DEARBORN – The 42nd annual Dearborn Homecoming Festival will return to Dearborn’s Ford Field Park Friday, Aug. 4 – Sunday, Aug. 6 at 22051 Cherry Hill Rd. The festival, which is presented by J&T Crova Towing, will include free musical performances and family activities, a fireworks show, food and carnival rides, among other attractions.

Festival hours are 12-11 p.m., Friday-Sunday, though some activities may start earlier. Fireworks will take place on Saturday and Sunday evenings, following headline musical performances from Natasha Bedingfield and Tenille Arts, respectively.

All available information can be found at DearbornHomecoming.com

Grand opening

Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud will host a grand opening ceremony at Ford Field Park on Friday, Aug. 4 at 12:30 p.m. to kick off the weekend festival. The mayor will be available to speak with members of the media following a ribbon cutting and photos.

Entertainment lineup

The 2023 lineup includes a variety of musical genres, including rock, pop and country.

Saturday night’s headliner, Natasha Bedingfield, will take to the main stage at 9 p.m. The Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum singer made her solo debut in 2004 and has since delivered hits that have topped international charts, including “Unwritten”, “These Words” and “Pocketful of Sunshine”, among others.

Bedingfield’s performance on Saturday will be preceded by Main Stage performances from Michigan-rooted favorites, including Brother Elsey and Vespre, as well as performances on the festival’s new Cultural Pavilion Stage from Thowra Dabke Troupe and Ceolsige.

On Friday, the Cultural Pavilion Stage will see performances from The Kielbasa Kings and Pat Brennan beginning at 3:30 p.m., as well as Tosha Owens and The Santana Project on the Main Stage, followed by headliner Jody Raffoul Band starting at 8:45 p.m.

The festival’s musical entertainment will conclude on Sunday night featuring a Main Stage performance by country artist Tenille Arts at 9 p.m.

Arts was inducted into the prestigious CMT Next Women of County Class of 2021 and named one of the five 2021 CRS New Faces of Country Music. She was nominated for the ACM New Female Artist of the Year, iHeartRadio Music Awards Best New Country Artist. Her “Back Then, Right Now” single led to CMT Music Awards nominations for Female Video of the Year and Breakthrough Video of the Year.

She will be preceded by Billy Gunther & The Midwest Riders and Corey Dakota on the Main Stage, as well as Kari Holmes and McKayla Prew on the Cultural Pavilion Stage at 3:30 p.m.

Food & beverage

New to the Dearborn Homecoming Festival in 2023 is the Food Truck Corridor, offering a wide variety of cuisine on wheels. In addition to food trucks, the Cultural Pavilion will feature Polish and Arab food vendors.

Beer and select non-alcoholic beverages will be sold by partnering Dearborn nonprofits and local vendors.

Returning to Homecoming in 2023 is the fan-favorite corn sale, hosted by the Dearborn Firefighter Burn Drive.

Activities

Attendees can also look forward to the return of Homecoming classics, including free children’s entertainment, arts & crafts and carnival rides, among other activities, open from 12-10 p.m. all three days.

Patrons can purchase a full-day wristband to enjoy carnival rides and other activities. Wristbands are available for purchase online in advance at the Dearborn Homecoming Festival website for $25 or at the door for $30 on Friday and $35 on Saturday and Sunday. Individual tickets are also available for purchase at the festival.

Other special activities during the Homecoming Festival include:

Shuttles & parking 

Parking and a free shuttle service will be provided for attendees. Limited paid parking is available at Ford Field Park off of South Brady St. for a fee of $10. There is no re-entry granted for parking if you choose to leave the lot and return later in the day.

Homecoming proudly provides a complimentary shuttle service with pickups from the following locations:

Shuttles will run from noon to midnight each day of the festival. Shuttle drop-off and pickup will be located on the south side of Ford Field Park, near the parking and carnival areas.

All information about times and locations can be found at DearbornHomecoming.com

Class reunions

Alumni of Dearborn Public Schools and Dearborn-based schools are invited to reconnect with classmates in the festival’s Reunion Area class reunion tent, presented by LaFontaine Automotive Group. Reunions will be held on the following days:

Sponsors make Homecoming possible

Dearborn Homecoming Festival is organized by the city of Dearborn and presented by J&T Crova Towing. A full list of the Festival’s generous supporters can be found on the Dearborn Homecoming Festival website.

More information

For additional updates and information, visit DearbornHomecoming.org and follow the city’s official social media platforms @DearbornGov. More information is available on the Festival’s Instagram page, @DearbornHCFest.