Downtown Detroit’s New Public Space – Beacon Park Opens July 20th

A beacon attracts attention or serves as a guide, and the mission of DTE’s new public space, Beacon Park, is to do just that: attract people, businesses, and development to the western part of Downtown Detroit. The 1.5 acre park has a large central lawn with turf, a Belgian-style restaurant, walking paths with trees and benches, space for performances and food trucks, bike parking, and move-able chairs and tables. Visitors can play catch, sit on the lawn, bring a picnic lunch, dine on the patio, stroll around the perimeter, catch up on email, chat with friends, listen to music, or participate in any of the daily events and activities. The Downtown Detroit Partnership is providing operations and programming for Beacon Park, much like they do for Campus Martius and the other public spaces in downtown Detroit. Beacon Park activities will center around the park’s themes: light, energy, and motion.

Beacon Park will open Thursday, July 20th with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony to kick off Grand Opening Celebrations and the nearly 50 events planned for the weekend.

Although I joined DTE after a majority of the planning work for the park project was finished, since my group in Public Affairs is responsible for managing this project, I have been involved in the final preparations. I look forward to eating lunch at a table in the park, taking work meetings outside, and having a beer during happy hour on the patio. I am also very excited to see DTE employees out and about, engaging with the downtown in a public space. The park programming offers a wide range of activities and events that should provide something for everyone.

Meet you at the Beacon! If you can’t make any of the Grand Opening Celebration events, I hope to see you at one of the 600 other events planned this year. Follow the link above to see the schedule.