The Quicken Loans Winter Blast Weekend presented by Soaring Eagle will take place Friday, Feb. 7 through Sunday, Feb. 9 in downtown Detroit. The free event will include winter activities, live entertainment, and food from local restaurants and food trucks.
The festival will include free skating at the Frankenmuth Rink at Campus Martius Park and will be headlined by Larry Lee and The Back In The Day Band, Alise King, and The Persuasion Band. Admission to the festival will be free.
TCF Bank is collaborating with residents of the Grandmont Rosedale neighborhood in northwest Detroit. On the morning on of Saturday, Feb. 8, 600 community members will be treated to a preview of the festival and access to free activities, food, and beverages. The bank will also donate exhibit space to three small businesses from the neighborhood for sales and promotion opportunities.
TCF also is the new sponsor for the lineup of family activities including DJs, arts and crafts, science experiments from the Michigan Science Center, and a character meet and greet with Sonic the Hedgehog.
Winter activities returning to the festival include ice carving demonstrations along Campus Martius and Cadillac Square, stations for roasting marshmallows, and music and activities in Cadillac Lodge.
Mt. Brighton will offer a learn-to-ski and snowboard experience in downtown Detroit using a snowmaking system for the event. The winter slide will return to the event, sending riders through a tube at up to 20 mph at a 40-degree angle. There also will be a 30-degree angle slide.
Another returning feature will be the longest, fastest mobile zip line in Michigan. The 20-second ride allows two people to zip simultaneously on separate lines 34 feet above South Woodward and enjoy panoramic views of downtown.
The Polar Plunge, a pool of cold water that festivalgoers can jump into to raise money for the Special Olympics, will return to the festival. The goal is to raise more than $20,000 to surpass the average funds raised at the festival through the activity.
Food trucks will include A Taste of Nawlins, Baked Delicious, Big Mike’s Mexican Trailer, Mr. Deep Fried, Chick-A-Dee Fried Chicken, Crepe De Twah-Sweet and Savory Crepes, Detroit Panzerotti, Imperial Ferndale, Mercurio Foods Elephant Ear, Mercurio Foods Grab, Mercurio Foods Popper, Niko’s Gyros, Soaring Eagle Cuisine Machine, and The Lobster Truck.
The festival is again partnering with Kroger’s Zero Hunger, Zero Waste, a campaign committed to ending hunger and eliminating food waste. All participating food trucks will receive exhibition space for a donation of food to Detroit-area shelters. Forgotten Harvest will collect and distribute the donations to local shelters such as Capuchin Soup Kitchen, Detroit Rescue Mission, and Detroit Boxing Club.
The music lineup is as follows:
Michigan Lottery Stage
Friday, Feb. 7
6:30 – 7:30 p.m. Leaving Lifted (reggae/rock)
8:00 – 9:15 p.m. Ben Sharkey (jazz/pop)
9:45 – 11:00 p.m. Larry Lee and The Back In The Day Band (funk/soul)
Saturday, Feb. 8
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Soul Pepper (blues/rock)
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. KLR and The Saints (acoustic/pop)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. The Fernwoods (alternative)
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Adam Plomaritas (rock/soul)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Raye Williams (country/R&B)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cast-Iron Cornbread (country/rock)
8:30 – 9:30 p.m. Daylight Sinners (rock/classic rock)
10:00 – 11:00 p.m. Alise King (R&B/soul)
Sunday, Feb. 9
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Nick Juno (folk rock)
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Sara Marie Baron (soul/pop)
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Lucy’s Brown Seville (blues/soul)
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Alan Turner (country/rock)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Laura Rain and The Caesars (R&B/soul)
7:00 – 8:00 p.m. The Persuasion Band (cover band/top 40)
TCF Bank Music Stage
Friday, Feb. 7
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. DJ Head (rhythmic)
7:00 – 9:00 p.m. DJ Seoul and T.Linder from Detroit Techno Militia (techno/electronic/house)
7:00 – 11:00 p.m. Motor City Dance Academy (street dance)
9:00 – 11:00 p.m. Movement Presents Mister Joshooa (techno/house)
Saturday, Feb. 8
11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Jason Hudy: Mesmerizing Magic
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. Michigan Science Center
1:00 – 1:45 p.m. The Fairy Godmother of Music (kids’ music)
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Detroit Circus
3:30 – 3:50 p.m. Character meet and greet with Sonic the hedgehog
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. Michigan Science Center
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. The Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music – Acoustic Showcase
6:15 – 7:15 p.m. Taneen (pop/R&B)
7:30 – 9:00 p.m. Amp Fiddler (funk/soul)
8:00 – 11:00 p.m. Motor City Dance Academy (street dance)
9:00 – 11:00 p.m. Movement Presents Andrea Ghita (techno/house)
Sunday, Feb. 9
11:00 – 11:45 a.m. Jason Hudy: Mesmerizing Magic
12:00 – 12:45 p.m. Michigan Science Center
1:00 – 1:45 p.m. The Fairy Godmother of Music
2:30 – 3:15 p.m. Detroit Circus
3:30 – 3:50 p.m. Character meet and greet with Sonic the hedgehog
4:00 – 4:45 p.m. Michigan Science Center
5:00 – 6:00 p.m. The Detroit School of Rock and Pop Music – Acoustic Showcase
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Dueling Pianos International
More information on the festival is available at winterblast.com.
