Michigan Central Station is turning its restored halls into a weekend-long celebration, with free Halloween festivities Saturday and Día de los Muertos programming Sunday. Families can expect a trunk-or-treat, movie screenings, a cultural performance and hands-on activities, all open to the public at no cost.
According to WXYZ, Michigan Central and Ford Philanthropy announced that the two-day celebration will feature family activities, costumes, decorated vehicles, movies, cultural programming and food. The station sits at 2001 15th St. Suite 101 in Detroit, according to Little Guide Detroit, and both days of programming are free and open to all.
Saturday's Halloween Lineup
Halloween takes over the station on Saturday, October 31, with families encouraged to show up in costume, per WXYZ. The day includes a trunk-or-treat, movie screenings, a performance and hands-on activities for kids.
The trunk-or-treat runs from noon to 2 p.m. outside the station, giving kids a chance to collect candy from decorated vehicles. Family activities and activations continue separately from noon to 4 p.m., while Hocus Pocus screens twice, once at 10 a.m. and again at 2:30 p.m.
Sunday Shifts to Día de los Muertos
On Sunday, November 1, the station's programming turns to Día de los Muertos. Día de los Muertos activities and activations run from noon to 4 p.m., alongside two screenings of Coco, at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Detroit Voces will host a community ofrenda along with a portrait and oral history station, according to WXYZ. Little Guide Detroit describes the ofrenda as honoring those who passed through Michigan Central Station in search of new beginnings. At 1 p.m., Ballet Folklórico de Wayne State University takes the stage for a performance.
A Station With Halloween History
This isn't the first time Michigan Central has opened its doors for Halloween. Back on October 31, 2018, Ford and community partners hosted a family-friendly Halloween event at the long-vacant train station for 800 neighborhood residents and Ford employees, according to Michigan Central. That 2018 gathering ran from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and brought the then-dormant building back to life with kids' activities, trick-or-treating stations, live music and decorations, with a row of Ford vehicles forming a trunk-or-treat lot open to the public outside.
Families looking for even more Día de los Muertos programming have another option Sunday. The Detroit Riverfront Conservancy is hosting its own Día de los Muertos event on the riverfront that same day, featuring food, live music, ballet folklórico, shop vendors and children's activities, according to the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. That event is also free to attend.
