Fri, Sep 25
|Hunt Street Station
The Cookout: Reimagining The Black BBQ Through Art and Food
An Immersive Art and Cultural Experience Celebrating Tradition, Creativity, and Connection
Time & Location
Sep 25, 2026, 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Hunt Street Station, 2200 Hunt St, Detroit, MI 48207, USA
About the event
The Cookout is an immersive art and cultural experience that reimagines the Black BBQ through wearable art, food, music, and community. Featuring bonnets and durags crafted from classic BBQ staples, the event transforms everyday traditions into bold expressions of creativity and cultural storytelling. Guests can enjoy a curated barbecue by Smokey G's, boozy and non-alcoholic ice cream from Ice Cream Detroit, classic cars, spades, field games, music, and a shared celebration of Black joy.
Curated by Sydni Warner, The Duey Dealer, the experience centers an interactive installation of wearable art featuring bonnets and durags created from iconic cookout staples. These pieces transform everyday symbols into vehicles for storytelling, memory, and creative expression.
Throughout the evening, guests are invited to explore the installation, connect with fellow creatives and community members, and experience a celebration of Black joy through food, fashion, and culture. Chef Greg of Smokey G's brings the experience to life through a menu inspired by the flavors, memories, and rituals of communal gathering, while Ysahai and Kiara of Ice Cream Detroit serve boozy ice cream and playful dessert offerings that spark conversation and connection.
The experience extends beyond the installation with classic cookout-inspired activities, including field day games, community Spades tournaments, and a People's Choice Classic Car Show. Guests can enjoy complimentary BBQ and ice cream while supplies last, vote for their favorite classic car, compete for cash prizes, and engage with the artwork and one another throughout the evening.
Together, The Cookout transforms a familiar tradition into an immersive celebration of Black culture, creativity, community, and joy.
UN SUSTAINABILITY GOALS
We use Detroit's UNESCO City of Design designation as a call to action for Detroiters to embrace the Sustainable Development Goals in their own communities, contributing to the active effort of solving global interconnected issues.