Detroit, MI
2024 Ford Fireworks in Downtown Detroit: Street closures, parking & everything to know
The 2024 Ford Fireworks return to Downtown Detroit on Monday, June 24, and with hundreds of thousands of people converging on the city, it’ll be a busy night in Detroit.
The City of Detroit has released information on viewing areas, closed parks, curfew and more for the event on Monday night.
Here’s everything you need to know
Viewing areas
The city said the best viewing sites are Hart Plaza, Belle Isle and Spirit Plaza. Hart Plaza and Spirit Plaza will be open to the general public until capacity is reached. However, setting up or gathering at the plazas will not be allowed prior to 2:00 p.m. on June 26.
During the day of the fireworks, re-entry will not be allowed at Hart Plaza or Spirit Plaza. Anyone entering either plaza will be subject to security screening, including coolers and backpacks.
Belle Isle will be closed until 2 p.m. and then will open to traffic. Motorists will need a recreation passport to enter the island. Alcohol consumption is prohibited, no tents or canopies are allowed and more.
Riverside parks that will be closed:
- RiverWalk in its entirety including Milliken State Park/Harbor
- AB Ford Park, 100 Lenox
- Gabriel Richard Park, 7130 E. Jefferson
- Mariner Park, 14700 Riverside Blvd.
- Lakewood East, 14578 Riverfront Blvd.
- Erma Henderson Park, 8800 E. Jefferson Ave.
- Owens Park, 8430 E. Jefferson Ave.
- Stockton Park, 9250 Dwight
- Maheras-Gentry Park, 12550 Avondale
- Elliott Park, 110 Mt. Elliott
- Riverside Park
Where to park
The city said the Municipal Parking Department will not enforce parking meters after 5 p.m., however, you have to observe parking restrictions. Violators will be ticketed and may be towed for improper parking, parking in front of fire hydrants, bus stops or blocking sidewalks.
Parking is also available at city-owned garages like the Ford Underground Garage for $10 and Eastern Market Garage for $5.
Street and freeway closures
- No northbound or southbound traffic will be allowed on Woodward Avenue beginning at Park and Witherell. Motorists may cross Woodward at John R/Clifford, Grand River, and State/Gratiot.
- All streets south of Fort and west of Woodward will be closed.
- All streets south of Congress and east of Woodward will be closed.
- Beginning at 6 p.m., freeways will begin to close. *
The Detroit Police Department reserves the right to request closure of the freeways and surfaces streets earlier or later, depending on the volume of vehicle traffic.
Curfew
A curfew will be in effect for minors ages 17 and under from 8 p.m. Monday until 6 a.m. on June 25 for the area bounded by the Detroit River, Rosa Parks Blvd., Lodge Freeway, Fisher Freeway, the extension of Fisher Freeway east to include Gratiot Avenue, Vernor Highway, Chene Street, Atwater Street and Chene Park.
Minors can view the fireworks from approved public areas, but must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or other responsible adult ages 21 or over.
Minors in violation of the curfew will be taken to the Butzel Family Center, 7737 Kercheval. Minors will be held there until picked up by a parent or guardian. The parent or guardian also shall receive a parental responsibility violation ticket.
Lost children
Parents can find lost children in these locations:
- Huntington Place, off Atwater Dr. in the atrium
- Detroit Police Department 3rd Precinct, 2875 W. Grand Blvd. (313) 596-5300
- Detroit Police Department 4th Precinct, 4700 W. Fort Street (313) 596-5400
- Butzel Family Center, 7737 Kercheval, 628-2100
DDOT bus routes impacted
The following bus routes will be impacted by the Fireworks. They include: Grand River (#3), Woodward (#4), Van Dyke/Lafayette (#5), Gratiot (#6), Conant southbound only (#12), Jefferson (#9), Dexter (#16), Russell (#40), Chene (#52), and Cadillac/Harper (#67). All DDOT routes will go to Rosa Parks Transit Center.
For more information regarding DDOT service, call (313) 933-1300.
Detroit People Mover
The Detroit People Mover will be open for the fireworks from 7 a.m. until midnight. People may exit at Financial District for viewing at Spirit or Hart Plaza.
Trains will not stop at Huntington Place or Renaissance Center after 2 p.m.
Every seat in the Michigan Senate is up for election this year, and eight of those districts are in Wayne County.
In the 4th, 5th and 8th Districts, only one Republican and one Democrat filed for election, meaning those candidates will automatically be nominated and move on to the November ballot. Here are The Detroit News endorsements in the five contested Senate primaries in Wayne County:
1st District (Southwest Detroit and parts of Downriver, including Taylor, Melvindale and Lincoln Park): Two Detroit Democrats are competing for this seat: Abraham Aiyash and Justin Onwenu.
Aiyash is a former state representative who is hoping to return to the Legislature after a two-year absence. He is a progressive whose policy positions align with Democratic socialists.
Onwenu is an attorney who served the Mike Duggan administration as Detroit’s first Director of Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunity, helping small businesses get a start in the city. Before attending Columbia Law School, where he was president of the student body from 2023 to 2024, Onwenu worked to combat air and water pollution in Detroit, Ecorse and River Rouge.
In the Senate, he promises to be a supporter of legislation to strengthen neighborhoods by lowering property taxes and investing in infrastructure.
He also supports stronger transparency and ethics rules for lawmakers. Justin Onwenu gets our endorsement in the 1st District Democratic primary.
