Dlectricity to return this fall to light up Cultural Center and Beacon Park

After a four-year hiatus, the outdoor festival Dlectricity will return this fall, bringing art and light installations to the Cultural Center District and Beacon Park.

The two-day event is an opportunity to test ideas from the Cultural Center Planning Initiative's digital and mobility strategies and showcase the district's new Wi-Fi system. Produced by Midtown Detroit, Inc. and supported by presenting sponsor DTE Energy Foundation, Dlectricity is inspired by other festivals that bring contemporary light and technology-based arts to the streets of major cities from all over the world.

"We are incredibly grateful to DTE Energy Foundation and our foundation partners for supporting the return of Dlectricity,” said Sue Mosey, Executive Director of MDI, in a news release. “We are committed to producing a beautiful outdoor event and have engaged expert partners as we plan to safely come together, connecting with art and one another.”

With safety for visitors a priority, MDI is exploring the creation of more pedestrian plazas and the use of open spaces. The organization is working closely with health and safety experts, including the global public health organization NSF International, to develop public health and safety protocols for the event. MDI worked with NSF to safely reopen Cultural Center institutions in 2020.

“At the DTE Energy Foundation, we know a healthy, energized Detroit is the underpinning of a healthier, more vital Michigan,” said Lynette Dowler, president, DTE Energy Foundation, in a news release. “That’s why we support Dlectricity, which will once again transform the Motor City through the power of art and culture. We’re grateful to bring Dlectricity to visitors from our own backyard — and those joining us from around the globe — and to continue to deliver energy and light to our city as we continue to lift each other up and move past the pandemic together.”

Dlectricity 2021 marks the fourth edition and includes the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, College for Creative Studies, Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Historical Museum, the Detroit Public Library, Michigan Science Center, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), The Scarab Club, the University of Michigan’s Rackham Building, and Wayne State University. The festival debuted in 2012.

“The symbolism of Dlectricity bringing us together around art and light in the darkness takes on new meaning in 2021 — and we are elated,” said Wendy Lewis Jackson, managing director of Kresge’s Detroit Program. “Yes, we face hard work for many months to come, but Dlectricity underscores the promise of safely rebuilding public life in public spaces as we bring the pandemic under control.”