The Reveal Detroit Music Festival will take place August 24-25 at El Club, featuring over 25 local artists, music by some of the city’s hottest DJs, and even tarot card reading, all within a carnival theme. But that may not be the best part of the two-day festival.
The festival’s founder, Desmond Dunn, is launching a pilot program for Detroit Public School Community District (DPCSD) high school students in grades 9-12 that will empower them to learn about more than just the standard career choices presented to them and how to build new skills.
The pilot program will launch August 8, with students participating in the program Tuesday-Thursday from 10-2:00 p.m. During the three-week program, students will gain hands-on experience in audio and visual, design, staging, lighting, staff management, and communications. During the final week, students will be able to put the unique skills they learned to the test, as they will help manage Reveal Detroit’s Music Festival.
“I started doing research and I found out that there is a small amount of schools in DPCSD that have at least one art class. The others have none,” said Dunn, who attended DPSCD schools up until high school. “When they do budget cuts, the first thing they take away is the arts. I wanted to implement a program that would bring that back to the kids in our city.”
The students will not only get hands on experience at the Reveal Detroit Music Festival, but they will have the opportunity to do the same at other prominent event venues within the City of Detroit.
“Not only do a lot or our kids not know people in the music industry, but they don’t have a lot of exposure either,” said Dunn. “They are following these people on social media and may not know how to reach out to them and contact them. With this concept, I want them to see what it’s like to work with celebrities, manage venues, and see what it’s like working in the entertainment industry. My end goal for this is to provide them with internships while they’re still in high school and eventually scholarships for post-secondary education.”
Dunn said his goal is to have 50 students in this year’s pilot program. Registration opened this week and interested applicants can apply at RevealDetroit.com.
Day one of the Reveal Detroit Music Festival will take place at El Club (4114 West Vernor) from 12-9:00 p.m., with 107.5 personality Stewe hosting the event. Babyface Ray will be the headliner of the show, along with other local artists including Apropos, Young Roc, Milfie, Chanlikejackie, and more. DJ Bleek and Amber the Playlist Princess will bring the sounds. There will also be carnival games, face painting, tarot card reading, and more.
Day two of the festival will be held at a secret location featuring local painters from 5-10 p.m.
Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased directly through the Reveal Detroit or through Eventbrite. VIP tickets are $70 and grants indoor and outdoor VIP seating, four drink vouchers, food, gift bag, priority entrance, and front row stage access. One ticket purchase grants access to both day-one and day-two events. Attendees must be 18+ to attend.
“The festival is me putting artists on a larger stage,” said Dunn. “I hope that we support our own here in Detroit and people send the kids our way so that we can invest in them.”
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