Patrick O’Connell of Ecorse is unopposed in the Republican primary.
2nd District (Northwest Detroit, Dearborn Heights and part of Dearborn): The district is currently represented by Sylvia Santana, who made an unsuccessful bid to be nominated for the Michigan State University board.
The Democratic primary features two Dearborn residents who are hoping to replace Santana: Erin Byrnes and Abbas Alawieh.
Alawieh describes himself as a political strategist, community organizer and pro-peace advocate. He is supported by the Michigan Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus and aligns with many of its anti-growth positions.
Byrnes is currently a state representative in her second term. Like her opponent, she is well to the left of center on the political spectrum. In the Legislature, she has pushed for utility rate controls.
The two Democrats are similarly positioned. Our choice in the 2nd District is Erin Byrnes, based on her legislative experience.
Harry Sawicki of Dearborn Heights is unopposed in the Republican primary.
3rd District (Detroit, Warren and Madison Heights): The contest to replace incumbent Stephanie Chang has drawn a long list of candidates. The 3rd District starts near Downtown Detroit and stretches north through the center of the city into southern Oakland and Macomb counties.
Eleven Democrats, all from Detroit, are competing in the primary. They are: Mohammad Alam, a Bangladeshi immigrant and Army veteran; LeJuan Council, a property manager and small business owner; John Conyers III, son of the late congressman; LaTanya Garrett, a former state representative; Korey Hall, a former director of community affairs in the Whitmer administration; Adam Hollier, a former state senator; Gary Hunter, a former candidate for Detroit City Council; Kimberly Hill-Knott, former head of the Detroit Climate Action Collaborative; Toinu Reeves, an economist, Abraham Shaw, who owns an auto repair shop, and Eboni Taylor, a community advocate.
There are several interesting and impressive candidates in this race, including Conyers, who just wrote about his father. Garrett has legislative experience, as does Hollier, whom we’ve endorsed in his previous runs for public office.
But we are most impressed with Reeves, a newcomer to politics who brings top-notch credentials to the race. Reeves grew up on Detroit’s east side and is an economist who attended Wayne State University and Dartmouth College.
He serves as chair of the Economic Development Workgroup for Detroit’s District 4 Community Advisory Committee and on the Jefferson-Chalmers Community District Council. He is a former school teacher and autoworker.
Toinu Reeves offers fresh ideas and much-needed skills, and gets our endorsement in the 3rd District Democratic Primary.
Mark Ashley Price is unopposed in the Republican primary.
6th District (Redford Township, Farmington and Farmington Hills): Incumbent Mary Cavanaugh is defending her seat from a challenge from fellow Democrat Stephen Jensen, who shows no signs of a campaign. Both are from Redford.
Mary Cavanaugh, granddaughter of the late Detroit Mayor Jerome Cavanaugh, has served her district well and should be renominated for a second term.
Joi Pokerwinski of Redford Township is unopposed in the Republican Party.
12th District (Parts of Wayne, Macomb and St. Clair counties, including Algonac, the Grosse Pointes, St. Clair Shores, Harper Woods, Mount Clemens and New Baltimore): Incumbent Sen. Kevin Hertel of St. Clair Shores is unopposed in the Democratic primary. Five Republicans are competing in their primary to face him in November.
They are: Joseph Backus of St. Clair Shores, a prolific community volunteer who has run unsuccessfully for other offices; Patrick Biange of St. Clair Shores; John Goldwater of New Baltimore, an oil and gas entrepreneur; Eileen Tesch, the former mayor of Algonac who faced recall efforts, and Shelley Wright, a former general contractor and owner of a process serving company who says Donald Trump inspired her to politics.
John Goldwater has experience growing a business and creating jobs. He would also prioritize improving skilled trades training. The father of six is a conservative who describes himself as pro-life and a defender of the Second Amendment.
Our endorsement in the 12th District Republican primary goes to John Goldwater.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A 16-year-old moped driver was hospitalized after a crash on Detroit’s west side on Wednesday night.
The backstory:
Detroit police say the teen disregarded a stop sign while going east on Vassar when he collided with a vehicle turning south on Outer Drive at about 9:30 p.m.
Photos by FOX 2 Photog Scott Federspiel
The boy was taken to a nearby hospital where he is listed in critical condition. The driver of the car, a woman in her 30s, was not injured.
The Source: Information for this report is from Detroit police.
Watch FOX 2 Detroit Live:
Chickens and geese that went missing from a local nonprofit’s Detroit site were found in the backyard of a nearby home, the director of operations said Wednesday.
The Full Circle Foundation, a Grosse Point Park-based nonprofit, said more than a dozen chickens and geese were believed stolen from a chicken coop on Detroit’s east side that also features the Full Circle Edible Garden.
The nonprofit provides training and job opportunities for young people with special needs.
Neighbors who learned from news reports about the missing flock found the “chickens were being held in the backyard of a vacant home not far from the Full Circle Edible Garden,” said Stephanie DiVirgil, director of operations. She said Ribbon Farm 4-H owns the flock.
“The homeowner was contacted, and she reached out to Full Circle to confirm,” said DiVirgil. “We were able to retrieve all of the chickens and geese that were found on the property, 19 in total.”
The foundation and Ribbon Farms 4-H are working to secure the site, including cameras, fencing and lights.
“We will likely start a fundraising campaign to have these items installed,” DiVirgil said. “We’ve gotten amazing support from the community, including offers to help pay for these additional security measures.”
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