Ticket registration will begin on Tuesday at noon for Michigan Central OPEN, a community celebration running from June 6-16 to commemorate the reopening of Michigan Central Station in Detroit following a nearly $1-billion restoration by Ford Motor Co.
Hosted by Ford and Michigan Central, Michigan Central OPEN welcomes the public to share in this major milestone with an opening night concert outside the station featuring a lineup of legendary Detroit performers produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment, an Emmy-winning production company that has played an integral role in producing many of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment, including multiple Super Bowl Halftime Shows.
Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay will produce the show. Emmy award-winning production companies Diversified Production Services and Killian + Company are also producing the special event. The outdoor concert also will be available via livestream.
More details on the actual performers will be released in the coming days.
“There’s no place like Detroit, and we couldn’t be more excited to showcase the city through its own incredible artists,” says Collins, founder and CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment. “We’re going to create an unforgettable welcome party for Michigan Central with this new chapter in Detroit history that celebrates the visions of these unique performers who are bound together by a shared love of their city.”
The following 10 days will offer the public a first look inside the revitalized Station’s ground floor before the building’s first commercial occupants begin moving in this fall. Visitors can sign up for a tour of the first floor of The Station, learn about the rich history of the iconic building, the city, and its people, and get a sneak peek into Michigan Central’s future.
On June 6, festivities kick off with Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central, a 90-minute outdoor spectacular in front of The Station headlined by some of Detroit’s biggest stars. The standing room only show will feature short films, appearances by local leaders, and creators telling stories of innovation and culture from around the city and the region. Gates will open at 6 p.m., and the show will begin at 8:30 p.m.
Beginning, Friday, June 7 through June 16, Michigan Central will host its OPEN House, offering a first look inside The Station’s fully and faithfully restored ground floor through a range of exhibits, entertainment, art, and more.
Next door, on the front lawn of Newlab at Michigan Central (the former Book Depository building, and prior to that the Roosevelt Warehouse), visitors can enjoy music and local entertainment, hear about opportunities for innovation, community events, and skills programming at Michigan Central, and purchase food, drinks, and commemorative souvenirs.
“After a six-year restoration by Ford and so many others, Michigan Central Station will re-open, reimagined as a place of innovation and culture open to all,” says Mary Culler, chair of Michigan Central. “This is a historic moment not just for Michigan Central but for those near and far who love Detroit, and that’s why we’re creating an opening worthy of this achievement that invites everyone to join us for the station’s next chapter, no matter where they are located in the world.”
When it first opened in 1913, The Station was the world’s tallest and one of the grandest train depots in the United States. As preferences and technology changed in regard to travel, however, The Station closed in 1988 and remained vacant until Ford’s acquisition of the property in 2018.
Since then, more than 3,100 skilled workers have dedicated more than 1.7 million combined hours to meticulously restore The Station to its original architectural grandeur, while retrofitting it with modern technological infrastructure to support its next chapter.
Over time, The Station is expected to become a vibrant public destination for Detroiters and all who visit the region, and serve as the centerpiece of the Michigan Central technology and cultural hub that spans 30 acres.
With 640,000 square feet of future retail, hospitality, event, and collaborative innovation spaces, The Station will support the Michigan Central ecosystem by accommodating larger tenants and established companies, attracting more technology talent, and drawing in diverse businesses. The landmark will also be a stop on Detroit’s greenway plan, uniting dozens of local neighborhoods across the city to create a more connected Detroit.
After its reopening event in June, Michigan Central will begin a phased reactivation of The Station over the next several months and years as restaurant, retail, and other commercial and community-focused partners take up residency.
The first floor will be open to visitors for tours on Fridays and Saturdays through the summer. Expanded hours will be announced for fall, when the first phase of commercial activations opens to the public.
More information on the Michigan Central OPEN festivities, including how to register for tickets and updates on performances, can be found at michigancentral.com.
Tickets are free for Live from Detroit: The Concert at Michigan Central and the OPEN House tours, but registration is required.
