Carnival rides, rock bands and tasty treats entertained crowds as the Dearborn Heights Spirit Festival returned to Canfield Center after a two-year COVID hiatus.
The festival attracted thousands of people to play games and enjoy the weather while eating carnival-style food and generally enjoying the city’s first festival since 2019.
“This is the first time we’ve had Arabic music at the festival,” Parks and Recreation Director Kim Laurencelle said. “We need to be more diverse in our programming, and I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”
She was talking about Bassam Saleh and his band who performed on June 9. There was live music every night of the festival.
“We came for the food,” said Dearborn Heights resident Ali Hammoud. “But the kids really enjoyed the games and rides.”
For most of the weekend there were plenty of food options, but on Sunday several of the vendors had other obligations and had to leave, leaving only two vendors at the festival for Sunday.
