auto Show

The Detroit auto show was a winter tradition for decades until organizers decided to shift the massive car convention to later summer. After a two-year pandemic hiatus, that vision of a summer show with outdoor elements is finally a reality, and the attractions sprawl outside Huntington Place and into Hart Plaza.

More:Your guide to the 2022 Detroit auto show: Public days, reveals, tickets, more

There'll be the traditional vehicle displays showcasing the latest models of nearly every automaker on the planet, plus a number of off-the-wall family attractions, like a 60-foot-tall rubber duck, flying vehicle demonstrations, a Monster Truck Throwdown and a Dinosaur and Off-Road Vehicle Encounter.

The show opens to the public Saturday and runs through Sept. 25

9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 17-24; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 25

Huntington Place, 1 Washington Blvd., with outdoor attractions at include Campus Martius, Hart Plaza and Spirit Plaza.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $12 for seniors 65 and older and $10 for children ages 3-12. Children 2 and under get in free. A family pass is $50.

Brendel Hightower is an assistant editor at the Detroit Free Press. Contact her at bhightower@freepress.com. To subscribe, go to freep.com/specialoffer.