November is here, but there are still plenty of events around Detroit and the ’burbs to draw you out of the house. Venture outdoors for a food-filled tour of Dearborn’s shops and restaurants, or a jump-start on extremely local holiday shopping at Eastern Market.
Talks on art, grassroots tech advocacy and hip-hop; an annual anime fest; a night of historic jazz; vintage shopping with tunes; a fancy farmer’s feast; and an outdoor cat shelter workshop — we’ve got all that and more in store. Find all our picks for the best things to do in and around Detroit through Nov. 9 in this week’s Get Busy events roundup.
🕯️ Head to the inaugural Día de los Muertos Tianguis/Festival at La Jalisciense in Southwest Detroit on Thursday for an outdoor market, community ofrenda and music. $5-$10.
🎭 Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Power Rangers’ and meet some of the English voice actors for “Dragon Ball Z” at the Youmacon anime convention at Huntington Place downtown, today through Sunday. Tickets start at $33.05.
🛍️ 🎸 Rock while you shop a sale on second-hand fashion at Flamingo Vintage’s First Friday LIVE, Friday night. The Southwest Detroit vintage shop will host Northern swamp rock duo Ladyship Warship and garage punk rockers Norcos y Horchata. BYOB. $5.
🎞️ Check out a technology talk with a screening and discussion on Saturday at the Detroit Public Library’s Duffield Branch. The Vice Motherboard short film follows a grassroots effort that provided free internet to Detroit residents. Free.
🐱 Build an outdoor cat shelter at the Catfé Lounge in Ferndale on Saturday to help your favorite neighborhood street cats stay warm this winter. Materials and instructions will be provided. $5 minimum donation.
🥙 You won’t want to miss the Yalla Eat! Culinary Walking Tour in east Dearborn on Saturday along Michigan Avenue or Sunday along Warren Avenue. Join the Arab American National Museum to sample treats at restaurants, grocery stores and spice shops. $60.
💃 Grab your nicest gown or tux and support the work of youth organization Detroit Heals Detroit at its second annual Healing Justice Gala on Sunday at The Jam Handy in Milwaukee Junction. Sliding scale starting at $25, $150 suggested.
🛍️ If you’re looking to get a jump-start on your holiday shopping, All Things Detroit returns to Eastern Market on Sunday featuring over 250 local businesses. $10.
🎤 For the final night in a lecture series celebrating the 50th birthday of hip-hop, I Used to Love HER will look at the genre and cultural movement’s impact over the last five decades. Hear a history told by Khary Frazier, Nick Speed and Sterling Toles on Wayne State University’s campus on Wednesday. Free.
🍽️ If you’ve ever been intimidated by the recipes in a gourmet cookbook, why not let the chef who wrote them cook for you? On Nov. 9, Michigan chef Abra Berens will serve some of her best recipes from her acclaimed cookbooks “Pulp,” Grist” and “Ruffage” at Frame in Hazel Park. $115.
🎷 The Detroit Sound Conservancy will celebrate the history of the Graystone Ballroom on Nov. 9 at the Jam Handy with From the Ballroom to the Museum: Celebrating Black Resistance in the Graystone Collection. The event features reworked jazz compositions performed by Ali Jackson and the New Graystone Ensemble, as well as an exhibit, storytelling and refreshments. Free.
💼 Transgender Michigan will host a job fair dedicated to the transgender community on Nov. 9 at the Affirmations LGBTQ+ community center in Ferndale, also featuring workshops and panels. Free.
🎹 On Nov. 9, celebrate the “power, beauty and versatility” of Black artists with music by singer-songwriter-actor Lulu Fall and spoken word from some of Detroit’s enduring talents (including Nandi Comer and Scheherazade Washington Parrish) in BLK GOLD, hosted at The Cube in Midtown. $20-$40.
🗣️ Satisfy fascinations with urbanism and art at a Cranbrook Art Museum talk on Nov. 9 with Chicago artist and designer Norman Teague, who will explore “speculation” through a lens of Black space and freedom. Free.