34th Annual Concert of Colors 2025
July 16-20, 2025, and it’s all freeGlobal arts, music and dance festival with food trucks featuring cuisine across the world, vendors/shopping and nonprofit booths offering information to make change for a better world for all of us. The Midwest’s largest global music festival featuring the biggest names in their genres and it’s free! Wednesday, July 16th
Detroit Film Theatre (inside the Detroit Institute of Arts)
Niyaz - The Fourth Light Project
Detroit Historical Museum: 5401 Woodward Ave, Detroit
An Immersive multi-media experience (Pakistan and Iran).
The newest program of this Persian/Turkish/Indian electroacoustic musical tour de force NIYAZ, with whirling from Turkey and incredible visuals and sound. A mesmerizing experience.
NAFADA - An Audio Uprising (MENA region)
Film: 2 showings 11:30 am & 2 pm
An unforgettable social justice advocacy project between female hip-hop artists from the MENA region and musicians of industrial, dark-wave electro music from the West.
Thursday, July 17th
Victor Ghannam (Palestine) & Sean Blackman’s (Armenia) Hye Salam, featuring David McMurray (Eastern Jazz)
5:30-6:15 pm
Award-winning celebrated Detroit solo artists who perform worldwide are coming together for Arab, Armenian, Eastern jazz and Detroit music. Regular performers at Concert of Colors and highly anticipated as they take you around the world at this energetic and beautiful performance.
Bab L’ Bluz (Morocco) Moroccan-French power quartet reclaim the blues for North Africa
6:45-7:30 pm
Moroccan-French power quartet reclaim the blues for North Africa. Fronted by an African-Moroccan woman in a traditionally male role, Bab L’ Bluz resonates a mixture of powerful Gnawa trance rhythms, Hassani songs from southern Morocco. Ancient-to-future music.
Laith Al-Saadi (Blues afficiando)
8-8:45 pm
Laith Al-Saadi won America’s hearts and a spot in the finale of NBC’s “The Voice”. He is a staple of Michigan’s music scene bringing his authentic blend of blues, soul and classic rock to audiences around the nation and the world.
Michigan Science Center
Third Man Records
International Dance Lessons: African, Latin
1-2 pm: Shashu Amen-Ra, African dance class
4-5 pm: Mambo Marci, Beginners salsa class
Arts & Scraps: Time TBD
Nebula Sound Ensemble (21st-century experimental chamber music)
8-8:40 pm
Nebula Ensemble is an award winning, experimental music group, pushing genre boundaries and advocating for living creators. Mesmerizing audiences at every show!
Beautiful Noise featuring Kash Killion, Scott Amendola, Ben Goldberg, Don Was, Gretchen Gonzales & Chris Peters (Detroit. Soundscape cosmic vibes)
9-10 pm
Indie-space-pop foundations, and a rock and roll legacy with major names in music for a powerful, unforgettable creative performance.
Sosnick Courtyard, outside the Detroit Symphony Orchestra
New Music Detroit, Virtuoso
New and experimental contemporary classical ensemble
7:30-9:30 pm
Collective of musicians, New Music Detroit is dedicated to performing groundbreaking musical works from the late-20th century to present.
Friday, July 18th
Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre
Mavis Staples, Blues/Gospel/R&B legend
9-10 pm
Mavis Staples is a celebrated American rhythm & blues and gospel singer, and civil rights activist who rose to fame with songs by The Staples Singers such as “I’ll take you there.” Her powerful, celebratory sound -with the Detroit River as the stage backdrop - will have audiences on their dancing feet in the warm summer Detroit air.
7:15-8:15 pm: Bab L’ Bluz: (Morocco) Moroccan-French power quartet reclaim the blues for North Africa.
