51st Arab and Chaldean Festival

By Cal Abbo

Since 1973, the Arab and Chaldean Festival has raged on in the hot Detroit summer. Many Detroiters frequent the two-day event in Hart Plaza. It claims to be the largest Arab and Chaldean festival in North America and to this day remains free for everyone.

During the day, the Chaldean News sent a documentary crew to film the different activities and interview vendors and patrons. The festival offered various booths, many of which had fresh food, authentic produce and spices, artwork, or fresh Hookah. Other booths featured products or representatives from companies promoting their diversity efforts.

At 5:30, the program for the festival started with different Middle Eastern dances. Women dressed up in traditional costumes, usually from a diverse set of ethnic backgrounds, to show off their moves in front of a small stage.

Overlooking the Detroit River, music blasting, Hart Plaza is the premiere location to host an outdoor festival like this. Below the main deck is the amphitheater, which seated hundreds of people, where the main stage is located. Seats filled up quickly as the program began. Most attendees arrived after 5 p.m. and came for the singers.

Chaldean and Arab musicians took the stage. Danny Patrus, Khalid Gomar, Sawsan Najar, and Adel Adeeb all had different talents to show in terms of music. As the night grew on, patrons continued to flood in. In the typical Arab and Chaldean way, the excitement of the attendees escalated as it got darker.

Sunday saw a similar program, but it also included a fashion show. Women from many different Middle Eastern countries demonstrated their country’s unique dress. The Chaldean and Arab Festival will return to Hart Plaza next summer for its 52nd year.