In a technology driven display of branding and showmanship in Detroit鈥檚 downtown Hart Plaza, thousands of attendees converged on the , which ran May 27-29, 2023, for a weekend of techno and debauchery.
While the official attendance figures were not available Wednesday morning, a typical eye perusal saw over 50,000 people each day of the three-day Memorial Day weekend. DJ sets, live artist performances on six stages of pulsating movement made this year鈥檚 festival live up to its name.
鈥淲hat makes performing in Detroit is that it鈥檚 home; it鈥檚 where I can let my hair down,鈥 says Detroit hip-hop artist and new mom, , who performed Saturday night before a raging audience who recited every word to her classic hits, Ice Me Out, and Ready Set.
The lineup of both homegrown and international DJ sets and performances included a mix of personalities spanning eras and genres, including the popular , Al Ester and , one of the founders of techno, along with the newest rising stars, Underground and other local house masters making their first Movement appearance such as Kenny Dixon, better known as .
Other highlights of the weekend included the art installations, Coachella鈥檚-esque pops from the ballooned figures that provided shade from the heat. Plus, illuminated bridges and overhead walkways that provided light through the festival鈥檚 maze of activations.
Making your way to the Underground amphitheater yielded an array of art murals and architectural renditions giving a history of Detroit鈥檚 linkage to the electronic genre. The听Respect the Architects exhibition explored some of the Detroit electronic music community鈥檚 most impactful and unsung heroes. Meanwhile, upstairs on the patio, the Movement Studio included interactive demonstrations and instruments for attendees to create their own beats.
For those very small windows of chill time, sponsors Titos鈥 and Jars Cannabis provided seating areas and recreational ingredients to make the time roll on by. Their curated spaces offered the needed rest before each set to recharge.
The best performance of the weekend, in my opinion, had to be the first female in history to close the Movement festival since its 2006 inception. , the Belgian producer-DJ is now the first woman to headline the main stage in a 90-minute set that brought in a new era for Movement.
But one of the biggest reasons for the success of festivals like Movement is its loyal fanbase who stand shoulder to shoulder, dancing until they fall out and loving every minute of it.
For more information on Movement music festival, visit .
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