Michigan Central Station To Celebrate Reopening With A Concert And Tours
The grand reopening of Michigan Central Station is going down on June 6. Grand opening events are scheduled through June 16. The Detroit News reported that the team at Michigan Central Station presented plans to the Detroit City Council for permits for the events.
According to the news outlet, events will run from June 6-16 with performances, station tours, discussions, and family-friendly activities.
Large audience anticipated for the Michigan Central Station reopening
“Our celebration is going to have two core pieces, a free concert we call ‘Open Live’ on June 6 to celebrate all the station has meant for the city and what it will mean going forward,” CEO Joshua Sirefman told the outlet. “We anticipate an audience of 15,000 for this. This will be free and we will make sure the residents in the immediate neighborhood have priority access to tickets.”
Sirefman said Michigan Central Station expects 60,000 people to tour the station over 10 days in June.
The station’s public opening comes 36 years after the last train left the station on Michigan Avenue in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood. Ford Motor Co. purchased the building and its surrounding campus in 2018 and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars restoring the area and station.
“Michigan Central Station is a place that in many ways tells the story of Detroit over the past century,” said Bill Ford, the company’s executive chairman in a news release. “We at Ford want to help write the next chapter, working together in Corktown with the best startups, the smartest talent, and the thinkers, engineers, and problem-solvers who see things differently – all to shape the future of mobility and transportation.”
DBusiness reported that the station will open to media first on June 6 and an event to thank those who supported the Michigan Central Children’s Endowment, led by Bill and Lisa Ford, begins at 5 p.m.
A free 90-minute outdoor concert hits the stage at 8:30 p.m. Gates for the concert will open at 6 p.m. The event will be “streamed globally.” Pre-registration will be required for all events.
Tours of the refurbished train station will begin June 7, as well as an open forum with leadership of Michigan Central and Newlab at Michigan Central. Other food services, performances, displays, and activities also are expected.
The station will offer free guided tours during specific hours: noon to 10 p.m. on June 7, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on June 8, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 9. Following this, there will be an open house and festival from noon to 8 p.m. from June 10 to June 13, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on June 14 and 15, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 16.
Weekends will feature various performances, demonstrations, and music throughout the day, while weekdays will have a lighter programming schedule, with a few highlights each day as per the permit request.
Additionally, the open houses will continue from June 21 to August 31, taking place on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