6-6:45 pm: Love Locs, Soul/Rock/World
5-6 pm: Shashu Amen-Ra, African dance
Saturday, July 19th
Spot Lite Detroit
Concert of Colors Forum by the Arab American National Museum: “The Homelands in Our Bodies: Embodying Artivism”
Detroit Film Theatre located inside the Detroit Institute of Arts
1-3 pm
Moderator: Raed (founder of Yalla Punk); Keynote Speaker: Ijeoma Oluo; Speakers & Performers: Firas Zreik, Tongo Eisen-Martin, Raymond ’SouFy’ Elwart Jr., Cyrah Dardas
Eljuri (Latin Reggae rock, Ecuador)
1:30-2:30pm
Eljuri is an award-winning Ecuadorian singer-songwriter/guitarist whose music is a mirror on this generation. Musical global fusion reflecting her Spanish and Lebanese heritage, the uplifting rhythms of her homeland, Ecuador, and the reggae, punk and rock & roll from her hometown, New York City create unique music.
Spanglish Fly (NY, Latin Boogaloo, celebratory, 11-piece band)
3:30-5:00 pm
New York’s only band reviving and renewing Latin Boogaloo that came from the clubs and streets of 1960s Spanish Harlem. Mix of soul, R&B, and Latin rhythms; expect a dance floor packed with happy listeners.
Just Say NO Posse with Bill Summers & Darnell Summers (Detroit)
6:45-7:30 pm
Moroccan-French power quartet reclaim the blues for North Africa. Fronted by an African-Moroccan woman in a traditionally male role, Bab L’ Bluz resonates a mixture of powerful Gnawa trance rhythms, Hassani songs from southern Morocco. Ancient-to-future music.
Don Was Detroit Allstar Revue
9-10:30 pm
wsg Thornetta Davis, Chris Canas, Herschel Boone, Tosha Owens, Laith Al-Saadi, Rev Robert Jones, Steffanie Christi’an, and Mitch Ryder.
One of the festival’s most anticipated annual performances, multiple Grammy winner/Blue Note Records President/Producer/Musician/Detroit-raised superstar Don Was curates a show just for Concert of Colors audiences, bringing some of the city’s best musicians with him to perform the Blues.
Detroit Institute of Arts: North Lawn Stage
Mathangi Dance Company
2:30-4:30pm
What started off as a small-town dance crew has become one of the most recognized Indian performing arts companies in the Michigan area and beyond..
Asha Puthli, (India. Spacy Avante Garde Disco Jazz)
6:00-7:30pm
The Indian-born singer in the 70s, known for her sensuous, spacey jazz-disco fusions plus blues, pop, funk and rock. A wonderful must-see.
Tilted Axes Electric Guitar processional)
6:45-7:30 pm
Music for Mobile Electric Guitars, an ensemble created and led by composer Patrick Grant. A procession of electric guitarists who wear mini-amps.
Yo La Tengo (American Indie, Hoboken)
9-10:30 pm
Despite achieving some mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential critics' band" and enjoys a strong cult following. Mostly original material, the band also performs a wide repertoire of cover songs.
Detroit Film Theatre located inside the Detroit Institute of Arts
Sunday, July 20th
Wendell Harrison tribute to Pharoah Sanders
2:30-3:00pm
Award-winning celebrated Detroit solo artists who perform worldwide are coming together for Arab, Armenian, Eastern jazz and Detroit music. Regular performers at Concert of Colors and highly anticipated as they take you around the world at this energetic and beautiful performance.
AfroFlow: Detroit to Ethiopia w Mike-E. (Ethiopia)
5-6:30 pm
Ellison is an acclaimed, virtuoso musician and performer. Born in Ethiopia and based in Detroit, Michigan. He is working with musicians from throughout Ethiopia for this special performance bridges Detroit to the country of Ethiopia for its beautiful, inspirational sounds.
Femi Kuti, (Nigeria)
8-9:30pm
(Nigeria) Global superstar. Raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Femi Kuti began his musical career playing in his father's band, Egypt 80. In 1986, Femi started his own band, Positive Force, establishing himself as an artist independent of his father's legacy with shows that powerful, story-telling, heart-breaking, energetic, inspiring and highly acclaimed worldwide. Don’t miss this incredible show by a living legend!
Detroit Institute of Arts, South Lawn Stage Children’s Stage & Tent
Youth Celebration
1-7pm
DBCFSN Food Warriors: Hands on food/agriculture workshop
Dream Arts Company Detroit: Hands on Workshop
Writing Workshop: Rhonda Greene: Book reading